• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Schiit Magni Heretic Headphone Amp Review

Rate this headphone amplifier:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 2 0.7%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 49 18.4%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 216 80.9%

  • Total voters
    267

don'ttrustauthority

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 10, 2021
Messages
679
Likes
377
For amusement value maybe ...
The blurb on the product page certainly doesn't inspire confidence: "Solid state practicality, tube-like sound", "Measurements aren’t the whole story". We all know this is just code for 'this is a product for those who like to pretend they enjoy distortion'.
As opposed to those who pretend the prefer 120 db sinad to 90 db sinad, yet never put their ears to the test?
 

solderdude

Grand Contributor
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
15,891
Likes
35,912
Location
The Neitherlands
If someone believe only in numbers and buy gears only by numbers, i feel pitty. So many good sounding gears are missed.
Very often that gear which has ”not so good” numbers makes a music alive.
That better measured gear has not always the best soundquality.

You are mixing preference with performance.
 
D

Deleted member 21726

Guest
You are mixing preference with performance.
No i'm not. I know what i am talking about.
Enough own experiences. ;)
Measured performance often tells very little about real life soundquality.

Your own ears tells what is soundquality.
You listen music via them? ;)
 

solderdude

Grand Contributor
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
15,891
Likes
35,912
Location
The Neitherlands
Performance is measurable. Good technical performance is low distortion and 'flat' frequency response.
'Musicality' is something subjective and is a preference which always includes the eyes/knowing what one is listening to. That gear usually 'modifies' the signal in a way that is pleasant to the listener.

Perfectly O.K. to prefer something over something else.
Signal fidelity (technical performance) is not the same as 'preference' no matter how much experience you may have.
 

oleg87

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2022
Messages
302
Likes
540
Location
California
No i'm not. I know what i am talking about.
Enough own experiences. ;)
Measured performance often tells very little about real life soundquality.

Your own ears tells what is soundquality.
You listen music via them? ;)
If your idea of sound quality is measurable transparency, then that is sound quality… At least if you believe an AP box captures all meaningful aspects of objective amplifier performance, which I’m agnostic on. Everything else is a reduction in fidelity, however enjoyable you find an objective distortion of the source signal.

I have no issue with either approach, as long as it’s not misrepresented by the manufacturer as something it isn’t.
 
Last edited:

charleski

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 15, 2019
Messages
1,098
Likes
2,239
Location
Manchester UK
As opposed to those who pretend the prefer 120 db sinad to 90 db sinad, yet never put their ears to the test?
I have a Heresy and a 25-year old headphone tube amp (60dB SINAD). Most of the time I can’t tell the difference between them. There are a few tracks of classical music where I think the increased distortion might be marginally audible, though I couldn’t swear to that. Certainly any attempt to describe one as ‘more musical’ than the other would be pure fantasy. But I know the Heresy is the better product.

Like many of those posting here on ASR, I’ve spent years going down the subjectivist rabbit hole. The difference is, we’ve come out the other end and realised it’s time to stop fooling ourselves.

An amp with 120dB SINAD is objectively better than one with 90dB, but it’s unlikely you’d hear a difference between them. It’s simple common sense to prefer the better-engineered product, especially since, in most cases, it will be cheaper than a boutique item relying on magical properties.
 

Lupin

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Feb 11, 2021
Messages
575
Likes
960
Your own ears tells what is soundquality.
You listen music via them? ;)
Your ears are just the receivers, your brain does the actual processing.
There are enough studies and papers out there that proof how unreliable (to put it nicely) your brain is in that department.
 

solderdude

Grand Contributor
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
15,891
Likes
35,912
Location
The Neitherlands
But the brain does know if it likes something or not.
That may very well not be the system with the best technical performance.
You just cannot use it as a measurement device.
 

don'ttrustauthority

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 10, 2021
Messages
679
Likes
377
I have a Heresy .... It’s simple common sense to prefer the better-engineered product, especially since, in most cases, it will be cheaper than a boutique item relying on magical properties.
Your Schiit Heresy is audibly transparent, but it is still a boutique item that is cheaper than 'better-engineered' products with 'better' SINAD.

So your assertion doesn't ALWAYS hold true. In this case, common sense is to prefer the Heresy.
 

solderdude

Grand Contributor
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
15,891
Likes
35,912
Location
The Neitherlands
The Heretic is the better engineered version of the Heresy.
Nothing boutique about all Magni's IMO.
I would say L30-II and Heretic are both more than good enough for all but a few headphones.
SINAD at these levels is irrelevant.... well anything above 100 is irrelevant from a technical P.O.V.
 

Laserjock

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 25, 2019
Messages
1,327
Likes
1,000
Location
Texas Coastal
Honestly, seeing as it's been measured, I don't need to see it unless Amir is going to do a blind listen test. We know he won't like it, but we also know he won't do a blind test.

You guys want subjectivists to believe in numbers, yet you won't put your philosophy to the test.
I wasn’t aware.
 

lashto

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
1,045
Likes
535
At a show, I saw Suolo Monos work well with the DCA Stealth, and the Stealth is one of the top 10 hardest headphones to drive. So I think that proves tube amps are fine with low impedance planars. Obviously there are SOME that are hard for ALL amplifiers to drive. That has nothing to do with solid state vs tube.

You need a transformer coupled tubes from ampsandsound ... given the 7 ohm, I would talk to Justin about what he thinks might be powerful enough for your amp.

You will be in heaven.
very nice looking amps from ampsandsound.
But as much as I like tubes, paying $10.000 for an amp in not on my todo list. Might consider paying that much for (extraordinary) speakers but IMO that is crazy money for "just an amp"
 

majingotan

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
1,510
Likes
1,781
Location
Laguna, Philippines
very nice looking amps from ampsandsound.
But as much as I like tubes, paying $10.000 for an amp in not on my todo list. Might consider paying that much for (extraordinary) speakers but IMO that is crazy money for "just an amp"

Pretty sure the markup on those is at minimum 250%. If headphones.com can still make money by offering me 2099 out of 2899 SRP on my brand new Forge amp, that can definitely confirm my speculation

While Forge has ridiculous gain multiplier for my sensitive headphones and IEMs, my little Schiit Magni covers the latter where I get excellent sonics on most headphones out there
 

lashto

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
1,045
Likes
535
Pretty sure the markup on those is at minimum 250%. If headphones.com can still make money by offering me 2099 out of 2899 SRP on my brand new Forge amp, that can definitely confirm my speculation

While Forge has ridiculous gain multiplier for my sensitive headphones and IEMs, my little Schiit Magni covers the latter where I get excellent sonics on most headphones out there
200% (double) is the usual for brick & mortar stores. A bit rich for an online store like headphones.com.

OTOH, you don't want your amps to be sold for $5000 in a store and $3000 online so everyone displays ~the same sale price. Which is of course the highest one. Generally you'll get better discounts from online stores, you just need to haggle a bit on the phone :)
 

don'ttrustauthority

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 10, 2021
Messages
679
Likes
377
very nice looking amps from ampsandsound.
But as much as I like tubes, paying $10.000 for an amp in not on my todo list. Might consider paying that much for (extraordinary) speakers but IMO that is crazy money for "just an amp"
Nor mine, brother. I was horrified to see their prices jump the way they did to over $10k.

But the stuff on sale is still selling under $2k and I think it's a huge value. That is, if you want a nice tube amplifier to look at.

If you just to listen to music, get a Jot 2 for $400 it's as good as F.

Of all the amplifiers I've had, that is the one I will never sell (at heart I'm a solid state guy I've found. With only one solid state headphone amp).
 

lashto

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 8, 2019
Messages
1,045
Likes
535
Nor mine, brother. I was horrified to see their prices jump the way they did to over $10k.

But the stuff on sale is still selling under $2k and I think it's a huge value. That is, if you want a nice tube amplifier to look at.

If you just to listen to music, get a Jot 2 for $400 it's as good as F.

Of all the amplifiers I've had, that is the one I will never sell (at heart I'm a solid state guy I've found. With only one solid state headphone amp).
In terms of "nice to look at", my eyes are currently on https://www.toolshedamps.com. The level of workmanship on those things is just amazing. The prices are too but I'd say they are (almost) justified in this case

Otherwise quite happy with my darkvoice, guess I was lucky with a problem-free one.
 
Last edited:

don'ttrustauthority

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 10, 2021
Messages
679
Likes
377
In terms of "nice to look at", my eyes are currently on https://www.toolshedamps.com. The level of workmanship on those things is just amazing. The prices are too but I'd say they are (almost) justified in this case

Otherwise quite happy with my darkvoice, guess I was lucky with a problem-free one.
I prefer ampsandsound. My 300b fantasy end game amplifier is something I would love to buy someone else.
 

Jimster480

Major Contributor
Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Messages
2,880
Likes
2,032
Location
Tampa Bay
If produced audio is not good, blame the mastering engineer, not the gear.

Correct mastering and absolute transparency will always give the best result.

From source to ear, eliminate the gear .... I say .....

That said, there are plenty of really crappy master recordings that probably do sound better on perfectly matched inferior gear.
That is really true and my journey into HiFi definitely sent me down that path. Music I used to love I cannot even listen to anymore because it is mastered like crap.
On crap devices you can't hear the imperfections and on high end devices it sounds like crap.
This is maybe why some people fall in love with things that measure and overall "sound like crap" and this is subjective because if you grew up listening to music that was recorded like crap and listened to it on crap; you expect the same crap sound. So you want something that sounds just like how you remember when you went to some concert and there was 23 SINAD overall.... actual quality audio will put you off to your favorite music because it sounds like crap now.

However if you stick with it; you find plenty of new music that sounds great (not necessarily "new" as in recorded recently but just well recorded music that is "new" to you) and then you REALLY enjoy this hobby!
 

Jim Shaw

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
616
Likes
1,159
Location
North central USA
You just plug them in and that's it - no problem. It's a well defined standard and you can put a lot of power through it - that's what the PD standard is which the OP was talking about (although it won't work on this amp as it requires AC). You can connect a 4k monitor to a laptop and power the laptop from the monitor via USB-C. It's great. A lot of connectors support different standards - you can plug two devices into a monitor via HDMI, for example, and discover one of them only updates at 30hz in 4k mode - nice. Standardizing on USB-C at least allows for consolidation of all these other sockets into just USB-C allowing cable reuse and ideally one standard to bind them, although I'm sure cheapskate manufacturers will screw that up as usual by cutting corners to save costs, be first to market etc.
Yep. USB-C sure beats the crap outa all USBs that came before.
Bandwidth, power, reversibility, and firm stay-in-place locking.
Even Apple has been dragged, kicking and screaming, to USB-C... next year...
 
Top Bottom