Schiit Magnius Balanced Headphone Amp Review

[gvl]

@amirm, can you please also spot check preamp outputs? Output impedance would be interesting if this is something you can measure for line level outputs.

As for headphones, does the balanced output have the same performance when used with SE inputs?

 

[abhijitnath]

If Schiitt wants everyone to buy this for balanced use only, why does the promo pic have the se input plugged in?

 

[MadMan]

Would SE in/SE out performance be different from what we see for balanced in/SE out ? I think it would be interesting to do a quick dashboard of that @amirm just to see ...

 

[amirm]

Would SE in/SE out performance be different from what we see for balanced in/SE out ? I think it would be interesting to do a quick dashboard of that @amirm just to see ...

I tested that and from what i recall it was similar.

 

[ClosDeLaRoche]

I think this is a legitimate criticism but there was a lot of thought that went into this. We only use one phase of the balanced output so there is no cancellation of distortion between phases. We could have made the SE measure the same but to be honest it adds parts which adds cost, we didn't like how it sounded when tested and frankly we have an awesome SE amp in Hersey. We made an extraordinary balanced amp at a very competitive price. If you want SE performance, save yourself a hundred bucks and buy Heresy.

As someone who is not interested in Balanced I agree, this is not the product for us. Modi 3 with Magni Heresy is an amazing and affordable stack, I own two! The only product that would interest me is a Modi 3+ or Modi 4 with the new 4493 chip, Schiit's newest USB interface, basically the Modius with no XLR for less money. Oh and a Magni Heresy 2 with a better volume pot, the pots on both of mine are a little bit scratchy. I'd gladly pay another $20 for a better pot.

I would also LOVE if Schiit DACs at some point gained a remote control with volume control for pre-amp duties.

 

[NDRQ]

So bad that, there is no Pentaconn balanced output,so i cant use with my 660s.
I know that still many people still using XLR, but at least they should include both option for balanced output.

Btw that big 2nd order distortion in SE mode is basically a tube mode. Even better than most tube amps, because it is giving pure 2.nd order distortion, and no 3rd order and other junk.

 

[soas]

I would prefer it if 4.4mm became a new norm too, as I don't have any headphones or cables that terminate in XLR. Smaller footprint and all.

That said, you can't dispute that XLR is more common compared to Pentaconn and that other new products are still coming out with XLR outputs.

 

[bboris77]

Me too. They have incredible footprint in desktop product and as such, can lift the performance of so many systems.

Amir, I can't help feel that the Jotunheim did not get a fair shake when it was reviewed. Considering the fact that it is a couple of years old now, it appears to have been a great-measuring device as a pure amplifier at the time. It was panned here for its performance with a DAC built-in and because of an unit-specific grounding issue that was presumably resolved later in production.

This is a question for you and @T.M.Noble - any chance of having a current-revision Jot retested as an amp-only? If Schiit ever updates their DAC modules to bring them closer to the level of their standalone DACs, the Jot could still be a good choice for an all-in-one system.

 

[EchoChamber]

WOW! Way to go Schiit!! $200, and 1dB lower SINAD than the A90, that's f@#$%*g impressive!

 

[aHaidc]

Schiit Modius + Magnius ($398 total) and Topping D10s + L30 ($238 total). Excellent budget combo for such low price

 

[Racheski]

So bad that, there is no Pentaconn balanced output,so i cant use with my 660s.
I know that still many people still using XLR, but at least they should include both option for balanced output.

Problem Solved for $23
4.4mm to 4 pin XLR Female

 

[Billy Budapest]

WOW! Way to go Schiit!! $200, and 1dB lower SINAD than the A90, that's f@#$%*g impressive!

With Schiit, JDS Labs, and Geshelli producing SOTA amps at bargain basement prices in the U.S.A., this is truly a great time for head fi and American audio generally. Plus, with Schiit being a relatively small operation, JDS Labs being smaller, and Geshelli being even smaller, they don’t enjoy the kind of economies of scale of the larger Chinese companies like Topping, SMSL, and others, yet still manage to produce gear at startlingly low prices. Factor in the higher American labor costs, and it really is an achievement.

 

[MadMan]

I tested that and from what i recall it was similar.

I assume you mean SE in-SE out is similar to XLR in-SE out ? So ~95dB SINAD with a big 2nd order distortion ?

As someone who is not interested in Balanced I agree, this is not the product for us. Modi 3 with Magni Heresy is an amazing and affordable stack, I own two! The only product that would interest me is a Modi 3+ or Modi 4 with the new 4493 chip, Schiit's newest USB interface, basically the Modius with no XLR for less money. Oh and a Magni Heresy 2 with a better volume pot, the pots on both of mine are a little bit scratchy. I'd gladly pay another $20 for a better pot.

I would also LOVE if Schiit DACs at some point gained a remote control with volume control for pre-amp duties.

I would consider Schiit products again (I've had a Magni 2-Modi 2 in the now-distant past) if they just put all the controls on the damn front. I was excited seeing the initial pictures of this amp, then saw the picture of the back.

 

[amirm]

I assume you mean SE in-SE out is similar to XLR in-SE out ? So ~95dB SINAD with a big 2nd order distortion ?

Correct. I will confirm later when I get a chance.

 

[T.M.Noble]

With Schiit, JDS Labs, and Geshelli producing SOTA amps at bargain basement prices in the U.S.A., this is truly a great time for head fi and American audio generally. Plus, with Schiit being a relatively small operation, JDS Labs being smaller, and Geshelli being even smaller, they don’t enjoy the kind of economies of scale of the larger Chinese companies like Topping, SMSL, and others, yet still manage to produce gear at startlingly low prices. Factor in the higher American labor costs, and it really is an achievement.

We really appreciate that recognition. It's a difficult task.

 

[Xyrium]

"kindly sent to me by the company "
That always worries me, screams golden sample.

The penalty on the unbalanced section seems to work well enough as a tradeoff for the superb performance in balanced. Still, I'm always hesitant of company or fanboy samples.

Hopefully their QC is up to snuff, and a teardown can be performed to ensure other users are seeing the same board and component layout. </Hint>

Otherwise, kudos to Schiit for another sharp looking, and well performing product!

 

[restorer-john]

That always worries me, screams golden sample.

My bet it is a random sample pulled of the line after the standard pass/fail testing and merely checked once more before sending it to @amirm .

Apart from sample to sample variation in pot tracking, you'd be hard pressed to expect significant variations in a product like this.

 

[Doodski]

My bet it is a random sample pulled of the line after the standard pass/fail testing and merely checked once more before sending it to @amirm .

Apart from sample to sample variation in pot tracking, you'd be hard pressed to expect significant variations in a product like this.

For sure and that Alps Blue pot is supposed to be a excellent pot.

 

[spacevector]

Hi @amirm, do you get to keep this product?

 

[theglobalelite]

In case you wanted to use an SE headphone? Honestly, don't buy this if the SE measurements bug you. This product isn't meant for you. We wanted a balanced beast and we made one.

Fair. So would have adding a 4.4mm output added a lot to the cost? Or is Schiit not down with the Pentacon yet?