FIRST REVIEW: Schiit Magnius, an affordable, made in the US balanced headphone amp

[@Jeton6]

I'm proud to give you thumb's up. wish you'd elaborated just a little bit why you prefer the Asgard over the Magnus.

[@MrWHeffern]

Yes I would like to know that as well. Not a fan of wall wart P/S’s but the Magnius does have an xlr output which is appealing.

[@janheinhoogstad7926]

Me too. That comment at the end really came out of nowhere for me. It left me puzzled... and I’d really like to hear more about the reasons behind it.

[@geraldmosley2195]

It would be NICE WITH A REMOTE!!!

[@Audfile]

@@janheinhoogstad7926 because class A?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

I did kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHi5e5hohtt3j5o If you don't need balanced connectivity, get an Asgard.

[@metalman0708]

I just purchased the Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones. This was my first headphone since my teenage years. I paired it withthe Shiitt Modi Magni I am very impressed.

[@Assimilator702]

That’s a great setup. I have it myself along with the Sennheiser HD 6XX.

[@stevefick3919]

Holy Schiit! That's a lot of Schiit, man! I have the Schiit Mani phono pre. Works great! Love that Schiit!

[@rohanjd]

I wish I could give you a million thumbs up's for each of your videos.... excellent review!

[@scottbrown4534]

Thumbs up for sure! I think you have WAY too fun with that company name... Seriously, I've been following the exploits of the Mike and Jason show for some years, and this shift towards great products with (GASP!!!) opamps and amp chips. Yikes a mundo! I give a fair amount of credit to Texas Instrument for their excellent quality audio parts, but the real star of the show here is the incredibly fine tuned marketing sense that Schiit & Company have regularly displayed (minor hiccups here and there notwithstanding...). Thanks for what you do, Steve. I love when you review budget hi-fi because that is still, after all these years, my market. I absolutely love shocking people with inexpensive gear, and Schiit has been a part of that for a while now.

[@hugobloemers4425]

It is great to see products really being made in the US (or Europe, I am from Europe) and still competing on their own technical merits. Other companies should take note. Thumbs up (right here) for bringing that to us. What I would like to know, up to which point does it make sense to buy something like this if you have already an integrated amplifier with headphone outputs? In my case that would be a vintage Luxman L210. Would this piece of Shiit blow my amp out of the water or would it just hit the fan ;)

[@MikeBissonthescribe]

I love shiit - Jason calls the Magnius a "measurement" amp - I own the Asgard 1 and 3 and I have to say that unless you have to go balanced, the Asgard 3 is an awesome sounding amp

[@JSym92]

It really is. I recently got an Asgard 3, it's shockingly good for its price. I've heard a truck load of source gear at any price range, and the Asgard 3 makes it incredibly hard to justify spending more on a solid-state amp. It doesn't have any glaring issues, no harshness, great dynamics, great staging/layering, smooth/natural texture. I've paired it with the Bifrost 2, which is really the icing on the cake imo. Hard to beat that combo

[@Balleatomique]

Started with an Asgard in 2011....and now I have some Schiit pretty much in every room, a total Schiitshow 👍🏻

[@neilfisher7999]

I have a Schiit Modi3 DAC which for $99 is an exceptional value. I love your reviews! There is a lot of reasonably priced shit out there for audiophiles.

[@dell177]

No doubt about it they make great Schitt. I have the Asguard2 and the Modi 2 with my MacMini next to my chair in the livingroom. I don't see them getting replaced.

[@prithvib8662]

Nice review! At 2:14 the word you're looking for is topology.

[@MarcosArancibia]

Thanks a lot Steve, just ordered mine!

[@vincentquy]

The opening is gold! A lot of schiit.

[@rvenden]

Hi Steve - Love the show and always give you a "Thumbs Up". Please do a video explaining why you would buy the Asgard 3 over the Magnius. You dropped that at the end and didn't say why. The explanation would probably make for a great future episode. Thank you. Roger

[@tinylittlenukes]

You have my thumbs up. Questions: 1) Have you ever put a balanced cable on the HD6XX and done a comparison? 2) Might you be doing a Modius or Modius + Magius review? I just picked up a Modius and really like the improvement in sound over the Modi.

[@melomaniacspodcast1105]

It’s worth getting the balanced cables. I have these and the modius with a Geshelli Erish. Unreal

[@Diatonic5th]

@@melomaniacspodcast1105 That's interesting. Can you honestly hear a difference with the balanced cables? Or do you just prefer the sturdier connectors?

[@melomaniacspodcast1105]

Diatonic5th yes there’s a difference in volume and fullness of sound no doubt

[@357Shakey]

I’m happy you posted this comment. I just bought the Drop/Sens HD6xx like Steve’s. I had the exact same question, as I’m about to make an amp/DAC or combo headphone amp device purchase. Those are some of my choices. It’s going to be Schiit no matter what.

[@adamyelle4901]

Gotta have fun with the name. Love it

[@igorcosta8559]

At the very end you answered the question I had, either this or an Asgard 3. My Daily driver is both and Asgard 3 and Drop THX 890 being fed from a Bifrost 2 for reference.

[@darrentaylor4248]

Thanks Steve, sounds like it was some good schiit!

[@AvalancheUKOfficial]

Rewatching the video to figure out why you preferred the Asgard, you said build quality. Fair enough, but the Magnius seemed to be coming out top on audio comparisons so equally as surprised by the final comment as others in the comments section!

[@oleksiifilippov68]

Thanks for the review! It was nice to hear comparison between the two similarly priced amps. I actually have the Asgard 3 and HD6xx combo. And it’s pretty good! The sound is more smooth and sweet than the Ragnarok 2! I still prefer the Rag, but not on the desktop. And the Asgard 3 seems to have its own strength.

[@exol511]

Ragnarok v2 is sadly worse than V1. I do hope Schiit does a overhaul soon for their higher end stuff as it right now is quite lacking.

[@oleksiifilippov68]

Thanks for sharing. Can't tell, as I didn't hear the first one. And unlikely will, as I'm in Europe region. However I quite enjoy the second rag with the speakers and with different headphones. Mostly listening with speakers. One of my favorite Schiit headphone amps is still Mjolnir 2.

[@jlmain5777]

Nice review. I guess if you need the balanced input/output you get this one.

[@GFClocked]

Greetings from Lithuania, thumbs up!

[@Enigmadibs]

Asgard 3 for the single ended performance at $199. Seriously impressive piece of kit. I'd you really need to have balanced, then Magnius

[@MrGrosMamouth]

I bought the Asgard 3 two months ago. I may have cringed a bit when I saw the magnius, but I’ completly satisfied with the asgard 3!

[@billthestinker]

Excellent information

[@TomBabula]

Would love to see your opinion on Zen CAN or THX 789 vs Magnius especially since 789 came down on price to $250 and it does not seem to suffer from compromise on balanced vs SE which seems as great pick for folks who use a lot both balanced and SE input and some describe as more accurate, transparent than Magnius while some perceive it "too analytical or bright".

[@integritee0078]

I love this Schiit

[@jimmyblues59m76]

Just bought a C stock Asgard 2 last week for $159.90 delivered with a 5 year warranty. Schiit is a great company that makes fine products at an affordable price and contracts with American companies to supply the parts needed for manufacturing these products.

[@protoman247]

I just realized it sounds like “ass guard” 😅

[@oleksiifilippov68]

Well if you think about it from this perspective, the Samsung had “S Voice” and has “S Pen”. You know what I mean ;-)

[@agentorange8530]

Schiit ass guard

[@alexanderfleming9104]

@@oleksiifilippov68 No, nobody knows what you mean at all

[@oleksiifilippov68]

@@alexanderfleming9104 really?! Such a shame!

[@davidstarboy6067]

After comparing the Magnius favorably to the Asgard, you tantalizingly said you would prefer to get the Asgard 3, with no explanation. What makes you ultimately prefer the A3 over the Magnius???

[@sawhongwei5140]

i was really really convinced to buy the magnius until he said that he would pick the asgard for it and thats what i did aswell, cuz from my research asgard is better for single ended headphones and thats what i used so i went with the asgard

[@JohnDoe-np3zk]

Steve really knows his Schiit.

[@DREDKNOT2063]

THE FINAL FRONTIER - THE SCHIIT MAGNIUS - SUB 500$ BALANCED AMP it has arrived ...........!!!!! WOW !!!!!........... this finally drives my MONOPRICE M570 can the way they were meant to be no more distorsion at the low end sub 30hz at 12:00 on the voluime dail an im not even on the balanced out yet iv still got to get a cable upgrade for that im jjust coming of my jds atom amp at 1 watt at high gain an was never sure rhow much gain boost in db i was getting but i aways fell the need to use this digital pc eq to eq an back off the volume by -4db weither i was gaming or watching a web vid or listening to foobar but with this flat out no trim or eq an its great no distorsion at all an the only diff is an extra 1 watt at 32ohms SE at high gain which 8plus db not bad at all , an i dont think that its just the 1 extra at 32ohms that gives this beast the better oomph but so far im very pleased i will update the review two more time for more indepthness .1 - an when i get my custom balanced xlr headphone cables from either hartaudiocables or audiophileninja .2 - an when i get my balanced massdrop dac an xlr cables but for right now im going to bliss out to some solar fields an tool audio goodness

[@ThinkingBetter]

Driving a headphone of 32 Ohms or more doesn't take much of a circuit and not much of power to design to perfection. The output can be near 0 Ohms easily and all it needs to do is to output a voltage that is slightly higher than line level with the low output impedance. I am not very convinced this product would sound any different than other "head phone amps" in an actual blind-test. For headphones I use my Earstudio HS100 mk2 as DAC+DSP+headphone amp+BT receiver for under half the cost of this product still having balanced output and many more high quality features in a much smaller size. HS100 can connect directly to my iMac or PC and run Bluetooth in high quality if you need mobility. And it has an excellent EQ. Most people don't know what they are missing without a proper EQ function.

[@waynelandry1601]

I don't see an Earstudio HS100. There is an ES100. Is that what you have?

[@ThinkingBetter]

Wayne Landry Yes, ES100 mk2. It’s tiny but packs a lot of excellent performing functionality. I use a lot as a USB DAC with my headphones or earbuds connected to my iMac running Tidal.

[@waynelandry1601]

@@ThinkingBetter Thanks!

[@donaldcadoret4653]

I'm presently using the Sennheiser HD 6xx with the Pro-ject Pre Box S2 Digital preamp DAC. Maybe you could review this combo sometime. I'm curious to see what you think with such a low powered amp when used with 300 ohm headphones. I really enjoy your reviews of Schitt products and I will try some when I get the extra money.

[@mocomike01]

Steve, I was thinking about getting the Asgard 3, but with the announcement of the Magnius, I'm conflicted. You said at the end that you would probably choose the Asgard over the Magnius. My question is why? Thanks!

[@danryan4272]

This is a measurement amp with XLR output. It is much more transparent. Is is like a Magni Heresy with full balanced setup. If you want accuracy this is better. Asgard is more classic HiFi with discreet parts. It will color music more and the amplification parts are more expensive. Steve doesnt care about measured accuracy. Each product has a different buyer philosophy in mind. I think this is their best headphone amp for balanced, but would just use a Heresy for single ended.

[@mocomike01]

@@danryan4272 thanks for the information. This was really helpful! I wish I had a way to listen to both to see what I like better. Figure I can't really go wrong with either one though.

[@exol511]

Basically like this, the Magnius selling point is balanced output. The single ended output on it is gimped and not as good as the Asgard 3. So basically if you plan to use mostly single end connection I would recommend the Asgard 3.

[@mocomike01]

@@exol511 thanks for the feedback. What you're saying, definitely seems to be the general consensus out there.

[@danryan4272]

@@exol511 i hadn't noticed Asgard beats Magnius on SE best case signal to noise and distortion.

[@gregglowery3452]

I'd really like to see a review of the Schiit Sol. Any plans in the near future?

[@whynotwas]

I agree. Unfortunately I think everyone is respectfully staying away.

[@redstarwraith]

Agreed! When Schiit first announced their turntable I was rather excited. I thought - given the general warm welcome to every other piece that company made - that reviewers would be tripping over themselves to be the first to review it. It's been a few years now and . . . crickets. I check in with "Mr. Vinyl" (Michael Fremer) from time to time to see if he's gotten around to it. Nope. I doubt now that he ever will. It's been what? A year now since the Sol dropped? On the surface, it seems to have a lot going on for it, especially in the way of changeable tonearms. On the other hand, it seems like it requires a lot of fiddling and tinkering (read: a turntable for the true hobbyist who enjoys fiddling and tinkering) so it *might* be that the Sol is an oddly placed piece for a company that has a reputation for being geared toward - shall we say, "novice audiophiles?"

[@gregglowery3452]

@@redstarwraith Seems like there was quite a bit of interest on the interwebs when the thing initially dropped but with the issues encountered related to original design and subsequent redesign, reviewers just moved on.

[@thelifeofjools8384]

You Tube sucks.... I had to search through my subscriptions to find this...zero notifications for months ! All the best...

[@LomaGnome]

Just getting into this, but I'd love to actually know WHY you would pick and asgard over a Magnius. I'm debating making a second stack for balanced audio. Currently I have a Modius/Asgard 3, and my plan assuming the Magnius is the path I take is to get the DAC for the Asgard and use it as my portable standalone.

[@onebylandtwoifbysearunifby5475]

If you are concerned about the switching power supply: switch to solar. A cheap pv panel, 12v battery, $10 charge controller and you have a power noise -free amp that you can hear a new world on. DC power jacks are one of the best things to happen to audio. Get off the janky A/C. Go solar! Hear the difference.

[@xzing7]

Please can explain more about the Dc Power 🔋 and solar power. Thanks 😊 🙏

[@danryan4272]

The point of this product is objective performance through balanced setup to compete with the THX amps, Benchmark, etc. This product is a slam dunk for this purpose and price point. If they were trying to save money on parts I dont think they would have used TOTL Neutrik connectors, and Alps blue velvet potentiometer. They used op amps here for objective performance. The older amps are for a different philosophy, approach, and customer.

[@martinshoosterman]

I'm really wondering if i should get a magnius over a 789

[@nicholas802]

@@martinshoosterman still thinking about it?

[@martinshoosterman]

@@nicholas802 yeah i am

[@danryan4272]

@@martinshoosterman Get a Magnius if you plan to use XLR4 headphone cables. Cheaper and better. Get a Schiit Magni Heresy if you want to use single ended TRS headphones. Or get a Magnius and Heresy for both, though it is probably overkill. You won't hear a difference in these or 789, and they all measure well, so it really comes down to build for me, but Schiit is also priced better.

[@danryan4272]

And if you want an amp made is Asia, don't get 789 either. Get a Topping. They are way better all around and also priced really well.

[@patkoss1945]

BTW, absolutely loving Correlations from Carlos Cipa. No headphone on office system, but need to put something behind the pre for headphones. Pass ACA, Pro-ject reference pre, Monitor Audio Bronze w/an eMotiva sub for support (building the ACA changed me...want Nelson Pass / First Watt).

[@mtgaalchmyplays]

Why is there not an explanation of why you would take an Asgard 3 over the Magnius? What does that amp do better for you that you would make that statement and leave it so open ended.

[@Tacet137]

It costs more

[@mtgaalchmyplays]

@@Tacet137 amp v amp its the same price only costs more if you add a dac into to asgard

[@exol511]

Consider it like this: The main point of Magnius is the balanced output and that is where all the work went. The single ended output is on the otherhand a aftertought and not as good as the one on the Asgard 3. So basically of you have and plan to use mostly single ended connection (which most headphones come with) get Asgard, if you plan to go balanced get Magnius

[@jamesbittle469]

@@exol511 Exactly. I bought the Magnius/Modius combo as a balanced companion to my Lyr3. I will never use the single-ended connection of the Magnius.

[@karasu9]

the schiit "ass guard"

[@HansDelbruck53]

Gives a whole new meaning to "I need to take a Schiit".

[@stuartstark]

Morning Schiit

[@Junker_1]

I love your videos. Do you have a recommendation for a streamer around max 1000€/1000$? Because I never see a mention of streamers when looking at your recommended products. Thanks.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

I've only reviewed one, Bluesound Node 2i

[@Junker_1]

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Yeah I know. You have a great ear and find great stuff, you also have great knowledge and style. Do you have recommendations for around 1000€/$? Or know someone you can trust that can give great recommendations? You sometimes recommend stuff that I never considered and pick out the cherries from the cake. Thanks for the help.

[@rpdreviews8272]

Junker, check out John Darko. He focuses more on digital audio equipment and has lots of great reviews and tutorials about streamers. For your price point he recommends the BlueSound PowerNode 2i.

[@Junker_1]

@@rpdreviews8272 Thank you. Is he as trustworthy as Mr Guttenberg? Because his recommendations often times seem to reach consensus with Stereophile (Not that I read it often).

[@amb3cog]

The best streamer at that price is definitely a NUC, or similar with a linear power supply. Even better with a fan free case that keeps it cool. But if that's a bit too much DIY, and or money. There's always the multitude of Raspberry Pi streamers, like the Allo USBridge/USBridge Signature, or their DigiOne/DigiOne Signature. Then there's the Orchard Audio PecanPi Streamer which is also a really good DAC (Balanced or SE). The Nvidia Shield TV Pro is an excellent streamer for TV, and audio. It can be converted to run on a battery, and has USB out. I love mine. And another great option I own too, is the Musical Paradise MP-Berry V2. Windows 10, big heavy metal case to block RFI/EMI, linear PS, and no fan. 4 USB out. 1 HDMI out. And a swappable power cord. Customer support. Even some a audiophile software included. Sounds amazing! There's also some Chinese ones on AliExpress that look promising. Basically any fan less computer from their will work good, especially with a good power supply, or battery. The Beelink ones in particular look very promising. But be aware of possible conflicts due to copyright laws involving Netflix, and KZbin when using Android TV, unless it's the Shield, Xiaomi MI, or Apple TV basically. That's another cheap option. Mac Mini, or Apple TV. But be careful which Apple TV you get. They're all different. As are the Mac Mini really. But not as big of a deal. Oh, and don't forget the old Chromecast Audio. It's better then you might guess. I own more then one. Check out Hans Beekhuyzen on here. He's the most knowledgeable guy when it comes to digital audio I've ever talked to. His book is great. His videos are even better. And this site has one of, if not the best computer audio forums on the web. audiophilestyle.com/ They are very, very knowledgeable there. And there's even build threads of audiophile computers if you want to go that route. But trust me. I have at least 7, or 8 streamers. And I don't think I'm even close to $1000. Even if you included all my digital cables. Mind you I bought most of it used, or on sale. But either way. If you shop smart. You can have a real nice sounding streamer for less then your budget. No problem. My USBridge, and Musical Paradise streamers will beat the pants off many expensive streamers. Never mind the Bluesound. That's got a SMPS in it. And it's not cheap to upgrade. I personally would avoid it, if ultimate sound quality were your goal. Ease of use, and feature wise. It's pretty hard to beat though. So it's definitely worth a good look IMHO. I would have to know more about the rest of your system to comment any better then that. But I'm sure you can figure it out from here, if you're willing to do some reading, writing, and/or watching. Oh, and if you go Windows, and I think you should myself, because it's definitely the most versatile by far. Bear in mind there's a ton of software out there to make it more audiophile. And not just players either. Stuff like Fidelizer Pro will run in the background, and keep everything in check for you. There's programs that can upsample, downsample. Do DSP, and Parametric EQ, etc. But remember that certain things like extreme upsampling, DSP, or Roon w/DSP and/or a big catalog. Will need a pretty powerful computer. And in the case of Roon. You'll need a server, and an endpoint. So two devices. And nothing beats Dirac on a dedicated device for room correction anyway, which is why I got a MiniDSP SHD Studio instead of doing it on my computer. So like I said. Do a lot of reading before you get too into it. Or buy something like the Bluesound, or a Chromecast Audio as cheap as you can, to hold you over for a bit, until you can figure it all out. Then sell that, or keep it as a 2nd/backup device and do what you really want to later on. Oh I almost forgot. If you already have a computer, or laptop in your listening room. They work fine. Especially if you get something to clean up the DSP a bit. Something to galvanically separate, and a DAC with a very modern Asynchronous input will sound pretty decent.

[@epi2045]

It serves as an inexpensive pre-amp which makes it very versatile.

[@Audiorevue]

That's actually what I bought it for. I ended up with a balanced power amplifier and needed a way to have a preamp that had a couple of inputs and I tell you what it's worked great in that capacity

[@filovirus1]

WTH? this is literally the only review/first-look video of Schiit Magnius in KZbin. did this just come out from Schiit today (2020-08-21)?

[@mocomike01]

I noticed the same thing. I think it's because it just launched last week. Audiosciencereview has a fully measured review.

[@filovirus1]

@Peter Grealy yep saw his review 2 days ago. buying one for myself soon.

[@lookbacktime9422]

Carlos Cipa - Correlations (on 11 pianos) 👍

[@ck8420]

In an normal listening session my Schitt Magni 3 headphone amp went up in smoke for no discernible reason. Just my experience with one of their products. But my Loki is functioning normally so far.

[@peteanddrake4242]

I have the Modi DAC and use it for streaming Spotify from my Fire Tv to a restored Sansui AU317 and Monitor Audio RX6's. I also listen to the Modi though Grado cans and it's a good match as you say. Schitt makes good shit.

[@waynelandry1601]

Would you elaborate on the specifics (e.g., what Fire TV device and what connections)? Thanks!

[@freedumb4348]

Wish you (Steve) would review there new turn table. Last time I looked there were zero reviews on the thing

[@stephenroberson2451]

Love your show. Where's you get that shirt? Have you ever reviewers the Marantz reference series integrated amps? I will like it if you did it could refer me to one you've already done

[@ANSWERTHECALLOFJESUSCHRIST]

I still have my Asgard 1 and 2. I like the original better for some reason. I ordered the Magnius in February even though it was backordered and due to ship soon. Unfortunately, poor Schiit has had a rough, out-of-their-control 2021 and due to that, had to e-mail us every time they pushed the shipping date further due to lack of parts. Fortunately, a couple days ago I received an e-mail that they were shipping it soon, but that because the original Paypal payment authorizarion expired, they sent an invoice. I paid that badboy with a quickness, ha-ha! My Modius hasn't been lonely due to having company from its two Asgard brothers, but I want it to finally meet his form factor twin. 🤪 I want to finally hear how my Audeze LCD-X will sound with hardcore power. 😏

[@reveme]

Hi Steve, a long term follower here. I've had a Sennheiser hd598 for ten years and last year I moved to HD6XX. I've an SMSL U8 as DAC and an Objective 2 (I've built it years ago, funny to do actually) and know what? Super impressed by the clarity and the resolution, but it lacks something. It's not entertaining, funny, enjoyable. Super analytic, although. As you said in the last video, probably too transparent. Was the Sennheiser enjoyable on the Magnius or the Asgard? I would like to understand if the 6XX was the wrong choice or if it's the O2 to be overly analytical... (btw the soundstage was better on the 598 :D )

[@kirarittberg5088]

Silvestro Pomes I also have the HD6xx headphones. I power them with a Creek OBD headphone amp using an old MSB link dac 3 with upgrade board and a DVD player.They are very neutral headphones and remind me of my old micro monitor electro stats (no longer working). The bass (the type that is felt by the body) and the imaging is obviously missing compared to speakers but I find them very enjoyable. They do not embellish the tone (analytical in that they are truthful to the source). This is my bedside system so it is used at low volume levels usually with jazz and I am quite happy with the performance for a budget system. I am concerned that a tube amp would have too high a noise floor for me. I am not familiar with the Objevtive 2. I do find some sd dacs can be very bright (my MSB is not that way, my r2r dacs even less) and with speakers that lack high freq. extension (rolled off) this is not noticed as much. With the sens this is not hidden and any high frequency glare will be revealed.

[@matsuda150]

Lots of Schitt comes out of that Asgard!

[@delvalle9256]

Hi Steve , no plans at all to review the Schiit Sol turntable ?

[@MakubexGB]

On your comment about picking the Asgard over the Magnius, could you elaborate on the "why"?

[@filipiino96793]

If you got balanced headphones and cables go magnius, if you don't and don't see yourself going balanced anytime soon, go asgard

[@melomaniacspodcast1105]

Modius plus Geshelli Erish amp plus the 6xx’s is hard to beat in my opinion for under $600 all told

[@turbomustang84]

Grado Headpphones out of the box sound great but if you do a bit of modding they can seriously outperform Headpphones costing 10 X more...... My first Shciit purchase will be a Preamp not a Headphone amplifier

[@Hare_deLune]

Are you talking about mods one can easily find out about online, or your own personal findings from a bit of tinkering? Information is for sharing! : ) Edit: Oop! I just read your Username. Sorry....

[@sumnerbumgardner8754]

What's the very best schitt, Steve?

[@suryapratamak1690]

Hi Steve, how does the magnius compare to the lyr 3 sound wise? Thank you

[@kevinl6231]

Hey Kev, what kinda gear do you have? Asgard Schitt Magnus.

[@ZZ-yv5ux]

Steve, what would be your recommendation(s) for best headphone amp under $2k?

[@exol511]

There is no one best headphone amp. Personal recommendation is to slowly ugrade your gear as without actually experiencing cheaper gear you most likely wont be able to appreciate the higher end. A good start would be the Asgard 3 or THX 789/887 as far as solid state amps go (which one depends on the headphone you use, personally prefer my HD800 on Asgard 3) and couple that with a Modius dac. For tubes it depends even more on what headphoned you plan to use. For example planar headphones just wont jam well with most tubes. A good intro Tube amp tho is Valhalla 2 with 6GC7 tubes, since it works well with most dynamic headphones (few exceptions like some fostex and focal). If you want a cheap tube roling amp just for flavor you can also get a Vali amp since it only needs a single tube making it really easy to churn trough a ton of different tubes to see what you like for not that big of a price.

[@pauldamian2988]

Hey Steve... what you recommend as an "upgrade" to a Lepai LP2020TI running mp3's from my computer to a pair of ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2 Bookshelf Speakers? thanks for your work...

[@dontcare563]

You can tell Steve really likes saying the WORD Schiit.

[@tupuhumuhumunukunukuapuaa3093]

The video where he talks about the Schiit Eitr... caught everyone's attention in the room. "Did he say shit eater?" Yes, yes he did.

[@johnwitt9477]

Hey Steve, any chance you could tell me what the audio equipment was on the metal shelf standing behind you?

[@67spankadelik]

Almost perfect. I find it off putting they would make a device with balanced inputs and outputs and power it with a wall wart.

[@No_Limits_411]

Yeah thats a head-scratcher forme too

[@mauriceverstraten844]

Wel at least you can upgrade the wall wart then mayby you can make a step in sound quality. Worth a try

[@kirarittberg5088]

Maurice Verstraten That was my thought as well. My Cambridge dac and Creek headphone amp both improved with upgraded power supplies. The question is should a quality piece of gear require upgrading.

[@clivebarrell6448]

I think using a previously approved wall wart means that companies don't have to pay for additional electrical approval for an inbuilt PSU. Saves money and development time. Also, moving the high voltage power supply elements out of the amp circuitry seems like the way to go in such a small form factor.

[@onebylandtwoifbysearunifby5475]

Run it off a 12v battery with a 25W solar panel. DC power and no power noise, AC or switching. They are designing products for the future, not the legacy power grid ;).

[@reaality3860]

Now, that's some nice Schiit! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

[@AlexanderGeorge]

I don't know much about audio related stuff, so I just heard "shit" so many times 😂 the I read the title...

[@seattlevkk]

I wonder if it colors the preamp outputs or is neutral.

[@herrtrigger7220]

I wonder if anyone will ever mention how the Magnius does as a stereo pre amp. It's SNR beats Bryston's BP-26, everything from Pass and Mark Levinson and matches Benchmark's HPA4 / LA4 pre amp. $200 pre amp beating the specs of $10,000 pre amps, that's kind of a big deal

[@Audiorevue]

Measurements do not tell all And if you think they do well you're just being silly

[@deadpool790]

Do you recommend this for my hd800s? I haven't gotten an amp yet since I just purchased the headset. So I wasn't sure if a Hel was enough to power the headphones. Thanks

[@Taladin1234]

As a preamp is it passive? Also does it convert single ended into balanced? Thanx

[@infinity232]

The preamp is not passive, it's affected by the gain switch (and also the volume pot, but that doesn't make it not passive). It will convert SE input to balanced output (and vice versa).

[@Taladin1234]

@@infinity232 great thank you

[@matthewdavies2057]

How's this Schiit compare to the Sprout 100 SQ wise?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

The sprouts is an integrated amp, but has a headphone amp it’s not that impressive. This one is much better

[@matthewdavies2057]

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Well thanks. I'll have to keep my eyes open for one. Here I thought my Sprout 100 was The Schiit!

[@oysteinsoreide4323]

That ass-guard shit name was just so hilarious :p

[@haris525]

For 199$ ? It seems like an insane value. Truly justified over JDS atom.

[@NoEgg4u]

Like the smell of a new car, do the different Schiit's come with different aromas? Can you identify one Schiit from another based on their feel? How do you clean your Schiits?

[@progressiveguy9959]

Usually with toilet paper.

[@Hare_deLune]

Hmm, sounds like a lot of Schitt to deal with!

[@les5309]

The Hemp headphones have a smell...lol.

[@Hare_deLune]

@@les5309 😂 😂

[@HiFiInsider]

10 years of Steve's Schiit! lol... Look like there's more Schiit inside the new Schiit.

[@rorilee9791]

I miss paper manuals SO badly! :(

[@carlsutto8691]

James Brown is credited with creating "Funk"...emphasis on the rhythm not the blues.

[@mr.george7687]

Holy Schiit! want to smoke those Grado Hemp's

[@QoraxAudio]

Do those balanced inputs and outputs have the minus (-) connected to ground or are those truly diferentially balanced connections?

[@QoraxAudio]

@behexen250 I know the difference between balanced/unbalanced and that proper conversion/reversion is fine. It's not uncommon (especially with passive devices) that inputs/outputs are specified as "balanced inputs", but it only means the inputs accept a balanced signal. In this case it actually converts it to unbalanced internally by shorting the minus (-) to directly to ground. Only the positive signal is used, so there's no common mode noise rejection performed. It has a CMRR of literally 0dB, *in contrast to* impedance matched balanced outputs, where the minus is also connected to ground, but via an impedance equal to that of the positive connection. IMO, it's a bit misleading, but that's what marketing is all about...

[@rbmcmusic9235]

They make a pretty big deal about all their balanced products being differential on the website and openly lament the existence "fake" balanced in the industry at large, but of course the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I'm sure it would have been outed by now if they made that big of a deal about this amp and others being differential if they weren't

[@QoraxAudio]

@@rbmcmusic9235 Ah nice, I didn't know that.

[@bk6678]

How about the porta-pros behind you?

[@McgarickWAstate]

I wish he would have tried this out as a preamp too..

[@TyrantTitan.]

Hi Steve. I have a problem with varying loudness from media on my computer. I used to have an internal soundcard (creative x-fi xtreme music) on my pc that had software that had a setting you could toggle on or off for volume normalization/leveling. When turned on, everything would play at an equal volume. This was great for movies and videos, and I would turn it off when I would listen to my personal music library. I'm using an external dac now (cambridge audio dacmagic plus) and am really missing that feature. I'm always reaching over and messing with the volume now on the dac because of all the varying levels of loudness/volume from all sorts of media. Do you know of an external dac that has this feature that is easily accessible? Quick on/off. Thanks!

[@Critters]

Where's the playlist? Thanks

[@jschaseventures]

Hey Steve, I have a question. Is there any difference between cheap and pricey "hi res" headphones? And are hi res headphones any different from regular headphones?.

[@exol511]

If you mean regular as in consumer gear headphones the change is really noticable. For example the Koss Porta Pro/KSC75 will slam most consumer gear in terms of sound quality for 30$/13$. Generally tho diminishing returns start at round 200-300$ where the DT880 and HD600 sit. After that point there is gains in technicalities (like stage, imaging, dynamics, layering, seperation, ...), but generally most of the stuff comes down to personal prefference.

[@jschaseventures]

@@exol511 thanks, I never thought there would be so much hype around a pair of koss headphones, I should look in to them, I always thought they were just "the cheap ones". Could you give me your opinion/ thoughts on the (1 more triple driver headphones)? I'm mostly looking for a good (hi-res) with good soundstage and good bass to it, Bluetooth is not necessary for me. I prefer aux.

[@iitzpower628]

Can you use magnius+modius for gaming also

[@cota5697]

WA8 is 10 times more expensive than this. The sound quality difference is that much?

[@KenMoreira]

is a car thats 200,000k 20 times better than 20k dollar car? No. It is better in every aspect, but not x20. Diminishing returns exist in every single market. Does it sound substantially better? yes.

[@veritas932]

it has been 10 years of reviewing schiit.....lol :) I love all these schiit jokes.

[@pfcompany885]

Hello. Need small balanced pre amplifier. This schitt or Jotunheim?

[@johnhayes8476]

That’s a lot of pieces of schiit!

[@ggc7318]

Wow...Made in California 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@Maaruks]

Is Magnius better than THX 789 / 887 and A90 amps ?

[@tonydillinger2553]

so i cant run the magnius with my ps4? am I going to have to get a new laptop or vinyl player to use this amp? I have no idea what im doing. Been using mayflower arc for gaming and listing to music with ps4.

[@g3neralcross911]

can you plug the 6xx into the balanced input ? how does it sound ?

[@onebylandtwoifbysearunifby5475]

Have you considered the "build quality" is different because they have moved the power supply externally to DC so the AC section of the old version is not there? Sometimes we need more details ;) Ex. : Is this what you based your preference on, or were there sonic issues?

[@rothgartheviking858]

i agree not a great review.

[@Tacet137]

First review was on ASR

[@RonnyC98]

Good DAC to pair these with?

[@stephenbrockway5899]

Modus or Bifrost2