Schiit Magni Heresy: Best Headphone Amp Under $100?

[@TimSwensen]

I have both the Magni Heresy and the Magni 3+ and the difference is subtle. In measurement, the difference is not so subtle, but I am a classical musician and perform and listen to music regularly and I am happy with either one. I mostly use the Heresy.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Tim!

[@TimSwensen]

@@PassionforSound Thanks for your informative channel.

[@PassionforSound]

My pleasure 🙂

[@Farazao]

I really like how you address timbre characteristics in all of your reviews. Nice job once again!

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks Victor!!

[@TheNerdBuster]

If you turn the knob and volume up, does it turn up the audio on the output signal? Or only the headphone signal?

[@PassionforSound]

It does both, NB. Changes volume on the output (only active when headphones are disconnected) and, of course, on the HP output too.

[@testek3053]

14:17 you forgot to mention another thing the magni 3+ is missing: the heresy has a red led for power on.

[@PassionforSound]

Haha. Good point. To be fair, I haven't actually seen a Magni 3+ 😉

[@AQUPAS]

I use my Magni Heresy with my SMSL M200 Dac. And the sound that pairing creates is phenomenal!

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for letting us know about the pairing

[@KindredGh0st]

I don't understand why 12 people would dislike this video...

[@PassionforSound]

Some people like to dislike I think 🙂

[@sungjunpark7793]

Which of these amps would suit better on beyerdynamics dt-1990 pro? I heard dt1990 has more treble energy so should I balance it with magni 3+?

[@PassionforSound]

I'd be choosing the Magni 3+. I haven't tried that one yet, but the Heresy is a little edgy in the treble and the IEMagni was discontinued. The 3+ should have a slightly warmer, smoother sound that will work well with the 1990s

[@mtnmankeith9069]

Excellent review... I have both the heresy and 3+ and would say your assumptions are correct about the 3+. I enjoy the 3+ more then the heresy for pretty much everything. The soundstage and smoothness of the 3+ is very enjoyable to listen to. It’s the only amp I use as of now. I hope you get a chance to try a 3+ for yourself in the future.

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Keith, thanks for letting me know. I'll definitely try to audition a 3+ at some point. Glad my assumptions weren't leading people astray!

[@bluearcherx]

any static in your volume knob? I have an older 3 (pre-plus version) and the volume knob has always produced a lot of static, that sometimes even stays constantly when I am not turning it until I fiddle with the knob again

[@TimSwensen]

@@bluearcherx I had this problem some with my 3+. The support tech suggested twisting the volume knob back and forth 50 times. It worked for me.

[@manuelgaring7793]

Hi Sir, Just want to know your thoughts if the Schiit Magni Heresy + Schiit Modi Multibit are a good match with the Sennheiser HD-6XX? Thank you.

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Manuel, the HD6XX pairs really well with pretty much anything :) so the Heresy and Modi MB should do well. Getting better gear will improve the sound further, but the Heresy & Modi will be a nice start!

[@manuelgaring7793]

@@PassionforSound Thank you so much on the quick revert. More power to your channel and keep safe!😀

[@UnitedRedDevil13]

@@PassionforSound what’s an upgrade over both of those? Thanks!

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Steve, the Asgard 3 that I reviewed recently would be my next step in the Schiit range and also in general is one of the best options around even for a couple of hundred more.

[@VamsiMohanKrishnaVadrevu]

Can someone help me understand how I'm supposed to connect an audio interface to a headphone amplifier. Audio Interface is Audient EVO 4 Headphone Amp is Schiit Magni Heresy Headphones: DT 770 pro 250 Ohms. Need a question answered. Could someone give suggestions please. I have an Audient EVO 4 and Scarlett 2i2 (use it for recording instruments and sampling flutes). I recently got a DT 770 pro 250ohm and the output from these interfaces is loud enough for my use. However, I keep reading everywhere that it's better to get a proper headphone amplifier for DT 770 Pro 250 ohms. I'm interested in buying the Schiit Magni Heresy. But I'm not sure how to connect the amp to my audio interface. Should I use the line level outputs from my interfaces and give them to the RCA inputs of Magni or should I use a TRS to RCA adapter and just use the headphone out port of my interfaces. Please help!

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Vamsi, definitely go with the line outputs from your interface if you're going to feed an external amp. Using the headphone output won't be bad as such, but you'll be over-complicating the signal path by essentially double amping.

[@robertckassow8445]

First timer, Great video! Have you heard BeyerDynamics DT 990 Pro (250ohm)... If so, which would you pair them with? Thanks!

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Cody, I haven't heard those for a long time, but I'd definitely opt for a slightly warmer sounding amp like the Modi 3+ or Asgard 3 to help with that treble energy from the 990s

[@saviolajh]

Thanks for the review, Lachlan. I was originally tossing up between the Heresy/Magni and something like the JDS Labs Atom or the Liquid Spark. Ultimately the Schiit products' greater availability in Australia swung my decision. I may have also chosen the Heresy as I like the colour scheme better 😂

[@PassionforSound]

You're very welcome! I don't think there's any reason to not choose based on colour as the Heresy sounds great! From what I've seen, the Heresy is also much better built than the JDS. Enjoy your new amp!

[@saviolajh]

@@PassionforSound haha I would, but you've got my Heresy on your desk right now 😂

[@PassionforSound]

Oh, oops. Of course I do. I'm a bit tired today - can you tell? The little guy decided sleep was completely unnecessary last night so I'm a bit foggy headed and didn't connect the dots. I'm off to bed shortly to hopefully kickstart my brain for tomorrow 🤣

[@saviolajh]

@@PassionforSound all good mate. My son has a stuffy nose right now so I feel your pain 😢

[@PassionforSound]

Hope he's better soon. It's tough when they're unhappy / not sleeping! You're Heresy and HD58x will be home soon!

[@jassveersingh1664]

Which amp should I buy for beyerdynamic 770s 250 ohm

[@PassionforSound]

That depends a lot on your budget and needs, but the Schiit Asgard 3 is a great starting point

[@tomriddle2257]

I would really love a comparison between Magni (Heredic)+Modi vs Magnius+Modius. I can’t decide.

[@PassionforSound]

I've got coming up a review of the Modi+, Modi Multibit 2, Magni+ and Magni Heretic (plus the Peity too). It's still a few weeks off, but it's coming

[@tomriddle2257]

@@PassionforSound Wow, great! I will wait with my purchase. 😇

[@rustygates3367]

ASR proved the Heresy measures a lot better than the Magni 3+ discrete implementation. Audibly, they are similar. But at the same price, you'd go for the Heresy.

[@PassionforSound]

I'm not so sure I'd choose Heresy. Measurements only look at distortion and not how well the amp handles transients, not to mention the intangible things about sound that we still don't understand. Check out my interview with Jason Stoddard for his views on this one...

[@Hari-kx2er]

What use are measurements, if they don't contribute to any audible differences? Even Andrew from The Headphone Show recently made a video debunking the whole issue of SINAD. SINAD if you are aware is the whole bread and butter of ASR website.

[@PassionforSound]

Absolutely! Measurements can be helpful in some ways, but I'd always prefer to trust my ears (or the ears of other reviewers that I trust) because good measuring gear can sound bad and average measuring gear can sound great

[@Hari-kx2er]

@@PassionforSound My perspective on measurements is somewhat like this. At the end of the day, most audiophiles are just lovers of good music. Enjoying a good piece of music through a great headphone or speakers is a subjective experience. You do need the great technical skills and objective knowledge of audio manufacturers to make great audio gear. However in the music hobby, objective knowledge should be in the service of subjective enjoyment and not the other way round. As I had read somewhere. "If measurements are everything, no one would have given a damn about tubes"

[@PassionforSound]

Well said

[@user-nx6ms6gr2f]

What type of cable would i need to connect the Schiit Magni 3 Heresy to my Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen) audio interface?

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Q. The 2i2 has 6.3mm outputs so you'd need to find a pair of 6.3mm to RCA cables - not a common setup because the pro mixers that the 2i2 is seemingly designed for would take a 6.3mm input so you might need to get custom cables made or use an adapter from RCA to 6.3mm (if available)

[@grantpeck]

So what your actually saying is you prefer the sound characteristics of a less accurate and less linear amplifier. Preference should never be confused with better or worse though.

[@PassionforSound]

No, I'm saying I like what sounds more realistic and lifelike. I also enjoy well-measuring devices like the Geshelli Erish and Hugo TT2. What I don't enjoy are products designed to measure well without attention being paid to the emotional engagement they create between the music and the listener. Measurements are important, but often often highly over-rated in this hobby.

[@grantpeck]

If it measures flat it's flat so wheres the coloration coming from? Either the measurements are incorrect or what you're describing isn't coloration and just your perspective of the sound in comparison with something else,. With our ears we can only really compare one sound with another and express a preference for one or another and your right, measurements are irrelevant. I did enjoy your review though, I will check out some more :-)

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Grant, the colouration of sound is a great example of why measurements don't tell us everything. When measurements are taken, sine waves are used. Sine waves are consistent and predictable and are a single frequency only. Music is complex, multi frequency and rapidly changing. As I understand it (and I'm not an engineer) colouration comes from the way the device is responding to those rapid changes in the sound as well as how it actually performs across all frequencies and not just the test frequency (e.g. 1 kHz). I've listened to (and reviewed) many DACs (for example) that all measure completely flat, but sound distinctly different so there is a lot more to it than we fully understand and can measure.

[@karlsonkab51]

gave a brief listen with a set of 250 ohm Oneodio Monitor 80s with diy MIDI music. Result = horrible - no dynamics - mushy.. It just could not swing the voltage. In contrast HE4XX sound very good and punchy making good use of Heresy's current capability. That 250 ohm rated Oneodio does play decently with a Bravo hybrid amp and probably could be driven by paralleled section high gm triode cathode followers.

[@PassionforSound]

I don't recall driving anything high impedance with the Heresy, but it's got plenty of voltage output so I'm guessing what you were hearing was a poor match between the tonal character of the Heresy and the headphone itself

[@manuelgaring7793]

Hi Sir, Good day. Just want to hear your thoughts on how this Schiit Heresy compares against the Drop + THX AAA 789 Linear Amplifier? Would you say that it is a significant upgrade in sound quality from the Heresy to the THX AAA 789? Thank you.

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Manuel, yes the 789 is noticeably better than the Heresy. It's more refined and has slightly better resolution I think. It is still slightly "digital" sounding, but it's excellent overall.

[@manuelgaring7793]

@@PassionforSound Thank you so much Sir on the quick revert. Really appreciate it. More power to your channel and keep safe!

[@PassionforSound]

You're welcome. Thank you and you too!

[@koukouvania]

I couldnt see any colour options on their website.

[@PassionforSound]

No. The Heresy only comes in black and red. The standard Magni 3+ only comes in silver so you choose the amp, not the colour.

[@goldmember888]

How did the beyerdynamic 880 250ohm headphones sound? I have the same headphones that I use for music production and am considering the heresy amp. I find the 880s to be a bit trebly. Maybe the 3+ would be a better option? Not crazy about the silver though.

[@PassionforSound]

Hi Ari, I didn't have it here at the time for testing (I've lent it to a friend), but the sound of the Heresy has only a slight edge so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. That said, I would still choose the Magni 3+ if you can get past your dislike of the silver colour-scheme.

[@goldmember888]

@@PassionforSound yes I might go for the 3+. I'm sure I can live with silver 🥈. I saw in another review a comparison saying that the 3+ had a slightly smoother sound. Either way they seem like they offer very good performance for the money.

[@PassionforSound]

The discrete design of the 3+ will create the smoother sound. Generally, given two similar amps where one is discrete and the other uses integrated circuits (chips), the discrete one should sound better. I'm hoping to discuss this in an upcoming video. In short though, I think you're making the right choice

[@goldmember888]

@@PassionforSound awesome, thanks for the info Lachlan.

[@Ahcelaht]

Good for gaming?

[@PassionforSound]

I'm not a serious gamer so can't really say - sorry

[@m.morininvestor9920]

Could you do a follow up and compare both sound signature ?

[@PassionforSound]

I didn't own the Heresy so I can't do any comparisons with it now - sorry

[@m.morininvestor9920]

@@PassionforSound Do you still prefer the 3 plus? Thx a lot

[@PassionforSound]

I've not tried the 3+. I was saying in this review that I expected I would prefer the 3+ based on my experience with the Asgard 3

[@TomFrauenfelder]

Great review, very detailed. I’m really enjoying your content.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks Tom!

[@cs5842]

Agree, it's signature is icy. Revealing with a low end heft. Pretty good thing. Good review.

[@PassionforSound]

Glad you liked the review 🙂

[@Wildcat6830]

I thought I seriously overpaid for my unit until I realised you meant USD! Fantastic little amp and fantastic review :)

[@PassionforSound]

Haha. Yeah, I didn't include the AUD conversion this time, did I? Glad you liked the review.

[@broccolee8250]

Excellent review as usual. I was about to pull trigger on this Heresy few weeks ago - but ended up with Topping L30. I'm still waiting for it to be delivered.

[@PassionforSound]

I've got the L30 on the way at some point too, but not sure when. I think both will be great.

[@broccolee8250]

@@PassionforSound Schiit's approach to create 2 products, one specifically to get a good measurement sparks my curiosity. What makes amp sound good and can we measure/quantify it? ASR has few measurements that are very logical. But, are they measuring the right thing? Do we want a transparent amp? Or do we prefer colouration? Tube amps like Darkvoice performs poorly based on ASR measurement yet, I found it sounds better than Tempotec Sonata HD that performs very well in ASR measurement. Do you prefer your Bottlehead Mainline or THX789?

[@PassionforSound]

That's exactly the question I'm currently trying to answer. There's no doubt that tube colouration is a thing and it does make music more engaging and enjoyable in quite a lot of cases, but even if we take that out and just look at solid state, I think there's something we can't measure (or don't measure) that plays a big part in sound quality. For example, why does the Geshelli Erish sound so smooth and organic compared to the 789 even though both measure very well? Measurements would suggest they should sound basically the same, but they don't! I've got an interview happening with Jason Stoddard from Schiit soon I hope and this will be one of my big questions for him.

[@PassionforSound]

P.S. I definitely prefer the Mainline over 789

[@cyclonasaurusrex1525]

Informative as always.

[@PassionforSound]

Thanks so much!

[@rothgartheviking858]

I have the heresy I did not get that power supply. I was provided a power supply akin to a Phone charger.

[@PassionforSound]

That's curious. It might be due to local power supply differences. I'm in Australia with 240V power. Where are you? What output does your power supply say it produces?

[@rothgartheviking858]

@@PassionforSound I am from the USA 110 V

[@PassionforSound]

Does the power supply say what it's output is?

[@rothgartheviking858]

@@PassionforSound The Model number is xy05b-0501000Q-U. Input 100-240V Output 5V 1.0A

[@PassionforSound]

I think there's a mixup somewhere, Rothgar. That power supply can't drive a Heresy. Are we taking about the same product?

[@gab_ale]

The nuances of "Sterile" amplification. Doesn't work for guitar amps, doesn't work for music listening. Probably works for producing music though.

[@PassionforSound]

Yeah, maybe, but even then, when does sterility cross into a colouration of its own?

[@gab_ale]

@@PassionforSound It's all subjective in the end. But I get what you're saying. Transparency gives an odd "flavor" to the music. Not all types of music benefit from a transparent system. Were you ever able to try out the Magni 3+? I read in other places that it is indeed more musical that the Heresy.

[@PassionforSound]

No, haven't heard Magni 3+ yet, but the Asgard 3 gives me some sense (review landing next Saturday) and I'd definitely choose the 3+ over Heresy. I think true neutrality is one thing, but some of the amps that measure really well (i.e. theoretically transparent) have a displeasing timbre (flavour as you say) to them - an edge or harshness in the presentation that is a colouration of its own, even if it's not an alteration of the frequency response. Sound is such a complex perceptual process that many things influence the end output beyond just frequency response and distortion.

[@gab_ale]

@@PassionforSound Yeah, and also the headphones or speakers play a huge role.

[@PassionforSound]

Totally, probably most of all

[@fickfehler3866]

It appears the Heresy's op amps architecture are not analog, but rather a digital integrated circuit. It very much resembles the same sound characteristic you'd experience in class D amps. If this same output pwr spec was in an analog headamp, it would be 5x the weight, and min 3x the size. For $99 USD it's a bargain, but a cheap ass move if you've got min $1K cans !

[@PassionforSound]

I don't know about the specific design, but I do know that it's not what I'd recommend for high-end headphones. If you're spending $1k or more on headphones, I believe they deserve something in the range of at least the Jotunheim 2 or Singxer SA-1.