Schiit IEMagni Discussions and Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by YMO, May 14, 2021.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    We are cool with meh impressions - you don't even need to qualify them. I mean, you did read the one liner on what I wrote on Magnius right? This is what we get with super high feedback amps with great SINAD numbers: insipid. The sonic difference is immediate to me, but these 110-115+ SINAD amps have their audience. They sell like hotcakes. ASR actually created a new market, expanded it.

    Heresy/Heresier, Magnius, L30, A90, Atom, 789, etc. They all share this common insipid quality, but with tonal balance and headstage differences. Insipid with warmpoo, insipid and limp-dick, insipid with wide headstage, insipid with narrow headstage, infinite variations of insipid, etc. I did say: get the Magni 3+ unless you really need the -10db gain.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2021
  2. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    It's a weird conundrum for me - like you state Marv - the Andromeda needs the IEMatch or other resistor network in between the IEMagni and themselves. And then you are running high gain to get the most out of the amplifier. Now we are back to square one.

    I will not sell my IEMagni or say anything poorly about it because I'm one of the few who asked for this type of thing and I will be a guinea pig as long as they are actually putting some thought into the product. I feel they really addressed a lot of needs, but it is not an endgame type unit. It's a perfect amp for a casual audiophile with a nice computer desktop setup and only IEM's.
     
  3. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I decided to keep my Klone KSA-5 as my home dedicated IEM and the IEMagni is now at work paired with the AMB y2.

    The only IEM that really wasn't a good pairing with the KSA-5 was the Andromeda. The rest of the stuff that I have moved on to actually pairs better with the Klone.

    The new work setup is J.River 28 -> AMB y2 -> IEMagni -> Andromeda Gold

    I'm actually using the IEMagni in high gain, but I am bringing the pregain down in JRiver a few db. My office environment is noisy enough to cover any sort of noise floor there might be on the chain, but I think the AMB y2 is quieter than my SFD-1, so that's another bonus. y2 also has the anti-clipping thing if I really want to turn things down, but that's another thing all together.

    I'm wondering if Marv was able to test the IEMagni with the Campfire Ara? ;) ;) The x-over-less 7 ba driver Gold and Ara are probably more related than not. I'll need to pick your brain for IEMagni + Ara pairings LOL

    At the price - I'm absolutely f'ing happy about the IEMagni. I'll never have a second thought about a work amplifier ever again. I've had some weird shit here in my office over the years. Go-Vibe, Little Dot, Gilmore Girls, Justin W, AMB, New Wave Chi-Fi, Euro / JDM Fi, Rip-off Harmonics. Of everything - this is probably the closest with my PPAv2 as far as price/performance/versatility. I fortunately got lucky with an Alps black beauty for a steal, so its more about luck and DIY with that one.

    Would the Magni 3+ suit me better? Probably, but who cares - the Andromeda Gold that is currently in my ears sees no reason to change anything unless I want to pop in the (insert whatever true wireless) and wander around.

    Cheers Schiit - look forward to more interesting products.
     
  4. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    IEMagni Review

    [​IMG]


    I’m unfortunately incredibly swamped right now with work and real life stuff so I apologize that my reviews are going to be short, too the point summaries. But hopefully still helpful.

    I will focus on comparing my THX 789 with Sigma 11 LPS vs the IEMagni as that seems like the most unique perspective I can offer.

    GEAR

    PI2aes -> Gugnir A1 ->

    • Shiit Loki -> THX 789 with Sigma 11 LPS
    • Shiit Loki -> IEMagni

    -> og Solaris

    Yes, I own 2 Loki’s and put one in front of each amp so I could have the proper EQ settings for my go Solaris for comparing the 2 amps

    TL;DR
    The IEMagni is quieter with a better valume pot that has more usable range and no channel imablance. It has warmer more natural tonality but gets slaughtered by the technical abilities of the 789 with Sigma 11 LPS.

    Background Noise

    The IEMagni wins here hands down, even with the LPS in front of the 789. The 789 has a very slight hiss. The IEMagni is dead silent

    Usable volume range

    The IEMagni wins here as well. It’s silent with the volume turned all the way down, and then it evenly increases volume with no channel imbalance. The 789 even at its lowest volume creates sound through the go Solais, and I have to increase the volume nearly to comfortable hearing levels to get the channels balanced as they go off at the beginning of the pot range. Hats off to Schiit here

    Sound

    Tonality

    I prefer the tone of the IEMagni. I didn’t hear this before comparing the two, but in comparison, the 789 sounds a bit sterile and slightly analytical/cold compared to the IEMagni which has a more natural warmth to it. I wouldn’t’ call the IEMagni a warm amp necessarily or the 789 a sterile/cold amp (with items at least) but the IEMagni is probably warmer than neural. Its tone is very natural and imparts this on the tone of the Solaris which makes it sound better to my ears, it’s a better match here. I don’t have the Andromeda 2020 here to compare but I’d guess the 789 would be a better match for it since it is already quite warm. Synergy will determine which is better here, as both amps just slightly deviate from neutral. But if I had to pick which one I would want to live with, it would be the tone of the IEMagni. Slight natural warmth is the right choice for an amp IMO.

    Technical Abilities

    Here is where my 789 with Sigma 11 LPS really shines. It honestly destroys the IEMagni in every way. Reading previous reviews it seems a couple good ears have rated the stock 789 equal to the IEMagni which I can’t corroborate as I’ve got the original power supply God knows where. So this comparison is more about the best iem amp you could possibly buy. The Sigma 11 LPS costs about as much as both the 789 and IEMagni combined. So we’re comparing a maxed out iem amp vs one with compromises.

    (From here on out I will refer to my 789 with. Sigma 11 LPS as simply “my 788”)

    My 789 has far superior depth and layering and separation, with better localization of notes. It’s not subtle. Switching back and forth, with my 789 the sound opens way up, notes space out from each other and I can hear more precise placement of notes all around me. In comparison, the IEMagni is very flat and one dimensional. It has kind of a wall of sound affect that isn’t pleasant especially coming from my 789. I’ve had the IEMagni here for 4 or 5 days and only listened to it once to compare, I just have no interest in it when my 789 is right here.

    Resolution

    My 789 wins here by quite a bit too, with more information coming through. The IEMagni sounds dull by comparison.

    Bass, mids, treble

    Bass
    Tighter and faster on my 789. A bit looser and more bloated on the IEMagni

    Midrange
    This will come down to synergy to some extent, but I prefer the midrange presentation of the IEMagni. I find the og Solaris to have a slightly recessed midrange and the IEMagni helps with this. The og Solaris is also borderline sterile sounding which makes the IEMagni’s natural tone a welcome improvement.

    Treble
    I think the IEMagni has.a more natural treble presentation that can help with BA timbre in the treble, but factor in all the technical improvements of my 789 in the treble range. The 789 has more of a sharp treble presentation. So the IEMagni has better tone, but inferior technical abilities as is the running theme here

    Dynamics

    This is another area where my 789 slaughters the IEMagni. The Sigma 11 LPS makes the 789 force those BA drivers into action and creates a lot of slam and both micro and macro dynamics. It was the first thing I noticed when I upgraded the power supply. This is a really nice attribute of my 789 because BA iems can lack dynamics. The IEMagni sounds like it rounds off notes and smears dynamics a bit.

    Conclusion

    I’m sticking with my 789 with Sigma 11 LPS hands down. If I had to quantify the difference I would honestly say it sounds twice as good. Wth the only caveat being tonality synergy with specific iiems, and the better volume pot of the IEMagni and quieter background.

    —————————————————

    IEMagni vs Magni 3+ with my modded Audeze LCD-X

    Gain set to high on both amps

    GEAR

    Pi2AES -> Gungnir A1 -> IEMagni/Magni 3+ -> modded Audeze LCD-X (my best headphones)

    Sound

    They sound closer than expected. I’m sorry I don’t have the time or energy to listen to them for days and write and in depth review of the subtle differences.

    They have similar tone. Both have excellent tonality for a solid state amp. But they’re not quite equal.

    The biggest difference I’m hearing on brief listen is that the Magni3+ sounds significantly more spacious, more dynamic, and more effortless. The IEMagni has the same wall of sound affect as it does with iems when compared to the Magni3+. The IEMagni sounds a bit compressed and notes seem kind of cut off or rounded off with little room to breath. The Magni3+ is also more resolving.

    Switching to the IEMagni there is something unnatural about it’s tonality as well in comparison. It sounds a bit etched or digital while the Magni3+ sounds very natural and organic.

    Conclusion

    The Magni3+ is the better amp for full size headphones IMO without question. I sigh a breath of relief when I switch to the Magni3+. Less compressed, more resolving, more spacious, smoother tonality.
     
  5. michty_me

    michty_me New

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    The IEMagni has caught my eye for my first amp upgrade. Is it based off the Heresy?
    I think mainly looking at the IEMagni as I had heard it has DC protection built in compared to the Magni 3+/Heresy too.
     
  6. loadexfa

    loadexfa MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Considering multiple people have said the Magni 3+ is the better sounding option unless you're using for IEMs, I'd hesitate in picking the IEMagni. What are your specific protection concerns?
     
  7. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I agree with loadexfa - the IEMagni is my work amplifier that I can plug anything into and not worry about it being absolute garbage or the chance of blowing up my LCD-i4 again (cough L30)

    If I wasn't in a work environment where someone might come into my office and sample things and crank on knobs, I'd probably go for the 3+
     
  8. michty_me

    michty_me New

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    I won't be using any IEM's. At least no plans to purchase any anyway. I will only be using it for headphones. My concern was with the Heresy and seeing quite a few threads on reddit of Heresy's going up in smoke. I'm unsure if this was only the Heresy or the 3+ also. I'll have to double check. I believe the DC protection was added to the IEMagni to prevent this?

    Thanks for the input. What in your opinion is different between the IEMagni and the 3+?
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The 3+ sounds a lot better but only has a few db worse SINAD than Heresy / IEMagni. 3+ being a discrete design is less static electricity explosion prone. Actually, it's the OPA1612 used in the L30. The fact that TI spent two pages describing how they implemented basic limited ESD protection in the datasheet is telling.

    Unless you worship SINAD, get a 3+.
     
  10. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    As a guy who owns and loves the IEMagni, only get IEMagni if you are using IEMs (hence the name). If you don't give two fucks about IEMs or putting stuff that can rape your inner ears, get M3+.
     
  11. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    X3. Get the 3+ it sounds way better
     
  12. michty_me

    michty_me New

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    I've never really payed much attention to the SINAD information to be honest. Looks like it will be a 3+ out of the Magni range then. Now just to decide if I should bypass the $100 amps and go for an Asgard 3.

    I won't be using IEM's at all. Just likely headphones.
     
  13. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Save $20 and get the M3+. Don't let the extra IEMagni features get to you, they are useless for headphones.
     
  14. michty_me

    michty_me New

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    All noted! 3+ it is out of the Magnis (Or Asgard :rolleyes:, Still undecided)
     
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I prefer the Magni 3+ over the Asgard 3. The Asgard is colored (warm, slightly soft, rolled) and really needs the right components to shine. I rotate much of the gear on my desk on a regular basis (obvious reasons). I've enjoyed the iFi micro BL, Horizon, OG Vali, Jot 2, Magni 3+, Drop THX789, IEMagni (latter two specific use cases). The Asgard 3 just never really fit it.

    Now if I had Focal Utopias or HD800s, drier leaner headphones, and U-shaped DACs, I'd probably put Asgard 3 into the rotation. it's like cooking. The Asgard happens to be one of those ingredients that I never use.

    Strangely, I actually feel the Magni 3+ is Schiit's best amp with respect to tone and timbre.
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2021
  16. michty_me

    michty_me New

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    Sorry, I seemed to have missed your reply.
    Interesting input too actually. Most places I read people believe the opposite.
    I've read and listened to quite a bit of reviews and they basically say that the Asgard has a better soundstage and imaging over the Magni 3+ however, Due to the current state of the world, I seem to be playing more games lately.
    It sort of left me questioning if these were true regarding the soundstage and imaging would this reflect in a gaming world assuming the headphones were of decent quality and the sound engine design was up to scratch. Would one amp show the detail better?
     
  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Asgard 3 does have better headstage over Magni 3+. 3+'s weakness is crushed headstage. Tone and timbre are less colored on 3+.

    For gaming, it really depends what you are after. For immersive experience stuff, I can see the Asgard as better. I've been playing DIablo 3. For that I don't mind the Magni 3+ at all. Not much depth, but left right top bottom, I get the accuracy without the diffuse vagueness that I don't want.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2021
  18. michty_me

    michty_me New

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    Thanks Purr1n, Thats what I had heard regarding the crushed headstage.
    I think ideally I would prefer to get the most immersive, better detail and placement as I can afford. As mentioned, I seem to be playing more and more games lately.
     
  19. Tchoupitoulas

    Tchoupitoulas Friend

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    IEMagni Impressions

    I’d like to thank SBAF for giving me the opportunity to audition the IEMagni through the loaner tour. I very much appreciate it.

    I’m not sure what to think of this amp. On the one hand, it’s versatile, sounds decent in some ways, and is great value at just $120. On the other, I hear the same problems as others with the sterile sound. I’m also ambivalent because the IEMagni works better for some transducers than others, and the ones I’d hoped would pair nicely with it didn’t while others sounded unexpectedly decent.


    Gear used

    • Mac with Qobuz or Audirvana -> Bifrost 2 -> IEMagni
    • IEMs: Massdrop Plus, Andromeda 2020, Sennheiser IE 900
      • compared with Magni 3, THX AAA 789, and Sony NW-ZX2 DAP
    • Headphones: Clear, LCD2-Classic, TH-X00 Ebony
      • compared with Magni 3, Massdrop Cavalli Tube Hybrid

    BA IEMs
    Massdrop Plus: the low output impedance may make these IEMs a bit too bright for my taste (but, then again, I found the treble to be a bit hot with the Andro 2020 as well). In spite of this brightness, the MD+ sounded pretty good with the IEMagni. It didn’t seem as though the amp did much, if anything to detract from the characteristics of these IEMs - they were no less resolving, punchy, well-extended at both ends, or nice and open-sounding. The sterility of the amp wasn’t all that appreciable or detrimental. Perhaps this is because they’re not the most immersive or “musical” IEMs to begin with, at least not when compared with the Andro 2020.

    Andromeda 2020: the good news is that the IEMagni is technically proficient, apart from its resolution, which is understandably lacking, given the price. The staging is nice and open and spacious; there’s good layering, decent separation, and no congestion. There’s also good extension at both ends of the frequency response (at least as far as I can tell with the treble, which isn’t all that far). Macrodynamics aren’t the strong suit of the Andro 2020 and the IEMagni didn’t really improve things here, although there’s decent bass impact (thanks to the low Zout, I suppose).

    Beyond technicalities, the IEMagni makes for a nice clean, clear, crisp sound. The tuning is a bit darker than with the ZX2 because of the low Z out. Even with the darker tilt, though, there’s a bit of hardness to the treble, a kind of glint, almost, which makes the Andro 2020 slightly fatiguing (this is the first time I’ve found the Andro 2020 to be fatiguing).

    The fundamental problem, though, is the sterile sound of the IEMagni. Part of this has to do with a simplification of the sound, especially with string instruments. There’s a lack of proper resonance, one that makes massed strings sound almost like a single instrument, as though subtle nuances are missing. Brass instruments have good blare, but they lack the right amount of bite or crackle. Similar problems can be heard with woodwind instruments; you might be hard pressed to identify the alto sax as a reed instrument if you’d not heard it before. Acoustic guitars have nice sparkle; electric guitars have plenty of bite, but they’re not crunchy or textured enough. And the lack of textures, generally, is one of the IEMagni’s limitations. I love the Andromeda 2020 precisely because it’s so engaging; the IEMagni works against this quality.


    DD IEMs

    IE 900: I should emphasize that I don’t own these Sennheiser IEMs or know them very well; I just happened to have them on a loaner at the same time as the IEMagni. While I’m not that fond of the IE 900, they sounded pretty good from the IEMagni. With these IEMs the Schiit amp is arguably on a par with the THX 789, which costs more than twice as much. The IEMagni exacerbated the brightness of the IE 900 slightly compared to the THX 789. At the same time, though, the sound was nice and clear, and there was a pleasant sparkle to acoustic guitars. If the bass sounded marginally better with the THX 789, the IEMagni had more slam and probably won out when it came to having stronger macrodynamics. The textures and timbre of acoustic instruments - the IE 900’s strong suit - was probably as good on the IEMagni as the THX 789.

    The sterility of the amp may not matter as much with the IE 900 as it did with the Andro 2020. I’m not sure, in other words, that the IEMagni is worse in this regard, with this setup, than the THX 789. The ZX2 may have been a bit warmer and more engaging than the IEMagni, but these qualities came at the cost of macrodynamics, staging, bass response and extension, and general liveliness (because, I assume, of less power from the ZX2).


    Planar Headphones
    LCD2-Classic: this made for a terrible pairing. Even using the highest gain, macrodynamics were soft to the point of being wimpy; the bass was weirdly off, again being feeble, and also sounding loose, indistinct and vague, without any slam or rumble. There was a general lack of clarity higher up in the mids and treble, which was grainy. Headstage was closed in, resolution low, and the overall sound came across as lackluster and dull. I was surprised at this poor synergy; my Magni 3 does a decent job of driving the LCD2-C in most ways, except for same graininess and peakiness in the treble.


    Dynamic Driver Headphones
    Focal Clear: the IEMagni does a decent job of preserving some of the Clear’s strong suits, like its slam and strong macrodynamics. There’s plenty of bass, although it gets a bit boomy. The headstage, already intimate, becomes smaller still and doesn’t have quite enough depth. It all sounds a bit closed-in and congested. The IEMagni also does no favors to the slightly crystalline treble of the Clear. There’s some loss of resolution - the sound’s a bit smeared - and layering as well as separation are behind that presented by the MCTH. For an amp that’s 1/10 of the price of the headphones, the IEMagni’s not bad but I wouldn’t buy it for the Clear.

    TH-X00 Ebony: these headphones sounded really good out of the IEMagni. While they’re easy to drive, I used the highest gain setting as it provided the best slam. I can’t say that I listened extensively to this pairing but it was highly enjoyable, with one exception: these headphones have a peak around 10kHz, and the IEMagni did little to alleviate or offset it. I wonder if the fun, super bassy, v-shaped tuning of these headphones makes the flatness of the amp’s sound a bit less bothersome?


    Conclusion
    The IEMagni is a nice, cheap, fairly versatile amp that works well enough for some IEMs and easy-to-drive headphones. It may be best for fun, v-shaped transducers. Its sterility is a problem. I’m conscious of the fact, though, that my criticisms are most applicable to more expensive or harder-to-drive transducers, which makes them a bit unfair, perhaps. It’s also too bad that the IEMagni paired poorly with the Andromeda: there wasn’t any hiss and I got a decent amount of travel on the volume pot.

    With the right transducers—like the TH-X00—I could see myself getting a Schiit Modi/IEMagni stack for use at work. If the positive experience I had with the IE 900 were to translate to other DD IEMs, perhaps the IEMagni might work well with the Dunu EST 112 or the JVC HA-FDX1, among others.
     
  20. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    What we need is a Magni 3+ with a -6db or -10db gain setting. We've been held hostage by Audio Science Retards for too long.
     
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