In fact, I don’t think you can buy any amp new cheaper that’s on par with the Heresy.

This is a $99 amp.

The main thing you get by buying from Electromod is an actual 230 volt power supply - the adapter supplied in the US does not support European voltages. Mani $129. The Heresy has more than enough power to drive just about any headphone, it sounds amazing and stays cool to the touch. Technical DetailsThe Magni 3, while inexpensive, is not some cheaply made, replace-as-soon-as-possible component.

This means you can connect either one to your desktop powered monitors for a complete system—or even connect it to a speaker power amp and use it as a preamp.

Wall-Warts $10. They’re just in a different chassis and costs another $99-249. The noise level in the Heresy is already so low you really wouldn’t hear any benefits going balanced.".

They both have the power, performance, low noise, and versatility to meet all your needs. Yes, the wall-warts are made in China, but there's some give and take at this price point. Well, Schiit Audio has that covered, too, with its new Magni 3 headphone amplifier.

But it’s easy to get even higher measured performance from integrated (op amp) designs, so we decided to give you a choice, with Magni Heresy. Both of them have tons of power—specifically 2.4W RMS per channel at less than 1% THD, though both typically perform comfortably above that. If you don't want to switch between your headphones and speakers and you like a bit more bass body then go for the Modi and Magni. Like Freya+ and Saga+. Schiit calls the Magni 3 a “fully discrete, fully complementary, all-bipolar, symmetrical current-feedback design with no capacitors in the signal path and DC servo.” The power supply is a wall-wart style 24VA/14VAC transformer that is regulated to produce +/-17-volt rails with over 6000uF filter capacitance. Choosing a winner between the two here would come down to only a couple of simple things. Simple: we keep tweaking for higher efficiency. This means you can connect either one to your desktop powered monitors for a complete system—or even connect it to a speaker power amp and use it as a preamp. It is about the maximum of what we can do now, though, without giant changes. Take it from me; if you were to send something back to the US for repairs, not only would it cost a lot and be risky to ship, but avoiding a second customs fee is troublesome. DC won’t work with either Magni. But seriously, you tell us. About the size of a chunky wallet, it will fit pretty much anywhere and looks smart enough next to a MacBook Pro. MAGNI 3+ Impressions In summary: A rather good headphone amplifier, … actually, quite remarkable for its size and price. Despite there being a lot going on in the track it's easy to pick out and enjoy using the 32 Ohm Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros. Magni 3+ is in our traditional silver and gray chassis. This time it’s a driver stage and optimized emitter resistance.

So to us, an op-amp Magni was heresy. What does that buy you these days? Nah, sorry, just teasing you, Apple fans. SoundThe sound of the Modi and Magni combination is very impressive considering their modest size and price! •    Jimi Hendrix: All Along The Watchtower•    This classic guitar and vocal track is nicely represented on the AKG Q701s, although it sounds a little bit light in body the Magni pushes them far better than most similarly priced amps I've heard.•    Erik Mongrain: Air Tap!–•    The Sennheiser HD650 does a superb job at forming a realistic, detailed and speedy presentation of the guitar with the Modi and Magni combo. At the same time, they provide the cleanest measured performance of any Magni, ever.

The PCBs are done in Nevada. Both Magnis include preamp outputs. Magni Heresy is in a black and red chassis. Anyway, where was I. Oh yeah, the competition.Considering the Modi and Magni as a pair the most similarly priced device that I've reviewed is the Fostex HP-A3.

Current Price: $99 Magni, $99 Modi Magni Headphone Amplifier 1. Magni 3+/Heresy Chapter (from the ongoing Schiit Happened book). Other differences include the new fully discrete gain stage, faster shutdown due to a new muting circuit, and an improved potentiometer curve with a slower ramp-up from low volume.

Because some people really like our historic approach to Magni, and some people want even better measurements. A great achievement by @Jason Stoddard and the Schiit team. Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, +/-0.04dB, Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 2.8W RMS per channel, Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 2.4W RMS per channel, Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 1.6W RMS per channel, Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 410mW RMS per channel, Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 215mW RMS per channel, High Gain: Less than 0.0013% (-98dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, Low Gain: Less than 0.0005% (-106dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, High Gain: Less than 0.01% (-80dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, CCIF, Low Gain: Less than 0.002% (-95dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, CCIF, High Gain: Greater than 104dB, A weighted, referenced to 1V RMS, Low Gain: Greater than 115dB, A weighted, referenced to 1V RMS, Crosstalk: Less than -70dB, 20 Hz-20 kHz in either gain, Output Impedance: Less than 0.2 ohms at either gain, Gain: 1 (3db) or 6 (18db), selectable via rear switch, Topology: Fully discrete, fully complementary all-bipolar, symmetrical current-feedback design with driver stage and Vbe multiplier, no capacitors in the signal path and DC servo, Protection: Standard failsafe DC power input and muting relay, Power Supply: “Wall wart” style 24VA 15VAC transformer, regulated +/- 16V rails with over 6,000uF filter capacitance. On face value it might seem cheaper to buy direct, but in reality it's a false economy. SPDIF Inputs: Modi 3 offers coax and optical inputs, Modius adds AES as well. It’s now seriously like a mini speaker amp, right down to the driver stage and Vbe multiplier. Loki $149. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Either Magni has no capacitors in the signal path at all—that’s what we mean by DC coupling. We don't have a new date yet for new other stock (please dont ask for it, we mention on our website product pages once we know it). When we started developing an all-op-amp Magni, it was 100% counter to everything we’ve done. The soundtage capabilities of both machines are fairly equally matched, but the details do feel a bit more clearly resolved with the HP-A3.The Yulong D100 mkII is little bit more expensive, it has the connectivity benefits of the HP-A3 plus a load more, and better functionality. Magni 3+ and Magni Heresy raise the bar even higher for affordable headphone amps, with by far the highest output power in their price class–at least 200% higher than any competitor. But we’re happy with the way it turned out! The Schiit Magni 3 has a wide scope of operation, and it is going to suit most headphones. If you can stretch your budget to accommodate the Modi and Magni and powering speakers from your computer is less important then this is where my recommendation would be. Why would we bother with a much more complex, harder to produce product that takes a lot more engineering time and skill (the Magni 3+)? Let’s see if this Schiit is for real. Why is it a 6S or 8 but not 9 or 10S but 11? Compare these new Magnis to anything out there at the price, and we think you’ll agree: there’s really no competition. Yggdrasil GS $1599. Valhalla $349. There are many differences to note here though, firstly the HP-A3 is purely USB bus powered (DAC and amp). When we started developing an all-op-amp Magni, it was 100% counter to everything we’ve done. Good amplification, bad design and quality control. As much as I try to help people find what they want by writing reviews I can't stress enough how great this kind of service is!Right, time for some techy stuff. There’s a method to our madness.

Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 2W RMS per channel 4. They both have the power, performance, low noise, and versatility to meet all your needs. Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, +/-0.04dB, Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 2.8W RMS per channel, Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 2.4W RMS per channel, Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 1.6W RMS per channel, Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 410mW RMS per channel, Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 215mW RMS per channel, High Gain: Less than 0.0013% (-98dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, Low Gain: Less than 0.0005% (-106dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, High Gain: Less than 0.01% (-80dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, CCIF, Low Gain: Less than 0.002% (-95dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, CCIF, High Gain: Greater than 104dB, A weighted, referenced to 1V RMS, Low Gain: Greater than 115dB, A weighted, referenced to 1V RMS, Crosstalk: Less than -70dB, 20 Hz-20 kHz in either gain, Output Impedance: Less than 0.2 ohms at either gain, Gain: 1 (0db) or 5.5 (15db), selectable via rear switch, Topology: Fully discrete, fully complementary all-bipolar, symmetrical current-feedback design with driver stage and Vbe multiplier, no capacitors in the signal path and DC servo, Protection: Standard failsafe DC power input and muting relay, Power Supply: “Wall wart” style 24VA 14VAC transformer, regulated +/- 16V rails with over 6,000uF filter capacitance, High Gain: Less than 0.0014% (-97dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, Low Gain: Less than 0.0002% (-113dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, High Gain: Less than 0.002% (-95dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, CCIF, Low Gain: Less than 0.0006% (-105dB) at 1V RMS into 32 ohms, CCIF, Output Impedance: Less than 0.25 ohms at either gain. Equipment usedDesktop PC, Dell Vosto Laptop, Fostex HP-A3, Arcam rPAC, Audiolab M-DAC, Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro Limited Edition 32 Ohm, Denon AH-D7000, Mad Dog (Fostex T50rp mod), This review was originally published on Ed's noblehifi.blogspot.co.uk, Sampling Rates: 16/44.1 to 24/96, including 24/88.2Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1dbOutput Level, Maximum: 1.5V RMSTHD: Less than 0.004%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 1.6V RMSIMD: Less than 0.006%, CCIFSNR: More than 100db, unweighted, referenced to 1V RMSCrosstalk: -80dB, 20-20kHzOutput Impedance: 75 ohmsPower Supply: USB powered, 120mA drawSize WxDxH: 125 x 89 x 32mm, 5 x 3.5 x 1.25”Weight: 1 lb, Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 2Hz-200KHz, -3dBMaximum Power, 32 ohms: 1.2WMaximum Power, 50 ohms: 1.0WMaximum Power, 300 ohms: 260mWMaximum Power, 600 ohms: 130mWTHD: Less than 0.005%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 1V RMSIMD: Less than 0.007%, CCIFSNR: Greater than 100db, unweighted, referenced to 1V RMSCrosstalk: -70dB, 20 Hz-20KHzOutput Impedance: Less than 0.1 ohmsGain: 5 (14db)Topology: Fully discrete FET/bipolar, Class AB, DC coupled throughoutProtection: standard failsafe DC power input and muting relayPower Supply: “wall wart” style 16VAC transformer, regulated +/- 15V railsPower Consumption: 4WSize WxDxH: 125 x 89 x 32mm, 5 x 3.5 x 1.25inchesWeight: 1 lb, integrated ampspreampspower ampsphono stagesheadphone amps, floorstanding speakersstandmount speakers, interconnect cablespower conditionersturntable accessoriesequipment standsspeaker standsheadphones. I won't go into USB cables as I still haven't used any special 'audio' type ones for my setups yet. Specialty Products. There’s a brushed aluminium casing over what would otherwise be a basic, black box. Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 1.3W RMS per channel 5. A product gets a number bump if the functionality changes. You really can’t make a wrong choice. For us, a product gets a “+” when it has the same functionality, but has been changed significantly internally. I am more sceptical about USB cables (because they're digital), but I like to keep an open mind, so you might see me trying some out soon.