Schiit Magni 3: An Amp to Replace the BUDA?

I finally have some time to type up a brief review of the Schiit Magni 3 amp. For $99 you get a nice sounding amp that can drive just about anything out there. I have it as my main rig amping a pair of MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open headphones which are tricky to drive due to their low efficiency and low impedance. I love the sound and form factor!

Link:

https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-1

I compared it against my much more expensive desktop amp, the BUDA from Headroom.

The footprint of the Magni 3 is tiny. It is just about the size of 4 decks of cards stacked 2×2! It has rubber feet keeping it from moving about on a desk or laptop stand. The headphone jack is on the front along with the volume knob and power LED. On the back you get the power input, the source input ( for a DAC ), gain selector ( high and low ), and lastly the output for using it as a preamp.

Getting the most from the amp is really up to your source and headphone. The amp itself gets out of the way of the audio because it is dead quiet, has plenty of oomph to drive your headphones and IEM’s, and will not add any unwanted color to your music. It will not make your bright-sounding headphones bassy and it will not tame the blistering highs that pierce your ears. It is just there to give you some control of the ear-speakers that are your headphones and beef up the signal.

That said you may run into issues with your headphones not sounding their best, not because of the amp, but because your DAC may not have high enough output. I have a DAC that does not output more than 1 volt and the amp had issues trying to amplify that signal loud enough for my headphones. Industry standard is more around 2volts output from a DAC so I swapped to a different DAC, interestingly enough the Schiit Bifrost 4490, and with its 2 volt output the Aeon Flow Open sounded as it should.

Comparing it to the much more expensive BUDA ( $99 for the Magni 3 vs $1500 for the BUDA ) the Magni 3 holds its own. So much so I am hard pressed to find any major differences. The BUDA is fully balanced and single-ended and has 3 gain selections. Other than that I found it extremely difficult to hear any differences even with my most discerning test tracks.

Here is my short list of test tracks:

Artist: The Spanish Guitar Music Coleccion

Track: Vivaldi Guitar and Lite

Album: Spanish Guitar Music

Artist: Maroon 5

Track: Can’t Stop

Album: It Won’t Be Soon Before Long

Artist: Great Big Sea

Track: Something To It

Album: Rant And Roar ( Bonus Track )

The Magni 3 keeps fine control of the low notes. Poor amplification loses control of the low end because of improper impedance, not enough power, or just too much distortion. The Magni 3 has none of these issues. If your think that because it controls the bass so well that the treble is lost you would be mistaken. Listening to Great Big Sea’s ‘Something To It’ reveals distortion and sibilance-free treble. Chimes, cymbals, and brush strokes on the snare are all audible through the Magni 3.

I really have no faults to mention about the Magni 3. It sounds really good and exceptional for $99. There are other amps to consider if Schiit is not your thing. The JDS Labs Atom is one I recommend. It measures a bit better and costs about the same. I don’t have one around for comparison, but from what I remember it is also another great sounding amp.

SHURE SRH 1540 Review

SPECS:

https://www.shure.com/americas/products/headphones/srh1540-premium-closed-back-headphones#detailshttp://schiit.com/products/jotunheim/

 

WHERE TO BUY / COST:

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH1540-Premium-Closed-Back-Headphones/dp/B00FR8DMR8

Headphone.com

Shure SRH1540 Premium Closed-Back Studio Headphones

Average Price :$499

You can find them heavily discounted

OVERVIEW

Shure has been manufacturing good-sounding gear for years now. For more than a decade I’ve seen them move from the in-ear market to the full-sized headphone market. The SRH 1540 is one such headphone. It is one of the most well-made headphones I’ve owned or seen. It sounds really good for those who enjoy a V-shaped sound signature.

AESTHETICS

The headphones themselves come nicely packed into a solid plastic box. The pads are super thick and cushy making them the most comfortable headphone I’ve had the pleasure of placing on my head and ears. The headband is simple coming down and attaching to the earcups with a dual-hinged yoke. They feel sturdy and flexible. They adjust easily so if you have a small or large head you should have no problems finding the correct fit.

The earcups come with what looks like carbon fiber inserts, but I think the materials is actually vinyl sheeting. It does add a nice touch to the aesthetics of the earcups.

Rest assured that the 1540 has you covered in regards to a nice-looking headphone that will last.

ACOUSTICS

The sound signature is V-shaped. It takes some listening to unveil what it really sounds like because at lower volumes the frequency response is more linear, but as the volume is increased the V-shape is highlighted. The bass is thick and fun-sounding. The strum of the bass string on a guitar or the heavy hit of a bass drum come through true. To my ears there are instances where the bass too much so if you are sensitive to bass this may not be the headphone for you.

The midrange is up-front and clean. It presents both female and male focals easily. I find the midrange non-fatiguing and pleasing. The treble is consistent with a V-shape. Some extra energy can be found in the 5kHz – 7kHz region so if you tend to be extra sensitive here be warned. I didn’t find it a problem with my gear and I’m sensitive to excess treble.

Unfortunately the bass became too much for me during long listening sessions. It made began to sound bloated and over-emphasized. I was easily distracted by the bass and driven away from the midrange where I like to focus. If you like extra bass without it drowning absolutely everything out then the 1540 might just be for you.

Here are the measurements that Tyll did over at Innerfidelity.

https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/cool-comfy-and-competent-shure-srh1540-measurements

CONCLUSION

The SRH 1540 is one of the best fitting headphones I’ve seen period. It fits comfortably around my ears and the extra thick pads make if really easy to wear for long periods. Sadly the bass is over-emphasized keeping the headphone from being a top pick for me, but I say if you enjoy a little extra bass then the 1540 is a must try.

Care Package Inbound: Shure’s SRH 1540

I’ve received the SRH1540 and will be posting a review soon. Upon my initial listen through the BUDA it sounds full, perhaps too bassy at times to be considered neutral, and the detail is pleasing without drowning out the subtleties of the treble.

SCHIIT AUDIO’s JOTUNHEIM

SPECS:

http://schiit.com/products/jotunheim/

WHERE TO BUY / COST:

http://schiit.com/products/bifrost

$399 sans the DAC

$499 with the DAC

OVERVIEW

It’s worth taking a look at Schiit Audio’s story.This review will cover the Jotunheim with digital to analog converter ( DAC ) with the AK4490 series DAC chip. The amp has both single-ended and balanced outputs for headphones and a pair of balanced outs on the back. The only digital in is a Type B USB port in the back.

AESTHETICS

I own the Bifrost 4490 from Schiit and it remains my DAC of choice in my main rig. It is very transparent without being noisy or obviously colored. The Jotunheim is enticing because it takes this DAC and blends it into a hard-hitting amp. I’ll first focus on the DAC and then move into the amp section.

The Bifrost, seen above, has plenty of inputs unlike the Jotunheim which only has the Type B USB input. I have issues with USB because the drivers do not always install, which was the case for the Bifrost until I upgraded to Windows 10 and even then it took Microsoft a few months to get a generic driver. I tried for hours to get the software from Schiit’s site working, but never got the USB driver installed on my Windows 7 machine. Luckily the Bifrost has a TOSLINK input. This removes the hassle of USB drivers and better isolates the DAC away from unwanted electrical noise. I would like to see future versions of the Jotunheim have both USB and TOSLINK for these reasons.

You get two gain selections ( High and Low ) so you do not have to worry about running sensitive IEM’s or harder to drive headphones like the LCD-2. The general looks are typical Schiit keeping things simple, metallic, and easy to use. As of March 2017 you can find the Jotunheim in black which is sweet if you are tired of the brushed aluminum look. The volume knob is solid and feels robust. In all I think the Jotunheim looks and feels the part of a great piece of gear.

ACOUSTICS

The DAC on the Jotunheim sounds great delivering clarity and a noise-free sound. If you are looking at this piece of gear you are most likely looking at it as an all-in-one unit and not worried about having separate components so I will not focus on each individually. Rest assured the DAC has no flaws that I could hear and it steers out of the way of the music.

The amp section is very cool in that it provides a 4-pin balanced out and ¼-inch jack on the front. If you splurge for the MM phonostage you get that along with balanced outs on the back. Getting all of these features under $600 is crazy especially considering the great customer service Schiit delivers. If you have a question they will usually get back to you within 24-hours.

I tested single-ended mode first. The amp sounds clean, distortion-free, and it has power to drive everything I tested. I noticed that with the volume all of the way down, then unplugging the headphones, I hear a pop from the headphone. I’m not a big fan of this as I start to suspect that some DC might be getting to the driver. My other amps have no pops when the headphone is removed. It would be great if Schiit addressed this by muting the output with the volume at zero.

Compared to the BUDA the Jotunheim falls short in the bass control department. So many amps I test cannot keep up with the control the BUDA has over headphones in the bass. It is something that takes a few minutes to pinpoint, but once I found it I found myself not enjoying the Jotunheim. The Schiit amp does well in that it keeps up with bass, but the resolving power is just lacking. The pluck of the bass strings on a standup bass sound muffled and the dynamics are not as engaging as the more expensive BUDA. The Jotunheim does sound as good as other amps I have tested in its price point like the SMSL amps and JDS Labs Element.

Balanced the Jotunheim has problems. It reminds me of the Violectric V281 balanced out that I tested in Big Sound 2015 in that it sounds fuzzy and distorted. It is not as resolving as the single-ended output. I’m not sure what causes this other than added distortion by having twice as many components in the chain or perhaps a phase issue, but it was obvious and almost unlistenable. If you are looking for a balanced amp I would avoid the Jotunheim.

CONCLUSION

If you are in the market for an all-in-one DAC/amp unit that has balanced outs along with a single-ended headphone jack the Jotunheim does a great job. It is not my favorite sounding amp because of the lack of bass control / impact and the balanced headphone out sounded too noisy for me to enjoy it. The small footprint, solid build quality, and ease of use make it a sure bet if you need something to do the D/A and amping all at once. At this price the JDS Labs Element should also be considered as long as the balanced outs are not needed.

HiFiMAN HE-560: Stacking it up against the 400i

SPECS:

http://www.hifiman.com/products/detail/178

Driver Type                           Single-sided Planar
Plug Type                               6.35mm
Plug to headphones:          2.5mm TRS or Screw-on connectors
Cord Length                          2.0m
Frequency Response          15 Hz – 50 kHz
Impedance                            45 Ohms
Sensitivity                             90 dB
Weight                                   375g

WHERE TO BUY / COST:

HiFiMAN

Amazon

$899 new

OVERVIEW

The release of the HE-560 felt like an attempt to keep up with Audeze and bring wooden earcups into the HiFiMAN market. The HE-560 adds a strip of wooden veneer to the outside edge of the earcups, lowers the sensitivity by 3dB, and increases the impedance by 10 Ohms. Here are some of the goals that HiFiMAN lists for the HE-560.

• Premium quality, full-size planar magnetic headphone designed for reference use in the home or studio
• Light Weight & Comfortable
• Sense of Exuberance
• Ebony-decorated earcups for a ruch, classic look

How did HiFiMAN do in raising the bar in their planar line of headphones?

AESTHETICS

The shape and size of the 560 is similar to the 400i, but it does have .5 cm or so thicker earpads. The wooden veneer is where things start to feel cheap. Instead of adding wood elegantly to the earcups it looks and feels like an afterthought. If you are going to go for a “sense of exuberance” you need to step it up and go for something like the Audeze LCD-XC seen below. Add some gloss, add some thickness, and make it count! Otherwise just leave the wood off the headphone and justify the increase in price with clear improvements to the sound quality.

To me the 560 feels more like a solid piece of plastic than elegant wood and fine materials. I am truly disappointed in the feel of the 560 especially considering they are almost double the price of the 400i. The pair I tested even had the screw-on connectors making it awkward to get the cable to connect to each earcup. The 2.5mm connectors are the way to go!

ACOUSTICS

The 560 sounds similar to the 400i in that it has linear bass, an up-front midrange, and enough treble to capture chimes, bells, and brushstrokes. Where the 560 differs is in the upper midrange and treble. Playing pink noise quickly reveals some serious unevenness in the 560’s sound signature. I detected two peaks in the treble that made it sound brighter than the 400i. On some tracks this was pleasant and welcomed, but on others it added artificiality. The 560 artificially added air to some tracks and on others it made the treble sound uneven. The 400i is more neutral in this regard. The 400i is my top recommended desktop headphone. It is neutral sounding, has very linear bass, an even midrange, and perhaps just a db or two excessive reduction in the top treble.

CONCLUSION

The HE-560 is a headphone that should easily outperform the 400i. It misses in aesthetics as well as sound. It feels cheaply made for an $899 headphone and the sound signature is not improved over the cheaper 400i. Going from headphones like the Audeze LCD-2 to the LCD-3 obvious improvements are heard. In the case of the 560 vs the 400i the 560 sounds artificially enhanced just to sound different not better, more impactful, or resolving.

If you are looking at the 400s, 400i, and 560 the 400i is easily my top recommendation. It feels more robust than the 400s, sounds more neutral than both the 400s and 560, and will not cost twice as much just to put some wood veneer on the earcups. All of these headphones deserve a new cable because the stock cable that comes with the 400i is too rigid and has a 90-degree jackplug making it difficult to connect to an amp. The 560 cable is too long and bulky perhaps trying to justify the added cost.

LINKS

Measurements

Happy Friday! Incoming review

I’ve managed to track down an HE-560 from HiFiMAN and a Jotunheim from Schiit ( with optional DAC ). Both items will be up soon.

So far the HE-560 is slightly brighter than the HE-400i. It also sounds uneven using Ayre’s Pink Noise track from the Irrational, But Efficacious album.

The Jotunheim sounds good. There is a lack of crispness to the sound signature which appears to be a a lack of dynamics. Too bad the only way to connect to the DAC is via USB.

I plan on comparing the Jotunheim the the similar-in-design Grace m903.

Passing the Gear Along

I’v sent the beyerdynamic A20 amp along with the Pro-Ject Box E DAC to a friend for further evaluation. I love the Box E, but the A20 leaves room for improvement.

I did run the Box E into a Bottlehead Crack with Speedball upgrade and loved the synergy with the Sennheiser HD800. The HD800 I had at the time had the Super Dupont Resonator Mod added along with some damping material around the drive which smooths out the treble. If you are looking for a great combo the HD800 / Crack + Speedball / Box E sounded full, tame, and at times too bassy which surprised me because the HD800 is bright sounding. Just be careful not the clip the Crack’s input with the output from the DAC as this leads to noticeable distortion. I ran into this issue using a Chord Mojo I had laying around. I forgot to turn down voltage on the Mojo and it clipped the input on the Crack making it sound almost unlistenable.

A System Test

I found myself entirely too busy at work to listen to my hi-fi rig at home and ended up taking a 4 week break. Upon return I simplified back to the 400i, BUDU, and Bifrost and once again am very pleased with the fidelity coming from this setup. If you are looking for and end-game setup, and a BUDA cannot be found, the Magni 2 Uber will suffice.

If you can return to your rig day after day and never find faults with it you probably have something special.

Another excellent setup is the Bifrost, Mjolnir 2, and the Audeze XC with microsuede pads.This combo offers a soft yet detailed treble, smooth midrange, and clear and defined bass without sounding boomy.

My recent added tracks

A friend recommended that I listen to Spencer Elliot’s Torque and in doing so I found my way over to Stephan Baer. In particular I really enjoy Stephan Baer’s Najongo and Bay of Bengal tracks. The detail in these tracks is hard to find amid other tracks and the slight lack of treble gives them a laid back feel without removing detail.

Brainwavz B150: Getting Back to the Music

 

SPECS:

Drivers                       Single Balanced Armature
Rated Impedance     30 Ω
Frequency Range     16 Hz ~ 22 kHz
Sensitivity                 105 dB at 1 mW
Cable                          1.3 m Y-Cord, Over the ear, OFC Copper
Plug                            3.5 mm, Gold plated
Warranty Card          (24 month warranty)

WHERE TO BUY / COST:

http://www.brainwavzaudio.com/products/xfit-xf200-noise-isolating-sport-iem-earphones-w-3-button-remote-microphone

$109 new

OVERVIEW

Happy New Year and welcome to 2017. This year brings some new gear among this the Brainwavz B150 which is a single-driver balanced armature IEM. The B150 delivers deep impactful bass, an enjoyable and up-front midrange, with enough extension into the treble to reproduce cymbals and chimes without hiding them or killing them off.

AESTHETICS

The B150 keeps the usual Brainwavz benefits. A cable cinch, a shirt clip, the 45-degree angled jackplug, and many tips including a pair of red Comply foam tips. Also included is a hard carrying case that can fit easily into a large pocket or a backpack. What I enjoy the most about the aesthetic design is the small driver body and narrow nozzles which make it one of the most comfortable IEMs I have reviewed. If you have large ears you may find the fit difficult because the housings are small.

The cable splits into a Y about 8 inches from the IEMs and this is where the cable cinch is hidden. Stemming out of each IEM is a 2-inch strip of memory cable which adds to the durability and makes wrapping the cable up and around the ear easy. I had no problems plugging the jack plug into any of my devices including an iPod Touch and various adapters.

ACOUSTICS

I hesitated to review the B150 because the M100 sounded terrible and made me lose faith in Brainwavz. Quality Control should have easily prevented the M100 from reaching market. It was too bassy, no upper treble, and included a terrible mic. It was so bad that I felt obligated to review it and keep people from investing in such a poorly made / designed IEM. The B150 I can proudly report has none of the aforementioned issues.

Unamped: Oddly some IEMs sound better unamped. Perhaps this is because it allows the IEM’s sound signature to be over-emphasized which if done well is great when listening to a portable. Travel is rarely the ideal place to conduct critical listening so I prefer a little emphasis on the bass and treble without overbearingly messing with the midrange. The B150 does sound more fun unamped. The bass is more loose and impactful, but the midrange develops some uneveness unamped so it is a definite trade off. Luckily the treble extends enough to catch the metallic sound of a guitar string, cymbals, and chimes. The IEM does not lose that all important detail.

I grabbed my iPod Touch and immediately turned on Cateau Marmount by Masion Klaus from the Solar Apex –EP. Something did not sound right so I slowly crept up the volume and at about 50% volume this track came alive. It remained engaging and the detail of the guitar, the up-front midrange, and treble all delivered the emotional response that this track encompasses. The B150 is like the Sennheiser HD650 and D600 in that it needs a little more volume to sound its best so be sure to turn it up a bit to get the most out of it!

How low does the B150 rumble? Kick on Unearthly by Mahoroba on the Space Fly. Vol, 1 –A Magic Chill Trip ( by Frank Borell ) to find out. The low notes will give your ears a nice refreshing oscillation. Perhaps too up-front for some listeners the B150 may sound fatiguing at higher volumes with certain tracks, but nothing that cannot be attenuated with a click of the volume button.

Does it deliver a distortion-free midrange? For this I turn to Maroon’s Can’t Stop on the It Won’t Be Soon Before Long album. This track I always use to test midrange issues especially on multidriver IEMs. If there’s a crossover issues or there is excessive distortion this track will reveal it. I am happy to report that it sounds clear albeit a wall of sound, but no distortion detected!

Now, how about the treble? Lose the chimes? In Entry into the Great Hall / The Banquest from the Harry Potter Soundtrack the chimes are easily heard over the rest of orchestra. Even some of the reverb is picked up which is unusual for a bassy IEM like the B150. You are not going to be missing much on the high end with this IEM so be sure to throw any type of music at it.

Amped: I drove the B150 with the BUDA amp fed via a Schiit Bifrost DAC. This is my end game setup as I found it performs at extremely high levels. I first selected low gain mode because the impedance is only 30 Ohms and the sensitivity a healthy 105dB / mW. Strangely I found the volume knob creeping up almost to 50% with most reference tracks. I wonder if the sensitivity is not a little lower than Brainwavz is reporting because at 105dB / mW the volume should not need to be this high.

Listening to Damien Rice’s O (Deluxe Version) on the Older Chests album reveals harshness in the midrange not heard on a portable. Swapping to medium gain smooths out the midrange issues and adds some fun to the bass. I recommend playing with the gain settings on your amp to get the most out of the B150 especially if you prefer a more fun-sounding IEM over something more critical. Certainly there are times for either.

I do prefer the B150 from a portable, but it does sound good enough to be trusted through a good amp. I would not hesitate to listen to it in either instance, but if you are after a more fun sound go portable.

DURABILITY

I find it relevant to mention possible durability issues with the B150. Although it does attempt to strain relieve the cable both at the jackplug and IEM body I feel that the there should be more reinforcement in these areas for a $100+ IEM. I fear that users on the move may snag the IEM a few times and ruin the cable which is sadly the fate of so many good sounding IEMs. The design is unlikely to change so I really would like to see the price fall to $75 where I find the B150 more suited due to the durability concerns, but the sound is well worth the $109 price tag.

CONCLUSION

If like me you were burned by the Brainwavz M100 and hesitate to give anything new a try the B150 should be on your “last try” list. With its wonderfully fun and balanced sound signature, although mildly bassy at times, it competes well against IEMs at twice its price like the Telos Acoustics Fujisan. The tip selection is excellent and accessories thought out. No mic is includes so even though you cannot make calls with the B150 you also do not have to worry about trying to communicate with a bad mic. The B150 is a music lovers IEM. If you are extra hard on your gear you may want to shy away from the B150 as it does feel light in the durability department, but if you take care of them and keep them gently tucked away in the hard case when not in use I see no reason they will not last a few years.