Schiit Magni Heresy 100% Op-Amp-Based Headphone Amp and Preamp

Paired it with a Modi dac. Sounds great. No distortion when cranking up the volume & no scratchy noise when turning the volume knob. Plenty of power to drive most headphones. Nothing but nice, clean, neutral sound. Build quality is fantastic. There's metal everywhere and it's got a finish that makes fingerprints very hard to see. They should offer a Magni in black+gunmetal grey to match the Modi but that comes down to personal preference. It still looks nice. The first one I ordered broke in less than a week. The power switch in the back seems like it shorted out because I heard something smoldering and it burned my finger when I tried to flip it off. I don't blame Schiit though. You can be the best company in the world, QC test every product you ship out & still have a lemon. For reference, my friend has had his Heresy for about a year now with no issues and has had other Schiit products for much longer. Schiit responded in less than 24 hours. I returned the first unit & order a replacement. The replacement works great. *Update 2 years later: Company still gets 5 stars. I might be quite unlucky because this second Heresy lasted just shy of 2 years before it started making a very loud noise out of the left side of my headphones. I contacted Schiit and they accepted my repair request. They tested it, confirmed the issue, and replaced the faulty part (replaced the "op amp" in case anyone more tech savvy than me is interested). It seems to work now. *2nd update - The same issue came back after only a few days. Schiit repaired it again and gave me a new wall wart. Seems like it was indeed the power supply, as the problem hasn't come back. 5 star customer service.

I recently acquired the Schiit Magni Heresy to power my Audeze LCD-2 Classic headphones, and I must say, I'm thoroughly impressed. Here's why: Impressive Power: The Schiit Magni Heresy delivers an incredible amount of power, effortlessly driving my high-impedance Audeze headphones to their full potential. The sound is clean, dynamic, and full-bodied, with an impressive level of detail and clarity across the entire frequency spectrum. Transparent Sound: One of the standout features of the Magni Heresy is its transparency. It faithfully reproduces the audio signal without adding any coloration or distortion, allowing me to experience my music exactly as the artist intended. Whether I'm listening to intricate classical compositions or bass-heavy electronic tracks, the Magni Heresy delivers a truly transparent sound. Solid Build Quality: The build quality of the Magni Heresy is top-notch, with a robust chassis and high-quality components throughout. The unit feels sturdy and well-built, exuding a sense of durability and reliability that inspires confidence. Perfect Pairing: I paired the Magni Heresy with the Schiit Modi 3+ DAC, and the combination is nothing short of exceptional. The two devices complement each other perfectly, resulting in a high-fidelity audio setup that exceeds my expectations. Overall, I couldn't be happier with the performance of the Schiit Magni Heresy. It's a stellar headphone amplifier that delivers outstanding sound quality and performance, making it an ideal choice for discerning audiophiles looking to elevate their listening experience.

Im loving this lil Schiit Magni Heresy!!! Paired with my AKG headphones and using foobar 2000 and Spotify on my phone. This thing has a very solid build and heavy for it's size. Made in USA! You Can tell its on by the red led glowing up through the heat vents on the top. Switches on the back and volume knob all feel great in use. No static problem for me, I did work the knob and switches many times before using just to break up any oxidation that may be there from manufacturing. If you have a nice pair of headphones (like AKGs) you will really hear an improvement in volume and also Dynamics! Its a joy to have such control over the volume with the classic knob and this lil Schiit rounds off the rough edges of digital music quite nicely. Nice and warm with a big Open soundstage. I'm big into Vinyl and have all retro components in my stereo so I know what warmth in audio means.. Highly recommended, and a bargain at this price.

I needed this for a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-770s. Now, first time around, I only got the amp and no DAC, and that lead to me discovering that my laptop was not providing a good enough source signal for the amp to work with. It actually clipped at lower volumes because the laptop signal was just that weak compared to what the amp expects. Before I ordered the DAC, I emailed the Schiit support about it and they responded the following day and gave me the strong impression they really care about their customers. They were pretty sure my laptop was the problem and a DAC would remedy it (which is exactly what it was). They were prepared in the event that my laptop wasn't the problem. So then I got the Modi DAC, and now I have the full volume both lo and hi gain with no clipping. They are very clean sounding. Does exactly what I needed it to do and see nothing to complain about. I did notice that the volume knob has some static/popping when first using it - but it's no longer there anymore - and I half expected that given my experience with volume resistant pots on my own electronic projects. It's fairly inconsequential (it isn't ever going to happen when the knob isn't moved), and can be cleaned in the event they get too dirty over time. Hell, if you have the know how you can just replace it easily with your own resistance pot. It's not that hard. Personally, I think opting for the op amp version of the Magni is more suitable for me only cause I think tubes wear over time and can break - this thing I could drop on the floor by mistake and there's a very strong chance only the case will get damaged - one benefit of a solid state design. That said, I wasn't interested in a tube sound for now. For the money I think this was an excellent buy. Also, I would read the manual on this product and story behind it - for you engineers out there - the author has a great sense of humor and even poses some honest questions to you that they would love to hear responses for. It's little thing like that make the company really cool. Will be looking to them for products if my needs change in the future.

While I am a musician quite familiar with amps, effects, and a certified tone junkie - I always just ran my headphones straight into my device of choice (iphone, computer, etc) and didn't consider a headphone amp. My music pursuits into the digital realm lead me to purchasing a pair of AKG k240S phones to monitor guitar tones and possibly some mixing (without irritating everyone in the house). Upon discovering my iphone required max vol to drive the AKG's (but airpods sounded great), decided to look into these headphone amp thingys. Of course the Schiit Magni came up in tons of reviews, perhaps just hype. After tons of research, settled on the new Schitt Magni Heresy (because of the black color & my comfort with opamps from my guitar electronics devices). So first impressions... the headphone amp doesn't really do much more than amplify you source signal ...duh? I guess I expected a miracle to occur in my ears but while the signal is amplified (a good thing), I think I can make out it sounds fractionally better..the highs are clearer (a good thing) and the lows are tighter (a good thing). I don't think the better sound quality is purely a result of the increased amplification, there's definitely some slight value being added to the signal with the Heresy. It's not harsh but pleasantly warm & clear without being overdone in any way. I guess I expected much more out of a headphone amp but not complaining - I was just not familiar with their value. Perhaps it is a "break-in" period thing where you progressively learn to appreciate the better sound quality and definition. Is it an improvement over listening to music straight from my iphone, but just slightly. Even as I sit here and listen while writing, I can hear details my iPhone didn't deliver on its own. From my research, it seems in days past, headphones were often to be high impedance (i.e. 600 ohms) and harder to drive with a low power device (like today's cell phones). Lower impedance headphones (i..e AKG k240s, 55 ohm) are much easier to drive. Therefore, your'e not gonna see much advantage to getting a headphone amp with a easy to drive headphone... in my case, the akg k240s are loud enough just straight into my iphone, pc, etc. .. The Heresy makes the tone slightly cleaner, but only slightly and even that might be a function of high available volume. Frankly, any louder than your iphone and your probably damaging hearing anyway (and yes, clear music you don't need to crank as much so there's that). I have also read higher impedance headphones have a different coil wind on speakers and may sound better when driven with the right power. Not sure, but I didn't see enough advantage for my situation to keep the Magni Heresy - therefore, I returned it. Perhaps if I get into higher end headphones, my ability to discern audio quality will improve? But as a lifelong musician and audio/tone "expert", I didn't see the benefit of the Heresy and it became one more device to have on my desk. If I get back to higher end headphones, the Magni Heresy will definitely be the first on my buy list.

I bought this amplifier so that I could have a simple solution for listening to the Audio Technica ATLP60X turntable with headphones and so far it's worked like a charm. It has very low noise and good sound quality. The power light is inside the amp itself and is visible through the holes on the top, while I would have liked an external light, the truth is I haven't been bothered by it at all since the light is still clearly visible. The amp also produces a moderate amount of heat, but not enough to be a problem in my opinion. I have paired these with the Sennheiser CX 300S and the Status Audio CB-1 and both work perfectly. The sound quality can be improved but I believe it's due to other parts of the system and not the amp itself. I will also pair them with the Sennheiser HD 599 in the future and will update the review with the results. Keep in mind that this amplifier only has two outputs, stereo RCA and the 1/4 front jack. You will need some form of adapter if you need to use this with a 3mm jack.

Although the specs don't show it the Heresy to my ears has more ommph, reserve power, and just sounds more full although perhaps a nuance bit rougher sounding than the Mangi 3 version. Makes sense, maybe..., being the Heresy is Op-amp based??? What do I know though... The Mangi 3 ( non-Heresy ) did sound great, a bit more laid back and a tad less powerful sounding but perhaps cleaner and more refined... things that are not easy to describe. All ears hear things differently. Both sound great, just a bit different I think.. not a cut and dry choice! Both are worth the money for sure! I'm using them ( one at a time ) as a pre-amp/boost for an average sounding not too powerful Logitech X-230 2.1 computer speaker setup. Some internet web pages have very weak sound levels and the Mangi's help nicely in that application. I have used earphones only a little with both versions but cannot honestly comment about the sound difference between the versions. Aside from they both work and sound great with headphones!!! Just my 2 1/2 cents worth...

Going in I was a little worried this wouldn't be much of an upgrade over the Magni 3 amp I've had for a couple of years. If you are debating the same decision, I can tell you that to me it's a fantastic upgrade. Definite upgrade in clarity and a more exciting listening experience. This was very noticeable on my HE-4xx, they sound exceptional on this amp. It's not quite as drastic of an upgrade on the HD650's, but it's still a noticeable upgrade in clarity and speed. This amp has gotten me excited to get off work and listen to my headphones again. I wasn't really that big of a fan of the HE-4XX but with the Heresy I actually prefer them to the HD650's now. So much so that I just ordered Sundara's and can't wait to try them. Keep in mind I'm still a beginner "audiophile", I haven't heard many amps. Recently the only amps I've gotten to hear is the Magni 3, the Cavelli Tube Hybrid, the Heresy, and my beloved USB-C Spectra (tiny but very capable for the size). That said, these are a definite and exciting upgrade to the Magni 3, and for the price I'm extremely happy with it. For reference the DAC I'm using is the Modi Multibit.