Headphone Amplifier Recommendations

I'm looking to switch my system over to headphones, the reason really not being important... but let's just say I wish I could stick with my speakers.

Anyways, I'm looking for a relatively compact headphone amp that I can plug my turntable and pre-amp into. I don't need any special features for streaming or anything, I just need to be able to plug headphones in, adjust the volume, and listen.

I was thinking of either a Schiit Magni or Heresy, but I'd be very interested to hear what other recommendations people may have. I'd also be curious to know how the Magni and Heresy differ in their sound.

 

What headphones will you be driving? In my experience, unless you have really demanding headphones, you don't need a very fancy headphone amp to get good sound.

 

Though I definitely plan on upgrading soon in the future, I'll be starting off with some AKG K240's. Just that alone should make it obvious that I'm not looking to spend a lot here, but I don't want to buy a terrible sounding piece of crap either.

 

People with experience with both amps over on Super Best Audio Friends have reached this general consensus: go with the Magni 3+ if you want better sound quality and the Magni Heresy if you want better measurements. Also consider the Vali 2+ that was just released.

Do you need two inputs though? If so, and you're looking at these amps, you may also want to consider a Sys to switch between both inputs.

 

With that being the consensus, who would go for the Heresy? You can't hear measurements, can you?

I'll only need one input.

 

Anyone who frequents Audio Science Review. The same type of measurement zealots who champion Topping and similar gear.

 

I watched a couple videos on the Schiit offerings today and learned a couple things. It seems that nobody can agree on one being better than the other (the Magni vs the Heresy). One video was very direct in saying that they are hardly different at all, it mostly depends on the headphones you plan on using as some work better with each. That video also pointed out the superior build on the Heresy and the fact that the Heresy ran a lot cooler than the Magni.

 

I wouldn't worry about heat. I received a new Magni 3+ just three days ago and have had it plugged in and running since. I would describe it as slightly warm to the touch. I bought it rather than the Heresy simply because its appearance matches my Modi MB.

 

Are you willing to go beyond the budget of the Magni? They've always had amazing reviews, but I was not impressed when I briefly owned one. I couldn't wait to move on.

Loads of options in the $200-300 range (new). Even more if you're willing to go used.

 

I have the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and recently acquired the Chord Hugo TT2 along with the M Scaler. Prefer the latter for sure.

 

ASR, sometimes... You know the Topping L30 rates higher than the Benchmark HPA4? Well there you go then.

 

Schiit Asgard3 or HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2

 

Schiit Magnius - $200, stellar S/N, will drive anything, easy recommendation.

 

I'd rather keep it lower in price but if there's something significantly better for a bit more I'd consider it. What have you got in mind?

 

You'll have to do your homework. Lots of gear with seemingly endless praise (ex: THX 789), but I don't know experience with those pieces directly, so I can't speak to them.

I got my rHead amp new on close out for a killer price. I originally purchased a magni, wasn't satisfied at all. About a week later pulled the trigger on the rHead, and sold the Mani. I haven't looked back.

Not a knock on schiit. I recently got their Modius dac, and I've been pleased with it for the price. I did prefer the Benchmark DAC3 I borrowed from a friend, but I just couldn't justify the price for my uses. But in the case of the DACs and the headphone amps, the higher priced gear produced better sound. May not always be the case, but I think the lesson is to set appropriate expectations.

 

I am using an SMSL SP200, it measured very well on ASR. At $226 it was a great interim step until I could afford what I wanted.

Like all the new THX implementations it has very low distortion. It sounds very clean and neutral. If your looking for added magic, you wont get any, but it also wont step on anything.

I am using Grado Hemp headphones with it. The Hemps are very sensitive, so much so that even on low gain the volume knob is too sensitive. While it still works you have to be slow and deliberate changing the volume. A less sensitive headphone would have been better with this amp. Also the volume balance is poor at very-very low volumes and gets better as it gets louder. But an amplifier with dead accurate volume control like the Benchmark HPA4 is 13x the price.

With the THX implementations, capable headphone amps have been commoditized. You can pick just about any of them with the price, looks, or feature set being your primary concern. And while I think ASR's reviews really favor the low to mid-fi market, there is plenty of good information when it comes to low cost headphone amps.

 

I don't know about ASR sometimes. Maybe it's the aforementioned zealotry.

 

Geshelli Archel2 Pro specs

Geshelli Archel2 Pro price

 

Check out the audio exchange sub on reddit, there's always some used Magni's for sale. If you end up not liking it, you could sell it for just the same amount that you paid for it.

 

I've been looking at the Schiit Magni+ but have a few questions I hope others can help me with.

1. Is the headphone plug the 1/4 or the 3.5mm?
2. Will this serve as a pre-amp as well as a headphone amp?
3. I have a Schiit SYS passive pre-amp now so it would replace that would it not?
4. Can I use the headphone plug to connect to a mixer in order to transfer vinyl records to a computer, record needle drops, play music on livestreams? (this the main reason I'm interested in this, don't really use headphones much)

Thanks for any and all help, suggestions etc. I was doing needle drops and livestreams previously by going from my receiver's audio out plug to the mixer but I've upgraded to a Electron Kinetics Eagle 2 Amp and it doesn't have an audio out on it. So I'm trying to figure out how to accomplish the same thing I was doing with the new amp.

 

To the OP - you said you plan to upgrade your headphones in the future. Any thoughts on what you might upgrade to? I would probably buy a better amp now than the Heresy or Magni if I planned to upgrade headphones. I would want an amp that could drive headphones with higher ohms so I would not have to upgrade the amp again.

I would definitely consider the Schiit Asgard 3 which is a bit more in price than the Heresy or Magni. But has better sound quality and the ability to drive better headphones.

 

1. The Magni+ has a ¼ plug
2. The Magni+ is only a headphone amp
3. It won't replace it.
4. You will need a USB interface like the Motu M2 to do the things you want.

 

I like my Beyerdynamic A20. It’s just an amp so there is that.

 

Thanks for responding. I'm confused with 2/3 as on the Schiit website it says "Magni, Headphone Amp and Preamp" but it never elaborates on the preamp part as far as I can tell. There is a volume control on it isn't there? Regarding #4 a mixer can't be used instead of the Motu M2? Before I was going straight from the Amp to the mixer.

 

On a 200-300 budget headphone listening is hard to beat using a Bellari VP-130. Plug TT interconnects into the unit and also the headphones. A volume control is a great feature on this preamp. Changing the stock tube also goes a long way.