Genuinely curious, why would you choose the Magnius over the Asgard 3?
My ears are my judge and my ears may be odd. Single-ended amps reliably result in more hiss, tinnitus, and fatigue. My ears are sensitive in the upper ranges beyond most musical content (e.g., 11K to 13K), and balanced amps minimize randomness in the upper ranges. I found this from A/B testing single-ended vs. balanced amps, and by pinpointing my sensitive ranges with frequency generators. Balanced amps are hands down the best, with no competition for dynamic drivers in particular.
I come away refreshed instead of tired.
Balanced DACs are not essential.
Also, my ears don’t seem to match Guttenberg’s taste either.
This is the exact opposite of my experience with the Asgard 3 vs my THX 789. The 789 made my HD 660S too strident in the higher frequencies and fatiguing to listen to without using an EQ, whereas the Asgard 3’s sound is pleasant and non-fatiguing. It has a tube-like smoothness in the treble, unlike any other <$500 amp I’ve heard.
1 Like
The 789 is a brutally sharp-edged and raw amp. I detest the 789 with my Focal Clear, as it exaggerates the attack phase of each note. However, I like the 789 with Sennheiser HD-600s because they are inherently rounded off and have flat dynamics. The 789 also makes the best of the Focal Elex (within its limitations).
1 Like
From my understanding from early impressions, the Magnius has a sound that is more resemblant of the 789 than the Asgard 3. Based on that and both the Magnius and 789 being op-amp based amps, it seems unlikely that I’ll find the Magnius less fatiguing than the Asgard 3. I doubt the Asgard 3 has that same character that has made single-ended amps so fatiguing for you.
We shouldn’t forget that we’re both going by some assumptions here as we both haven’t heard both amps though.
2 Likes
Indeed. Hence my caution about finding one’s own path. I’ve found the 789 can be improved with treble-cutting EQ too.
1 Like
Would you be open to IEMs as well? Imo IEMs are favorable over closed-back headphones for on the go usage, and you generally get better sound for the money too with IEMs.
I don’t have a lot of experience in the world of IEMs, but I currently own a pair of FiiO FH7’s which I’m very happy with.
Have you checked out Allo’s Pi based streamer solutions?
They do some dedicated hats/boards that reduce the noise of the Pi. More expensive than a basic Pi streamer, but Darko does some reviews and reports that sound quality is better than regular Pi and many dedicated streamers.
They have dedicated options for Spidf out, usb out or a combo unit that does both.
I just ordered the USBridge to use as a dedicated streamer as I didnt want to mess with a windows or apple PC in my audio chain - even though I have a few lying around.
I went with USBridge to connect to BF2 unison. Noise isolation in streamer pry doesn’t matter as much with the isolation provided by Unison, but I found the price pretty reasonable compared to buying all the parts and assembling myself… Assembled unit was about $249, though I added an upgraded power source for about $50.
I chose usb over Spidf as MikeB (Schiit designer) actually prefers unison usb, after saying for years usb sounds like ass! 
As Allo units are Pi based, they can run many different flavors of Linux and act as full music servers, dedicated streamers, or roon endpoints.
Their engineering and design philosophy look solid without a lot of audiophilia rhetoric and marketing hyperbole.
The unit can do wifi with a cheap wifi dongle, but they don’t include wifi built in due to the extra noise.
I expect it to be delivered next week and I will do some testing and post my impressions.
I found their website slightly confusing and the pricing a little odd, as it is cheaper to get a fully assembled solution than to buy the board, case and power supply separately.
You can choose which os flavor to have pre-installed - diet pi, moOde, Volumio or Max2Play - or download and install your Pi flavor of choice like RoiPieee if you want a room endpoint.
1 Like
I’ve been looking at something similar and love the roon ecosystem, but basically just want to do a single stream (no local files, or very few) without messing with an extra pc in the mix.
I ordered an allo USBridge last week and am going to test out using moOde as the streaming software.
Apparently moOde can stream via Apple airplay, so anything played on an iPhone should be able to be streamed…
I’m using android and want to stream qobuz, so apparently I need to use something like Bubbleupnp, as qobuz changed their code recently and won’t stream directly to moOde from Android…
I have a couple old iPhone around so may play with that too, but I’d rather have all my downloaded music on just one phone.
I just checked the Magnius owner’s manual and the Magnius offers a choice of both single ended and balanced input and output. So @HeadphoneNoob would indeed have a choice.
Please explain your reasoning for the Asgard 3. I do see it has slightly more SE power, but double power is only 3db. Personally, I’d go for the extra input/output flexibility at that price.
I did get a Lyr 3 myself, but I wasn’t looking for future proofing, and my current balanced equipment is all electrostatic.
See, @HeadphoneNoob, we can have very civil and reasonable differences in our recommendations on things in this forum. 
4 Likes
This can be a fun journey, but it can also be overwhelming with so many different things to figure out.
You’ve been getting some great advice on these forums.
I had a lot of experience with hifi, but had never enjoyed listening on head phones.
As I hadn’t had a place to set up my 2 channel system for several years and I was missing the music, I started down the headphone path about 20 months ago.
I started with an investment of about $500. I picked up a pair of Meze 99c $309 (mass drop has the noir for $200), an ES 100 ($100) as a portable dac/Amp, and a Schitt Vali 2 for home listening - around $150… And about $50 in 3 tubes with different sound signatures.
The Meze 99c is bass heavy with the standard pads, but responds well to eq. The ES 100 has a nice eq built in which let me tweak things to get the sound I preferred, and I was able to roll tubes in the vali 2 to see if I liked that and what type of tubes I preferred.
Overall, I found something that sounded good to me, I learned where I liked the meze frequency response tweaked which helped me figure out what other headphones I might like.
After a while I purchased a pair of Hd6xx for $200, since it is so ubiquitous and so many comparisons are made to it. That also helped me learn what I preferred and what sound I kept going to the most… And better understand other people’s reviews.
And more importantly, whether I was going to keep listening to headphones over a period of time or would I lose interest.
And I kept doing a lot of reading and research and listened to what others were saying on the forums and asking questions. Finding out who liked what I liked and what their experience was.
Overall, I am still really enjoying this head phone thing and have a listening setup that is portable and that I enjoy.
6 months ago, I decided that I was enjoying this enough and listening often enough that I wanted to invest in a higher end solution…
I ended up going with ZMF Verite Open, Pendant Amp, BF 2 DAC and Allo USBridge streamer - over 10X what I spent originally.
Still waiting for the VO and Pendant, so can’t tell you how that worked out yet
But you can get really good sound for not a lot of money. My initial $500 ‘experiment’ works out at about $25/month - and I saved up money for the expensive stuff.
My reccomenedation would be to start with cheaper stuff that you think you will like, and then see if you do but go with something that let’s you experiment with different sounds and listen to it for awhile. You’ll figure out pretty quickly what you like and don’t like.
A basic schiit stack is going to give you enough to enjoy the music - and won’t be a limitation until you get into higher end cans. Just my. 02 cents, for what it is worth
I personally found the eq in the ES 100 (or qudelix) is a very valuable feature to experiment with what type of frequency response you prefer.
Good luck and welcome to this crazy club!
3 Likes
Sure thing.
If OP wouldn’t want to invest in balanced cables, what would be the value of the Magnius anymore? Ime, balanced doesn’t offer any inherent exclusive qualities over single-ended. Grounding issues can always be resolved in more permanent ways than investing in a balanced headphone system.
Furthermore, the topology of the Asgard 3. 500mW of pure Class-A bias. I have consistently found class-A amps to sound markedly better to my ears over Op Amp based amps. The latter has a behavior which I’m not comfortable with. It exaggerates higher frequency transients, and results in a more strident, harsh and fatiguing sound compared to Class-A amps, which seem to have better control of this area and deliver a smoother, more natural sound.
The Magnius just doesn’t offer anything I consider to be an advantage over the Asgard 3.
And of course, my opinion isn’t more valuable than anyone else’s. We can all drive different cars and still be friends, right? 
5 Likes
I have looked at them and agree the website is a bit confusing. A lot of options presented regarding things I know little about at the moment. I looked at the digione more closely as I was curious about Spdif options for the BF2 as some claim a different sound than using Unison???
Not sure where I am going yet re streaming but they seem like a strong choice. Right now its just an idea thats in the back of my head. I think if I commit anymore money to audio right now I may need an intervention!! Still got a couple of little things to get before I expand in to streaming considerations.
I do look forward to your thoughts on the USBridge. I just got Roon so Im slowly upping my ecosystem game, using the Roon remote app a bit here and there.
2 Likes
This is reason why I chose the magnius, and they are both 199. I would think the Asgard 3 only has benefit if you purchase the 100 dollar dac combo.
And yes I am going simply for the option balanced and unbalanced. Plus the larger power for anything I may possibly wish to run in the future.
For everyone else:
I have not bought or own anything yet. Trying to make optimal decisions. I feel the DAC is a bit more complicated than the amp. I’m sure there are many differences amongst the amps, but the magnius covers a lot of bases.
I will again first purchase the Sundara, then I will go to Schitt to test out their equipment.
But Sundara and Magnius are locked in, magnius solely by the advice you guys provided to get my feet wet.
The DACs I got in mind, but will look into what you guys mention and of course all the obvious entry level DACs.
- Pro-ject Pre Box S2 Digital 399
I guess that is the full name precisely - iFi dac 300
This is where the ESS and BB are coming into play which is why I asked. Dual chips.
This will be my final piece and will be purchased after the headphone and amp. Want to see what my experience with Schitt DACs will go like and more testing.
It’s going to be difficult to now gauge the output stage of a dac with the knowledge I lack to make an optimal decision.
3 Likes
I agree with the Asgard 3 suggestion. For me it’s not about balanced connectors, or power, or measurements. It’s simpler than that, and for new people of the hobby, simple is better ya?
It’s about sound. Synergy. I think the Asgard 3 will sound better with a planar that has leaner/brighter sounding tendencies. The Modius, which by all accounts from ears I trust is more similar in sound to the ruthless THX amps, is just going to double up on those traits and overwhelm or fatigue him.
Asgard is just the safer choice.
It’s all moot though. Even he doesn’t really know what his preferences are, so we are taking shots in the dark.
8 Likes
Hmmmmm I like this analysis. Edit: Also what @ProfFalkin just mentioned above. I would like others feedback upon it. I may just strictly purchase the headphone and test the amps before fully committing to the magnius.
Now I’m not sure which is the precise term, but do you believe the XLR output stage with magnius maybe far better with those style of headphones? Would the same issue persist?
Also, am I not able to control those factors with just merely lowering the volume. Not sure if the magnius has a gain switch, wouldn’t that create desirable change?
Even though I do not understand the terminology, I was planning on eventually purchasing an iFi purifier 3, which some reviews makes the sound softer. Just something else to consider or mention.
2 Likes
I believe you may have had too much to think. (Play on words there.) 
Magnius and Asgard sound different. They will both power your headphones to deafeningly loud levels, so choosing by power figures and connection type is… bluntly… a mistake.
If you’re going to do that, compare the Magnius directly to the Asgard. If you are going to their store, why not? Many of us have to buy sight unseen (or unheard) so take advantage of the opportunity to make an experienced decision.
You’ve read a lot about the chips, and are trying to make an informed decision. I get that. Consider this though - the chip itself is NOT solely responsible for the sound a DAC produces. Implementation is absolutely critical here.
My supporting evidence lies in two very popular DACs, the Yggdrasil and Modius. The original Yggy was a leaner and very clean sounding DAC. They redesigned the analog output boards to improve single ended performance, and to fine tune balanced, and this version of the DAC (commonly referred to as the Yggy A2) is a warm and more musical sound. The chip didn’t change. The design of the power supply is the same. The filter is the same. Only the analog output section changed, and they are now two very different sounding DACs.
The Modius uses two different OpAmps for it’s outputs - one type to drive single ended outs, and another type for balanced. The two outputs sound different.
Basically, this means you can’t just say “I want BB or ESS because I’ve read that one or the other has qualities I think I may want.” It just doesn’t work that way.
Don’t believe me? Demo a run of the mill ESS DAC and compare it to the Matrix X-Sabre Pro DAC that also uses ESS chips. I guarantee the Matrix will blow it out of the water. Same ESS chips, vastly different implementations.
I’m sorry the internet is full of crap. It makes things much harder than it should be. Bias, inexperience, and many other factors make audio forums, reddit, professional reviewers very unreliable sources for determining what will sound good to you. Inoculate yourself from misinformation by being a skeptic and let hands on experience be the judge and jury.
8 Likes
XLR outputs are imo a redundant complexity. There is no convincing practical advantage to balanced (XLR) output as far as I’ve been able to experience. And XLR4-terminated headphone cables aren’t cheap. It’s an expense that imo just doesn’t make sense. You’re not losing out on anything if you don’t have balanced outputs available.
Both the Magnius and Asgard 3 have a gain switch, and both will have more than enough power on tap to get your headphones as loud as you’d want them to get. There are less than a handful of headphones on the market where the Asgard 3 wouldn’t suffiice in power output, but for those where it’s lacking the Magnius won’t cut it either.
This is something I am very skeptical about. It may help reduce USB noise, but the Modius already has the premium treatment with Schiit’s Unison USB, which effectively accomplishes that task of noise reduction already. I’d say it’s highly unlikely that you’ll gain anything worthwhile from a purifier as such.
2 Likes
@HeadphoneNoob, in addition to all the great advice everyone is giving you, after you’ve listened in the Schiit store, buy a DAC and amp combo that you think you like (and don’t forget the cables) and take them home so that you can spend more time trying them out in your own system. Schiit offers a 15 day money back guarantee, so if it turns out you don’t like them, you can bring them back to the store.
6 Likes
@ProfFalkin I totally agree, I know I am running with many posts. I mentioned this above that I realized your lower portion dac explanation just yesterday. I believe what you are saying to the fullest.
I watched a video from PS Audio where the gentleman was asked this question and gave the exact explanation you say.
So unfortunately this just puts me back to square one.
And as mentioned above, I’m not knowledgeable to know what is the best output option from a DAC. You provided those details why to choose Schitt dac. I need more of that.
I was assuming, and anyone that may correct me if I’m wrong, I was thinking the Pro-ject S2 dac would have these problems figured out. However, the question which lingers as it is a pre amp and seems to be more for a speaker set up. Not even if certain if that plays a factor.
However I chose this prior to understanding what you said and learned yesterday.
1 Like