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I might be beating a dead horse here but I am planning on getting the D30 but I am torn on getting the Schiit Magni 3 or the A30. Does anyone have good insight on the sound quality difference between the two? I have HD6xx, AKG 7xx and a HE4xx as my selection of headphones.
Eli35
653
Mar 22, 2018
CamBE2010Don't have "good insight" but I've read some info about both and, according to my readings, Magni 3 is better. A30 is good, arguably better than Magni 2, but this new Magni 3 is so much powerful and nice sounding for this price that it's kinda hard to beat. Schiit made a huge step forward with this last iteration, according to most ppl. And I'm not any kind of fanboy, I own (and love) my Topping D30 and never heard a Schiit product by myself, but that's what I've read on the internet about these.
Both are great, you won't be dissapointed, but if I were you I'd look for the Magni 3. OR, if you're curious about the whole tube thing, maybe check the Little Dot I+: it's hybrid, so it won't be as "tubey" as a OTL, but you can drive almost anything with this and it sounds soooo good with better tubes and opamp. Tube rolling is cool too.
Brosefstalin42
260
Mar 22, 2018
Eli35I haven't auditioned the A30, but the Magni 3 will have plenty of clean power and about twice the output at 32 ohms so your efficient planar and the TH-X00s will eat up all that power. It's pretty silent between the D30 and Magni 3 just plugging in and turning up the amp until about 80% of full power.
A30 might have a different sound color, Magni 3 and D30 tend to be warmer/darker than most of the smaller/portable DAC/Amp combos (SMSL and XDuoo tend to run brighter to my ears) and the D30 tends to tame the slightly bright Jotunheim fairly well, at least single-ended into the Jotunheim. I've heard people prefer the A30 over the Magni 3 in terms of sound signature but that's up to your ears. Ultimately, your 600 ohm phones will hit clearer loudness with the Magni 3 compared to the A30 but that's just one part of the situation.
shimage
228
Mar 22, 2018
CamBE2010I have both. They sit next to each other under my monitor. Take the one that looks prettier. The main issue with the A30 is the output impedance, which is not terribly high (30 Ohm for 1/8" and 10 Ohm for 1/4"). The headphones that will likely have the most issues are multi-driver headphones (mostly IEMs) since the output impedance will mess with the crossover network and Focal's high-end offerings (particularly the Clears). The HD6XX and K7XX are high impedance (and reasonably efficient) and the HE4XX is planar, none will be affected by the output impedance. Your preference should be based on other considerations.
Sound quality-wise, it's hard to say which you would like better, since psychology plays a significant role in sighted listening impressions. They both measure very well, though power output on the magni is considerably higher. It is a bit of a moot point, since the A30 gets loud enough to melt your headphones/eardrums anyway. I like having a 0dB gain setting (the other two gains are comparable to the Magni's), and having both 1/4" and 1/8" jacks. The power level switch is an oddity, but I guess it's a demonstration that no one needs the amount of power these amps can provide. I like the way it looks better with the D30 stacked over the A30. Volume knob is nicer on the A30. Nonetheless, I use my Magni 3 much more because my daily driver is the Focal Clear. I use the A30 with my other headphones, though.
Brosefstalin42
260
Mar 22, 2018
shimageThose are the impedance of the outs, or are those the 8x guideline of the outs? Kinda strange IMO, typically high impedance on the outs means less efficient/cheaper opamp choices. I'm interested in getting the A30 and another D30 (I have yet to find a DAC I like better than the D30 in a reasonable price) stack since I already have a D30 and Magni 3/jotun stack since I like the D30 is a bit darker/warmer than other DACs and DAC/Amps I have/auditioned.
Eli35
653
Mar 23, 2018
Brosefstalin42You find the D30 dark? I'd say it's neutral, of course if you compare it to some cold ones it'll sound warm, but for me (and most people I've heard a word about this) it's "just right".
shimage
228
Mar 23, 2018
Brosefstalin42I gave the output impedance. The A30 uses the TPA6120 for output, which I don't think is the best choice for a headphone amp but it's ok. It does need around 10 Ohms on the output, though, for stability.
gluca
0
Oct 22, 2018
shimage@shimage I have Focal Clears and was tempted by the A30/D30 stack, until I noticed the relatively high Output Impedance of the A30. I know that on paper the Clears would like a lower output impedance, do you actually notice a significant difference driving the Clears with the Magni vs the A30?
shimage
228
Oct 23, 2018
glucaShort answer is that the 1/4" jack (10 Ohm) doesn't have an obvious effect (might be noticeable under careful inspection, but I can't hear anything casually), while the 1/8" (30 Ohm) jack pumps up the bass somewhat. I usually only use the Clears with the Magni partly because I don't want to worry about that part of it.
That said, I want to make it clear it's a pain to do careful comparisons between the A30 and anything else I own, because everything else has negligible output impedance (makes volume matching more difficult). I have heard a volume difference as small as 0.2dB and mistaken it for improved bass/clarity etc, and matching that well is basically impossible with my current setup. Also, I've lost my switch box, so I can't really do careful comparisons anyway, atm ...
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