**Industrial Design: A Clean and Utilitarian Steel Box with a Curved Front**

The Magni amplifier has an industrial design that is both clean and utilitarian, with a steel box shape that exudes simplicity and functionality. The front of the unit features a curved surface with ventilation holes applied as needed to provide adequate airflow. While some may find this design unexciting, it is a clear indication that the focus is on the amplifier's performance rather than its aesthetic appeal.

**Comparison to Other Products**

When comparing the Magni amplifier to other products in its class, such as the Objective 2 and Odac combo unit from Mayflower Electronics, the results are impressive. Both units have similar specifications, but when put through a series of tests with various headphones and audio equipment, it becomes clear that they both sound great. The author was unable to detect any significant differences between the two units, and even threw everything from HD 600 headphones to gaming headsets at them to test their limits.

**Features and Performance**

One of the standout features of the Magni amplifier is its driverless operation on a PC, making it easy to integrate with various audio equipment. It also has low output impedance, making it suitable for use with both high-end headphones and in-ear monitors (IEMs). The O2 standalone unit can be powered by 9-volt batteries, but this comes at the cost of increased price. Additionally, the O2 has a gain switch that allows users to toggle between quieter and louder output levels.

**Trade-Offs and Value**

Both units have some trade-offs when it comes to features and design. The Magni amplifier is designed for value, with a lower price point than the Objective 2 unit. However, this also means that it may not offer all of the features that users want. In contrast, the Mayflower Electronics products are more expensive but offer a higher level of performance and features.

**The Company's Approach to Marketing**

One aspect of the Magni amplifier that sets it apart from other products in its class is the company's approach to marketing. The product page for the Magni amplifier states that "it may be the only amp you'll ever need," a straightforward and honest approach that avoids unnecessary hype or jargon. Similarly, the Mayflower Electronics products are marketed as tube amplifiers, but with a focus on simplicity and practicality rather than philosophical grandstanding.

**Customer Service**

Finally, the author praises the customer service provided by the company behind the Magni amplifier. When they reached out to the company about an issue with their HD 280S headphones, they were promptly replied to and offered assistance. The author was impressed by the company's willingness to help and its emphasis on providing a good user experience.

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, the Magni amplifier is a solid product that offers great performance at a lower price point than many of its competitors. While it may not offer all of the features that users want, it strikes a balance between value and performance. The company's approach to marketing and customer service is also noteworthy for its honesty and practicality. Overall, this author highly recommends the Magni amplifier to anyone looking for a reliable and affordable audio amplifier.

**Recommendation**

If you're in the market for a new audio amplifier and are looking for a solid value option, the Magni amplifier is definitely worth considering. Its industrial design may not be to everyone's taste, but its performance and features make it a great choice for anyone looking for a reliable and affordable solution. Additionally, the company's approach to marketing and customer service sets it apart from many of its competitors.

**Support**

If you have any questions or feedback about this product or would like to discuss your own experiences with audio equipment, please leave a comment in the linus tech tips forum linked in the video description. We also appreciate any constructive criticism or suggestions for future videos. Additionally, if you'd like to support our channel and help us continue to create high-quality content, consider subscribing, donating a monthly contribution, or purchasing random junk on Amazon through our affiliate link.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe cooler master glacier 240l cpu cooler delivers the convenience of an all-in-one and the performance of a custom water cooler click now to learn more dear support is your company's name really pronounced is there a backstory or was it just because it was funny i got a reply from audio co-founder jason stoddard personally who happens to be in the process of chronicling their journey as a tiny startup over on headphy which i'll link in the video description if you're interested and he took a moment to share a very relatable moment with me where early in the process of product development on the asgard his wife got so tired of hearing him say no i can't do that i have to do that one day she said why don't you just call the new company since that's what you're always doing and that's the back story as a fellow small startup i definitely loved my wife definitely didn't anyway from a grab your attention standpoint i can see why they did it it makes you go did i just read that and the slogans that they can make up to market their amp and dac products which range from hundred dollars each all the way up to units that are highly upgradable and cost 750 dollars each are pretty much endless all right so with that out of the way what do i actually think of their entry level amp and dac offering the industrial design is something that you're going to love or hate it's a clean and utilitarian steel box with a curved front and some ventilation holes applied as needed if i had to complain i guess i wish that they stacked a little more gracefully rather than just having one sit on top of the other with little rubber feet on the bottom but the subdued white led illumination that they've got is a nice touch the units each come packed in environmentally responsible boxes that are pretty much all cardboard that include just rubber feet a little pamphlet and in the case of the magne and ac power adapter that's it i would have liked a usb cable with the modi and maybe a short rca cable with the magni but i understand that to hit these prices with almost all manufacturing including the pcb and production in the us they needed to keep costs down besides while i don't care many audio snobs will prefer to buy their own fancy cables anyway so when it came to listening tests the main competitor i compared to was an objective 2 and odac combo unit from mayflower electronics a more compact but slightly more expensive solution to the combined stack on paper their specs are i mean pretty similar at least they look like it to me and while i threw pretty much everything in my arsenal at them from my hd 600s which i happen to have handy right here all the way down to random gaming headphones and my ie80 in-ears when i was done there wasn't much to say they both sound great to me so great that i just couldn't tell the difference with my wife switching them back and forth on me while i wasn't looking i don't have any orthodynamic headphones yet so i wasn't really pushing either of them to their limits and my conclusion is just going to have to come down to features both solutions are entirely driverless on your pc and tick all the right boxes in terms of specs with their low output impedance making them suitable for everything from very difficult to drive 300 plus ohm headphones down to iems the o2 standalone can be run off of 9 volt batteries but is more expensive than the magni the o2 has a gain switch to toggle between quieter and louder output while basically says i don't know use pc volume control or exercise caution with the volume dial when you use your iems the wall wart for the price equivalent o2 from mayflower at least plugs into the front of the unit which is kind of unsightly but uses an unusual ac wall warts so it actually goes from 120 volt to 16 volt ac so you can't easily replace it so they both kind of have some trade-offs with the only simple solution to get more features or not deal with the trade-offs being pay more this is a value solution that sounds great let's love it for what it is and quit complaining all right i get that speaking of paying more i really like the style of the guys they've got expensive stuff but with all the usual nonsense in the audio world they take a surprisingly down to earth no approach to their marketing for example right on the hundred dollar magnes product page it says it may be the only amp you'll ever need and their 350 valhalla tube amp product page doesn't wax philosophical about the superiority of tubes it just says and i'm paraphrasing a bit here it's a tube amp if you like tubes you might like this and if you don't like it then you can swap the tubes out for something else enjoy love it love that approach another thing i liked about them is something i usually can't test but i bought the stack so i was just another customer to them i emailed in about an issue with my hd 280s that was causing some interference in the left channel whenever i adjusted volume on the magni they promptly replied and offered to cover shipping for me to send the unit back gave me some sensible troubleshooting steps and explained that some headphones can act as an rf antenna in certain cases it was isolated to my hd 280s out of 10 plus pairs and only while turning the volume knob so i didn't bother exchanging it overall solid product solid folks over there making it and highly recommended if you like their particular flavor of trade-offs versus the objective 2 and odac guys like and share this video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it and leave a comment on the linus tech tips forum linked in the video description if you want to discuss this product or you have any constructive criticism for me and my team also linked in the video description is our support link with options to buy t-shirts give us a monthly contribution so we can keep making these videos or give us a kickback whenever you buy random junk on amazon check it out if you enjoy our videos it helps us out a whole bunch and as always guys thank you for watching and don't forget to subscribethe cooler master glacier 240l cpu cooler delivers the convenience of an all-in-one and the performance of a custom water cooler click now to learn more dear support is your company's name really pronounced is there a backstory or was it just because it was funny i got a reply from audio co-founder jason stoddard personally who happens to be in the process of chronicling their journey as a tiny startup over on headphy which i'll link in the video description if you're interested and he took a moment to share a very relatable moment with me where early in the process of product development on the asgard his wife got so tired of hearing him say no i can't do that i have to do that one day she said why don't you just call the new company since that's what you're always doing and that's the back story as a fellow small startup i definitely loved my wife definitely didn't anyway from a grab your attention standpoint i can see why they did it it makes you go did i just read that and the slogans that they can make up to market their amp and dac products which range from hundred dollars each all the way up to units that are highly upgradable and cost 750 dollars each are pretty much endless all right so with that out of the way what do i actually think of their entry level amp and dac offering the industrial design is something that you're going to love or hate it's a clean and utilitarian steel box with a curved front and some ventilation holes applied as needed if i had to complain i guess i wish that they stacked a little more gracefully rather than just having one sit on top of the other with little rubber feet on the bottom but the subdued white led illumination that they've got is a nice touch the units each come packed in environmentally responsible boxes that are pretty much all cardboard that include just rubber feet a little pamphlet and in the case of the magne and ac power adapter that's it i would have liked a usb cable with the modi and maybe a short rca cable with the magni but i understand that to hit these prices with almost all manufacturing including the pcb and production in the us they needed to keep costs down besides while i don't care many audio snobs will prefer to buy their own fancy cables anyway so when it came to listening tests the main competitor i compared to was an objective 2 and odac combo unit from mayflower electronics a more compact but slightly more expensive solution to the combined stack on paper their specs are i mean pretty similar at least they look like it to me and while i threw pretty much everything in my arsenal at them from my hd 600s which i happen to have handy right here all the way down to random gaming headphones and my ie80 in-ears when i was done there wasn't much to say they both sound great to me so great that i just couldn't tell the difference with my wife switching them back and forth on me while i wasn't looking i don't have any orthodynamic headphones yet so i wasn't really pushing either of them to their limits and my conclusion is just going to have to come down to features both solutions are entirely driverless on your pc and tick all the right boxes in terms of specs with their low output impedance making them suitable for everything from very difficult to drive 300 plus ohm headphones down to iems the o2 standalone can be run off of 9 volt batteries but is more expensive than the magni the o2 has a gain switch to toggle between quieter and louder output while basically says i don't know use pc volume control or exercise caution with the volume dial when you use your iems the wall wart for the price equivalent o2 from mayflower at least plugs into the front of the unit which is kind of unsightly but uses an unusual ac wall warts so it actually goes from 120 volt to 16 volt ac so you can't easily replace it so they both kind of have some trade-offs with the only simple solution to get more features or not deal with the trade-offs being pay more this is a value solution that sounds great let's love it for what it is and quit complaining all right i get that speaking of paying more i really like the style of the guys they've got expensive stuff but with all the usual nonsense in the audio world they take a surprisingly down to earth no approach to their marketing for example right on the hundred dollar magnes product page it says it may be the only amp you'll ever need and their 350 valhalla tube amp product page doesn't wax philosophical about the superiority of tubes it just says and i'm paraphrasing a bit here it's a tube amp if you like tubes you might like this and if you don't like it then you can swap the tubes out for something else enjoy love it love that approach another thing i liked about them is something i usually can't test but i bought the stack so i was just another customer to them i emailed in about an issue with my hd 280s that was causing some interference in the left channel whenever i adjusted volume on the magni they promptly replied and offered to cover shipping for me to send the unit back gave me some sensible troubleshooting steps and explained that some headphones can act as an rf antenna in certain cases it was isolated to my hd 280s out of 10 plus pairs and only while turning the volume knob so i didn't bother exchanging it overall solid product solid folks over there making it and highly recommended if you like their particular flavor of trade-offs versus the objective 2 and odac guys like and share this video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it and leave a comment on the linus tech tips forum linked in the video description if you want to discuss this product or you have any constructive criticism for me and my team also linked in the video description is our support link with options to buy t-shirts give us a monthly contribution so we can keep making these videos or give us a kickback whenever you buy random junk on amazon check it out if you enjoy our videos it helps us out a whole bunch and as always guys thank you for watching and don't forget to subscribe\n"