Note (please read): NITSCH x Schiit Magni Piety Headphone Amplifier will launch on Sunday, Nov 20th, at 9am PT. Amps sold on Apos are only rated for 120V, 60Hz. Due to the limited quantities, this product will be FINAL SALE and not returnable. If there is a unit with manufacturing defect, we'll facilitate an exchange within 7 days of the customer receiving the order. Orders placed on Nov 20th will start shipping on a rolling basing starting Nov 21st with completion date of Dec 5th. There is a limit of 1 unit per customer.

The Best Schiit You’ve Never Heard

Two years ago, Christian Tanimoto III listened to one of the best amps he’d ever heard. As the former Audiophile Senior Product Manager at Massdrop, Christian had heard a lot of incredible amps, but this one was different. For starters, it wasn’t sold in stores—it wasn’t slated to be sold at all. It was an experimental prototype for what eventually became the Schiit Magni 3. And he wasn’t listening to it in the carpeted hall of an audio convention but in a back office at Schiit HQ, where it had literally and figuratively been shelved. Its reliance on out-of-production transistors made it infeasible for Schiit to produce at scale. That might have been the end of the amp’s story, but when Christian left Massdrop and later started NITSCH—a new company centered on small-batch and rare gear—he knew this amp would make a great first launch. Read more here. 

Solid state practicality, tube-like sound

The Piety’s design is a new take on the Continuity circuit used in the Jotunheim 2. Its output stage features a massively paralleled transistor design (a lot of transistors in each amp) that results in triode-like measurements. In plain English, the Piety is half the size of a Jotunheim 2, uses smaller transistors, and was tweaked for a tube-like sound.

Measurements aren’t the whole story

In many ways, the Piety’s design is the opposite of the Magni Heresy (Piety vs Heresy, get it?). While the Heresy uses op-amps, the Piety uses discrete parts. While the Heresy aims for the lowest distortion of any Magni, the Piety embraces distortion characteristics, gain curves, and square waves that resemble tube amps. 

This is NITSCH Schiit

The Piety relies on out-of-production parts, making it impossible to mass-produce. NITSCH is making an initial run of 1,000 units; anything beyond that is unclear. There are talks of using similar yet alternative parts, but any changes to the Piety’s components may result in slight differences to its sound signature.

Why isn’t Schiit selling it?

Schiit needs to produce Magni models at a higher volume--an order of Magni-tude over the Piety’s limited run (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves). A limited run wasn’t feasible for Schiit, but they’ve given NITSCH the greenlight to assemble them and sell them alongside Apos. 

Product highlights

• A new variation of the Continuity™ circuit design
• Two-step gain switch
• Powder-coated steel chassis in unique NITSCH colorway
• Designed and hand-assembled in California
• Limited release

Specs

• Frequency response: 20Hz - 20kHz, ±0.6dB
• Maximum power
• 16Ω: 1.2W RMS per channel
  
• 32Ω: 1W RMS per channel
  
• 50Ω: 0.8W RMS per channel
  
• 300Ω: 400mW RMS per channel
  
• 600Ω: 200mW RMS per channel
• THD+N
• High gain: <0.013% at 1Vrms 32Ω
  
• Low gain: <0.009% at 1Vrms 32Ω
• IMD
• High gain: <0.0012% at 1Vrms 32Ω, CCIF
  
• Less gain: <0.001% at 1Vrms 32Ω, CCIF
• SNR
• High gain: >94dB, A-weighted, referenced to 1Vrms 
  
• Low gain: >104dB, A-weighted, referenced to 1Vrms
• Crosstalk: -90dB, 20Hz - 20kHz in either gain
• Output impedance: <0.6Ω at either gain
  
• Input impedance: 50kΩ
• Gain: 1.8x or 6.3x, selectable via rear switch
• Topology: fully discrete, massively paralleled transistors, new take on Continuity
• Protection: Standard failsafe DC power input and muting relay
• Power supply: “Wall wart”-style 14-16VAC transformer, 1A
• Power consumption: 6W
• Size: 5” W x 3.5” D x 1.25” H
• Weight: 1lb

What’s included

• 1 × NITSCH x Schiit Magni Piety
  
• 1 × Wall-Wart 14–16VAC, 1A
  
• 2 Year Manufacturer's Warranty