Schiit Forkbeard vs Magnetar Media Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Schiit Forkbeard
Control multiple Schiit audio devices from a single app. Manage volume, input, output, and monitor system health without needing individual remotes. Enjoy unique features like Visual Volume for enhanced control.
- Unified remote control for multiple Schiit devices
- Volume, input, and output control
- System health reporting
- Visual Volume™ feature
- No pairing or account creation required
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Forkbeard replaces an entire rack of Schiit remotes with unified control on your iPhone or iPad. Multiple products and multiple systems are easily accommodated. There’s no pairing and no account creation—just add your Forkbeard-enabled products and you’re ready to go. Forkbeard Functionality: - Complete remote control, including volume, input select, output mode, mute, sample rate* - System health reporting, including output power, temperature, current, tube heater integrity* - Unique inter-product functions like Visual Volume™, instant headroom visualization *Functions vary by product Current Forkbeard-Enabled Products DAC - Yggdrasil - Mimir Balanced DAC and Digital Preamp - Gungnir 2 Multiform™ DAC - Mesh Card Preamps - Saga 2 Preamp - Kara F Nexus™ Preamp - Freya+ F Tube Preamp - Freya 2 Fusion™ Tube or Solid State Preamp Power Amps - Gjallarhorn F Compact Continuity™ S Speaker Amp - Vidar 2F Power Amp - Aegir 2F Continuity™+Halo™ Power Amp - Wotan Nexus™ Power Amp - Tyr F Nexus™ and Continuity™ choke-input monoblock amplifier - Kraken™ 5-Channel Power Amp Headphone Amps - Lyr 5 EQ - Loki Max F Phono Preamps - Skoll F Phono Preamp - Stjarna Phono Preamp Fun Stuff - Eitr 2 Forkbeard is patent-pending.
Magnetar Media Control
Control your Magnetar Blu-ray player remotely and browse media files from various sources. Enjoy seamless playback of music, videos, and pictures from USB devices and network shares.
- Remote control for Magnetar Blu-ray players
- Browse media from USB and network shares
- Play music, videos, and pictures
- Media file indexing and searching
- Playback control with repeat/shuffle
- View currently playing media information
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Magnetar Media Control allows you to control your Magnetar Blu-ray player in a whole new way. Simply connect the player to the same network as your mobile device, and your mobile device can completely replace the traditional remote control. It can also act as a media file browser, helping you browse and play music, videos, and pictures from your local USB devices and data discs, allowing you to enjoy the fun of movies and music at your fingertips, effortlessly and unprecedentedly. [Function Features] 1. Full support for media files on mobile devices, USB devices, DLNA servers, and SMB home sharing, enabling quick indexing and searching for the media files you want to enjoy. 2. Easier control of media file playback, including repeat/shuffle and other playback settings. 3. Access the currently playing screen to view information about the current media file. 4. Built-in virtual remote control interface that fully replaces the physical remote control, and can even be used together with the remote control without interference, working seamlessly together. [Cautions] 1. Your Magnetar Blu-ray player must be updated to a supported firmware version in order to use this app. Please visit the Magnetar Blu-ray official website to obtain the latest firmware version. 2. If you encounter any problems while using the MediaControl App, please send your feedback to our user support email: chenh@magnetar-audio.com [Supported Models] UDP800,UDP900 [Supported Firmware Versions] V836 and newer versions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Schiit Forkbeard at 71% against Magnetar Media Control's 0%. Schiit Forkbeard also leads on rating (4.3 vs 1.5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Magnetar Media Control's advantage is iOS requirement (14 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Schiit Forkbeard holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Schiit Forkbeard has 18 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Schiit Forkbeard's written reviews are positive against 0% of Magnetar Media Control's.
Schiit Forkbeard ships an update monthly, Magnetar Media Control every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Schiit Forkbeard | Magnetar Media Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (18 ratings) — better | 1.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 18 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Schiit Audio | Magnetar Technology Shenzhen Co.,LTD |
Customer experience
Schiit Forkbeard
Magnetar Media Control
In-app purchases
Schiit Forkbeard
No in-app purchases
Magnetar Media Control
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Schiit Forkbeard free?
Is Magnetar Media Control free?
Which has better reviews, Schiit Forkbeard or Magnetar Media Control?
Do Schiit Forkbeard or Magnetar Media Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, Schiit Forkbeard or Magnetar Media Control?
Other comparisons
