Schiit Amp Compendium - Guide to Schiit Amps (headamps)

Hi gain Jot balanced out into HD650KM is the only way to fly on with that combo.
You must be in the camp that the Jot doesn't do the upper registers right for. Ain't no thing, just not the right amp for you. I think you're posts are well articulated, however I would not assume the Jot is THE statement about Schiit's SS lineup. I would think Ragnarok is probably their flagship at this point, although I have not heard it and would defer to those who can speak on it.

 

I think what you call "articulate" is what would probably most commonly be called "microdynamics" here. The Jot is quite good at detail retrieval and raw speed/transients. The microdynamics are quite good but I agree not the best. There is a solid state thickness in the mids which I think impedes them.

I agree with @Gaspasser, I would definitely use high gain (and balanced) with the HD650s on Jot. This improves microdynamics though as you imply at the expense of less smooth treble. (Though I never heard any noise with HD650s even on high gain and with the volume maxed).

If you want microdynamics and not very tubey and an unidentifiable "something", sounds like you should try the Valhalla 2. For tubes I like 6CG7 (super clean, more relaxed in the upper mids) and several others have said good things about Reflektor 6N23P (pretty clean for a 6922-family tube, more mid-forward).

 

@strangecargo I will second (or third) the fact that the Jot sounds best on high gain, at least from balanced output. This may be true for Schiit amps in general... not that I've tested it extensively. But it seems from the bits and pieces I've picked up, they were designed with the high gain mode as the baseline functionality. Someone can correct me if there are known exceptions to this.

 

I certainly seemed to enjoy the Jotunheim and Vali 2 more on high gain, unless using IEMs.

 

If I'm not mistaken, the Jotunheim has the lowest noise floor of any Schiit amp. Let me reiterate; Schiit is not for you. Time to move on.

I'm getting shades of @Shaffer here. You're not wrong, but you're going about things in a weird way.

 

The Jotunheim was listenable with the HD 650s despite its problems; the Element made every recording sound like Led Zeppelin.

 

what gear do you use friend?

 

Psalm is our resident goldilocks, such a sweet and sensitive flower <3

 

You have me picturing Goldilocks describing the first two bowls of porridge - @Psalmanazar style.

 

and a dc-1?

 

Maybe. The Ragnarok on good, super clean and filtered power is also great except for that tiny last bit of grit due to the CPU. Rag on old house or hotel power is a salt-shaker.

No. I use a Modi 2U fo headphones. DC-1 is a great deal but is still a well-implemented AD1955; I prefer AKM, Wolfson, and Cirrus chips to that as AD1955 DACs have a not particularly offensive but still there delta-sigma hash throughout the spectru, not just in the treble. unless you dial in the warmth and write heavy filters like Lavry does but then it feels unresolving compared to other brands, just like ESS Sabres filtered to get rid of the treble fuckery (it's well beyond DS Hash). The DC-1 is unmatched at its price point though as a speaker DAC; there's nothing really competitive I can name off the top of my head until you hit pro audio stuff over a thousand dollars and the Gungnir Multibit.

 

All this talk of preamping the Jot with a Schiit tube amp has me thinking that when mine arrives this week I am going to run it out of the Valhalla 2, just for kicks. It won't be a permanent thing but I would like to test the difference a Valhalla 2 makes to the overall delivery of the Jotunheim on both the HE-400S and the Eikon, once it finally arrives. Jotunheim + tube magic sounds like it could be seriously good schiit.

 

My Yggdrasil as source should be perfect, but what would you guys recommend with respect to a clean and filtered power supply for my Rag?

 

@atomicbob had suggested a Furman power conditioner in one of his System Synergy revisions. Seems to help with "venues with questionable power":
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...-synergy-special-sound.54/page-10#post-121316

 

Yep, on 240v (for which there seem to be fewer options) I'd say get a Furman AC-210. Reasonably cheap and does the job well. You can plug both Yggdrasil and Rag into it.

 

I use a Furman PL series rack mount conditioner in my setup and I have been very pleased with it. I think the 210 (for Euro) or 215 (for US) series is a great suggestion.

 

The Furman thingy looks awesome. Is there something similar that can handle more equipment, say for a rack that has headphone gear and 2 channel stuff on it? Maybe like 6 plugs instead of 2.