Schiit Jotunheim impressions

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Bill-P, Aug 30, 2016.

  1. MikeW

    MikeW Shitbag

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    Probably not without moving to a switching power supply though. As schiit's product's have quite abit of power supply built into their main pcb. But they did this with Modi 3 so who knows.
     
  2. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    They have been working on a proprietary low cost USB interface for quite some time that doesn't use an off-the-shelf USB chip.

    Now getting close, mentioned at 24:00

     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2018
  3. psuKinger

    psuKinger Facebook Friend

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    Excellent input and appreciate the note about the Gen5 USB. My primary use-case (for headphones) is via USB.

    The Bifrost Multibit is, I feel like, a bit of a stretch of my budget from where I would like to land... the $400 Bifrost, on its on, doesn't scare me off as much.

    I have concerns about stacking the Modi Multibit with the Jot from an Aesthetics standpoint. That may sound stupid, and I really do care about sound quality (if I didn't I wouldn't be here), but I just think a Bifrost would make for a cleaner look (and improve my WAF) if I went that direction...
     
  4. MikeW

    MikeW Shitbag

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    Be warned many here don’t like bifrost, apparently it’s a big secret, if you dig around enough you’ll find most agree the modi sounds better. Make sure your ok with that before choosing bifrost.
     
  5. Pillars

    Pillars Embarrassment to Colorado crew

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    Those comments were made some time ago. Who knows if revisions were made but I rather enjoyed my newer Bifrost Multibit. You may hunt around for a newer one to come up used. $400 may snag you one that was sold with a Gen 5 module. Or, you could always wait a bit to see what they've got around the corner.
     
  6. MikeW

    MikeW Shitbag

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    Waiting for a newer bifrost makes little sense.. buy used and upgrade later for 250 or buy later for 600 price is about the same. I personally would not pay new price for current bifrost. That’s a real losing proposition, as they are liable to release a rather overdue upgrade anyday
     
  7. Pillars

    Pillars Embarrassment to Colorado crew

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    Though it's pure speculation at this point but in the past a new Bifrost has been hinted. At $600 though I'd recommend saving extra money for a Gungnir Multibit used. I miss the fleshy bass that monster puts out. Anyways, I hope psu gets something useful from all this ranting.

    Additionally, I'll recommend the SMSL SU-8 V2 on MD as an alternative. Though not so known/popular around here it is balanced, has XLR and SE out that work at the same time (great for hooking to amp and monitors at the same time) plus a remote. The SQ is fantastic for the price point. If you do more than just music it's quite superior to most when it comes to positioning and has a wide sound with the price of sounding a bit thinner. When I compared it to the Schiit DACs I heard more intimacy from Schiit which I felt was warmer/thicker and really enjoyable so if mostly music is your use - I'd stick with Schiit.
     
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2018
  8. MikeW

    MikeW Shitbag

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    For all we know Bifrost Multibit 2 will be nipping at the heals of Gungnir Multibit (here's hoping) as modi is to bifrost now. That's why it's a bit hard to recommend a new Bifrost, you could buy it now for 600, and have to pay 250$ 2 months from now for the upgrade. The product is pretty far along in it's life cycle.

    The SMSL recommendation is cool, does anyone know more about SMSL and Topping? were did these guys come from?
    If I were not buying schiit i'd be real tempted to take a look at Massdrop Airist Audio R-2R.. looks interesting, but I don't know much about it.
     
  9. Dzerh

    Dzerh Friend

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    it is not about sound, it is about value, price/performance. For me it doesn't make sense to buy Bifrost - buy Modi or Gungnir.
     
  10. MikeW

    MikeW Shitbag

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    Yeah, I agree, that's why I'd only buy bifrost used, currently. A used Gen5 bifrost is cheaper then a new Modi Multibit + Eitr, and only slightly more expensive then a used Eitr/Modi, of course if your using SPDIF, the ultimate value is a used Modi Multibit with no Eitr. USB is required for my setup though.
     
  11. HouseOfTheEd

    HouseOfTheEd Friend

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    Finally took the plunge and got a used Jotunheim to go with my Modi Multibit and Sennheister HD-6XX. Balanced cable is ordered as well. I'm looking forward to trying everything out for a few weeks and figuring out whether or not I want to look into Eitr.
     
  12. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    For me, the Eitr > Modi Multibit > jot > hd600 is a fantastic combo - tons of power and I prefer the tonality to the HD650. The Jot, of course, is a bright amp (this is especially noticeable with the th-x00), but with the HD600 I find the Jot to have good synergy. For me, the Eitr adds easily audible benefits.

    A great example is a track called Try and You Try by Cleo Sol. it's mastered with a deep bass line, has tons of female vocal harmonies, and lots of background / distant sounds. Without the Eitr many of these are a bit distant or you don't hear / remember them, but with the Eitr this track comes alive and I'm immediately aware of all of them.

    Another example is Homesick by Kings of Convenience - the acoustic guitar and male vocal harmonies are so much more clear with the Eitr ... there's kind of a volume balance thing that happens that's immediately noticeable.

    An old school example is Tryin' Times by Roberta Flack with the drums brushes and other "accessory" percussion sounds - just more even / clear with the Eitr.

    All of this is just my 2 cents, plus I should note that live in a major downtown condo with lots of EMI / RF - note sure if that affects things, but has required a few other workarounds.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2018
  13. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    I don't know the amp, but if it's bright, with HD 600 makes sense.
     
  14. HouseOfTheEd

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    Received the Jotunheim today, and used it all day at work using the optical out from my Macbook Pro to Modi Multibit.

    I'd had this fear that I wouldn't really be able to tell the difference sound-wise after dropping this much money, but that faded away rapidly the more I listened. The whole setup sounds really good, and I'm definitely glad I eventually took the plunge. Hope my balanced cable shows up soon!

    I had to bring it all home for the weekend. :)
     
  15. psuKinger

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    [/QUOTE]

    Wanted to briefly circle back to this to again thank @Taverius and then (briefly) share my experience, as a big part of the reason why I went with the Jot was to keep my options open with regard to eventually trying out Balanced XLR output over single-ended. Over the holiday break I ended up getting periapt balanced XLR "Pro" cables for both my HD-6XX and my LCD-2C, for use with my Jot.

    To my surprise, I haven't (yet) noticed *much* of a difference/improvement on my LCD-2C's, other than the fact that my volume pot now runs lower than it did on single-ended. Prior to receiving them, this is the set that I thought the balanced cables would benefit the most (other than just volume) .

    On the other hand, I feel like these periapt XLR's have *really* added something substantial and easily discernible/definable to my HD-6XX's. There is a clear/definite addition to the low-end bass presence that I was not getting via the single-ended connection on my Jot. There's more meat on the bones, particularly for music that has more of a bass presence... and the vocal/mid-range clarity I loved on the single-ended connection appears to be retained. A very nice upgrade, that I feel was a bargain at the price I paid for the cable. Very cool. Still having a lot of fun with my Jot.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2019
  16. klyrish

    klyrish Facebook Friend

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    Thanks for sharing this! I've got Modi Multibit and am currently running it through a Loki into Vali 2 out to my HD6XXs and am going to be getting a Jotenheim in the next few weeks. I want to get a balanced cable as well and have been eyeing the Black Dragon V2 but am curious about the balanced cable you bought given how pricey the Black Dragon V2 is after configuring it for this setup.

    I want to believe the hype about that cable but part of me just can't and balks at the idea of spending almost as much on the cable as I am on the amp, but the little info/reviews I can find on it give high praise in most cases so I'll probably ultimately get one unless there's something cheaper that's also great.
     
  17. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    My recommendation is to forget the fancy cables, get a stock hd650 cable (which is much nicer than hd6xx cable) a 4 pin xlr from neutrik, and either solder it yourself or get someone to solder it for you. I've done it many times.
     
  18. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    I have a Black Dragon and while its a very good cable it's not worth the price (and to be honest no cable is worth 500 euros). You better use that money for something else so "move along, nothing to see here".
     
  19. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    Don't bother with the Black Dragon, costs way too much for what it does as well as its convenience. I prefer the Fanmusic C6 (https://www.amazon.com/Fanmusic-Oxygen-free-copper-Headphone-Upgraded/dp/B0744C1YKB?th=1) since it's got great flexibility, nice connectors and is lightweight. Even though I'm a bit of a cable skeptic, I along with @Joshvar and @ColtMrFire thought it sounded better than the stock 650 and a re-terminated 600 cable.
     
  20. klyrish

    klyrish Facebook Friend

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    Thanks for the input, all. I'll go with that Fanmusic cable to start and in the event I find myself with far too much money and nothing else to spend it on in the distant future, I'll look into the Black or Silver Dragon cables.
     

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