Schiit Jotunheim impressions

Jason, FWIW I am a diehard Valhalla 2/HD650 fanboi. That and the Saga are my favorite Schiit products. Just so it's clear I'm not on a Schiit hating crusade or have an agenda.

The balanced headphone cables are the stupidly priced official Sennheiser ones.

I was forced to use a DC offset power strip because it sounded like there was some serious ground loop hum plugged directly in an outlet or other multi-outlet strip. I could barely move the pot more than a dB without worrying the hum was going to explode tbe drivers. Strange as other Schiit amps never exhibited this problem before. This amp was given to me on loan, so not purchased directly from Schiit.

BTW I am of the opinion solid state or even tube-hybrid is total fail for Sennheisers. It's 100% tubes or nothing, which is why I love the Valhalla 2 with the HD650.

DAC was Convert-2. There is just the slightest bit of veil over the entire audio band. Yggdrasil is clearer in comparision, like that thin veil has been lifted. However hooked to the Jot, everything sounds very veiled. Yes, yes I am aware of the so called "Sennheiser veil" but all 3 of the Senns I own (HD800, HD600, HD650) were manufactured after 2015. I am not hearing the veil I do on the Jot compared to the Valhalla 2.

 

So the amp was probably broken (it should not hum), or there was some other gross problem causing the hum. Jotunheim is dead-silent, especially on the relatively inefficient Senns.

Either that, or they need to change my title to "Suck-Ass Designer, Cannot Be Trusted."

 

FWIW I owned the Jot for quite a while back in the day and thought it was great with my HD600. Gives the slow Senns a bit of speed and punch.

 

I admit a bias against solid state headphone amps in general. From what I've heard, they all sound musically unengaging and lifeless. But the Jotunheim was offensive.

The DC offset strip eliminated the hum completely. But yet it was awful anywhere else. Vidars, Mjo2, and even the wall wart Magni stuff never had this.

Who knows maybe the guy who loaned it tweaked something under the hood. I just found out recently a used component I purchased was modified by the original owner who did not mention this in the original for sale listing. I no longer can trust buying secondhand gear from audiophiles unless its on SBAF or folks I know. Too many damn tweakers.

EDIT: even with the DC strip, I can hear the noise floor when the pot is set at 12oclock, which is a normal listening volume for me.

 

Yeah, that's gotta be a busted amp. There is no way the Jot could ever be described as either noisy or veiled.

 

I owned Jotunheim for a few years and with hd650 it sounded very damn good. Incredibly detailed, clean and crisp. Granted I had a 1st gen Jot and I've heard they were brighter than new production.

 

I agree with you that the headstage is flat, but "veiled and hazy"? - rather the opposite (i.e. SS clear and incisive). I agree that bass is strong, perhaps even "emphasized", not sure about "warm" if you mean flabby. Given what you say about timbre, I can't help but think that something else in the chain is responsible for the overall character of what you heard...

 

Yeah there is like this thick grey cloudiness over the entire audio band. Like listening to music in a fog. Vallhalla 2 is much clearer in comparison, which is kinda bizarre cause it shouldn't be that way.

It is a bit flabbier and loose. Like if the bass is going to be emphasized, it needs to be tighter and more articulate. It's too overpresent. And I'm saying this with the HD600 which I find has a more linear bass than the HD650. I prefer the bass presentation from the Valhalla 2, as it's not distracting and the midrange comes forward a bit more.

This is what I adore about the Convert-2. It has excellent bass but not warm at all. So the warmth is definitely coming from the amp.

I dunno, the timbre from both my source and HD650s are good, or the least fucked. I still prefer R2R timbre with the Sennheisers. Everything just sounds so off, from guitars, to drums, to vocals. It's unnerving.

 

So it's not normal to hear the noise floor at around 12oclock on high gain? Come to think of it, the Magni 3 was the same way.

 

What you're saying is kind of weird, since the Vidar and Jot are VERY similar. The Jot to me has been one of the best sounding amps at its price.

 

But the Sennheisers with the Jot though? Or any solid state? I've come to the conclusion Senns just ain't good with solid state. Unless solid state speaker amps or something else are better. Even the hybrid stuff, while decent, still ain't as lively as a 100% tube amp.

I guess it depends what you prioritize. I can give up what Colt said about speed and punch, if it meant more of an emotional connection with the music. To be frank, I wouldn't mind so much of the cloudiness if it was a more engaging listen, but it just sounds flat and sterile.

Well with Vidar I found it to be flat in the midrange and treble also, but superb at handling bass. They were fine with the speakers and HE-6 when I had em. In the context of how exorbitant speaker amps can be, I can't complain.

But if I'm spending more than say $200 on a headphone amp, I'm going to be more critical. It's a good thing I have zero interest in owning a super pricey boutique headphone amp, cause I'll just focus on the niggles all day cause I'm super neurotic as it is.

 

@RobS, your observations are pretty unique so far

 

I would agree with you for most of the time, but I think there are some exceptions like the ECP 3F w/ HD650 and Black Widow w/ HD600. But yeah other than a couple exceptions, I prefer tubes with Sennheisers as well. You should really try the SW51+ if you're a fan of Valhalla 2. Tonal characteristic is pretty similar, but without the sandy/coarse treble issue. Bass is also fast and snappier on the SW51+, but don't expect Mjolnir 2 kind of slam. excellent macro and micro-dynamics all around for that "emotional connection" that you crave. It's probably my favorite amp in that price range.

In terms of Jotunheim pairing, It's been a while since I heard the Jotunheim + HD650, but I thought it had pretty good synergy. It was a bit forward and aggressive, but had decent clarity and excellent transients and dynamics. It's a really fun amp despite its flaws. I think I ultimately preferred the Valhalla 2 over the Jot as well because of the pancake flat stage.

 

anybody know where unity gain is on the jot? around noon?

 

Hey guys I’m looking at this used Jot and wondering if it’s the later revision that’s less incisive - I asked the seller if he knew the age and he didn’t (not the OG owner). Serial is in the pics - is there anyway to triangulate which version based on that (or anything else)?

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/det...unheim-balanced-headphone-amp/images/2886703/

 

When I reached out to Schiit about a year ago trying to figure out the same thing when buying a Jot they were unable to tell me, not even the approximate manufacture date. Maybe crowd sourcing some members serial numbers that are close to this one might be able to help figure it out though?

 

My old Jotunheim was purchased on launch day. I sold it to @wormcycle. Maybe he can post the serial #?

 

The serial# on mine is 1404031, and it was purchased from Schiit in September 2017. It is the only one I have heard, so I don't have a clue as to which "version" it is, or even if there are more than one. Hope it helps.

 

Does he remember when he bought it? If it's more than a couple years ago, you would know it's the older version.

 

My Jot is in Sarasota, FL, I am in Toronto, ON. I would love to go there, just to check the serial number, but not sure if this would be considered "essential travel".