NITSCH Sound Pietus Maximus Optimus Prime Review - The Touch

$500 (amp only, without DAC card)

 

Oh…that changes things.

 

FWIW, I also prefer the ESS card but had some difficulty powering it from my laptop (it has higher power reqs vs MB card). I've not seen other reports here so maybe I'm unlucky and my 3yo MacBook is showing early signs of senility. Ultimately, I decided that having an (IMO) inferior card was OK if it allowed the amp to be truly portable. As long as it sits on my desktop, I can use other sources superior to the cards. If I'm traveling, the quality of my DAC is the least of my concerns.

 

How's the volume range with the Grados?

I was about to order the Pietus Maximus but realised it delivers 4.2W @ 32 ohms and my Schiit Jotunheim 2, SE, delivers 2W @ 32 ohms and I'm maximum at 11 o'lock, low-gain, on the Jot2 with my GS3000x.

 

^Ah, the Low of the 3 Gain levels is actually negative gain...so you can use IEMs and Grados!

 

I can't speak for grados but I actually use s12 pro IEMs on medium gain on pi max sometimes if that helps.

 

Thanks a lot!

@CEE TEE Order placed

 

I am finding Grados sound the best on HIGH gain - better to my ears than mid and low gain. I always try to use the setting with the least amount of feedback (in a voltage feedback amp). IMO everyone should try to use high gain whenever possible on this amp.

HF2 and HP1000 are both very very good on this amp.

Focal Clear OG is very good
Focal Utopia 2020 is serviceable.

 

I am enjoying the Bokeh on high gain as well. The big pee pee definitely hits way above its cost. Utilizing it with the ess card, it has been burning in for about 36 hours. Very enjoyable sound and no tubes to replace!

 

I posted in this thread about 2 months ago asking for opinions on switching from my iHA-6 to Pietus for my ZMFs or if I should save up for DSHA-3FN. It seems that Pietus pairs well with Verite but maybe less so with Atticus since Atticus benefits more from high OI amps. Since then, I've gotten a Grado GH1 that I'm loving it so much that I'll most likely be selling my Atticus and just keeping Verite and GH1, so again it has me considering the Pietus as I think it might work better for those two headphones than the iHA-6. DSHA-3FN is probably off the table since I'm not sure I'll ever be comfortable spending more on an amp than either of my headphones.

I currently use a Soekris dac1421 and am curious if anyone uses that with the Pietus, and if so, how they find the synergy to be. I'm also looking at the Qutest as another priority for me is compactness and having an amp/DAC that's easy to pack up and transport. Since the ESS card apparently has great synergy with the Pietus, might that also be the case with the Qutest and its slightly sharper-than-R2R sound? For context, I had some issues with the treble splashiness of the Piety + MMB2 pairing I used to use, but I'm not all that upper mid and treble sensitive since I love the Grados. I just really dislike ringing and splashy treble.

It's hard to know though if the Pietus would scale enough to warrant getting a Qutest and if it would basically just be a sidegrade from the Soekris so any thoughts are much appreciated!

 

I’ve had the PM for a few days now and I’d like to share my thoughts after some critical listening tests and sighted level-matched comparisons.
I’d like to keep this comment short and concise so I won’t post my acoustic measurements — there’s nothing to see anyways, both amps create the same frequency response on my test IEM despite them having different output impedances.

Primary test equipment used:
-Pietus Maximus (obviously)
-SMSL HO200 Head Amp
-Gustard X16 DAC (ES9068AS)
-Thieaudio Hype 2 IEMs
-Clone IEC 711 IEM Coupler
-Hifiman HE6se V2
-HD 6XX

Let me start off by saying that I could really only hear a difference between these two amps when using IEMs due to background noise in my listening area. With that out of the way, my sighted listening tests were done by level matching the two amps to 85 +/-0.5 dB in the audible bandwidth using random pink noise generated in REW and measured with my clone coupler. I’ve completed what Harman considers to be their trained listener tests and I can also blind test absolute polarity (at least in the bass region where it’s audible) in case anyone is curious.

So, the verdict after doing quick sighted switching between the two amps is that:
1. The HO200 is a very good chip based amp
2. The PM sounds slightly more rounded in its transient attack and seems to have ever so slightly more sub-bass amount (when I mean slight I mean like how minuscule the difference is between correct vs inverted polarity).

My conclusion is that I like listening to the PM more than the HO200 due to the reduced sharpness in the transients, but at the same time, the HO200 has significantly more power on its balanced out which plays a factor when driving the HE6se. I think the PM is worth the extra cost even if I’m losing some of the I/O that the HO200 offers for less money. At the end of the day, the PM is just easier and less fatiguing to listen to.

Peace out

 

Speaking as a guy who hears DAC differences as being exaggerated some days and negligible on others (err within reason-- the treble on the Modi 3+ is just a wee bit too much for me now): critical listening is a pain in the bunghole and really it's more a matter of living with a system for a while that makes any differences really stand out to you. I also live in a fairly noisy spot and mainly use my HD600s, so a lot of the time I do end up taking a while to come to conclusions about things, haha.

Been hearing a lot of good things about SMSL lately, gotta admit that my curiosity's somewhat piqued. Similar voicing to the Maximus you say, just sharper in transients? Transients aside, any discernible difference in staging that you caught, maybe on your Sennheisers? Kinda curious if you've got other DACs to check out since some impressions of the thing seem to imply that it's not the best at throwing a stage out.

Curious what other IEMs you've tried to land on the Thieaudios? I don't think I've heard a multi-DD IEM yet, and while I keep telling myself I really ought stay well away from fancy ones cuz of my luck with them so far, but I gotta say that that's another thing I'm curious to demo if I ever cross paths with one.

 

I have noticed that the soundstage on the X16 sounds fairly tight and close to inside my head no matter what headphones I use. If I’m being honest, soundstage size with headphones or IEMs is rather low on my list of priorities. Tonal balance — specifically treble sharpness is much more objectionable for me. As for other dacs, I really only have a Qudelix 5K and a Fiio K11. So not really the best things to compare to.

I own quite a few other IEMs but all cheaper than the Hype 2. I’ve been using them almost daily since I got them last fall FWIW. I recently got the Truthear Nova and that is a very impressive set for the price. Not exactly the best mids or bass but not bad either, the standout feature is by far the treble smoothness and balance. It has better treble than the Hype 2 for almost half the price.

 

I had few weeks to compare Pietus Maximus amplifier against many of its contemporaries and past designs. The amplifiers in comparison were the Headamp Glite mk2 with golden reference PSU, Headamp GS-1 mk2 (essentially the single ended output of GSX mini), AMB M3, AMB Beta 22, Topping A90, Headamp GSX mk2, and a couple CFA3s. The dac used were either Emm Labs Dac2xV2, NewOntech Dac07 or Playback Designs Merlot. Cans used were mostly dynamics, such as Utopia, Clear, Grado HP2 (HP1000) and 800S.

The Headamp Glite and GS-1 models, known for their technical performance, exhibited greater transparency, soundstage, drive, and higher dynamics than the Pietus. However, they were perceived as slightly less refined and less smooth.

The AMB M3, particularly with discrete opamps from Staccato, aligns closely with Pietus in terms of naturalness, musicality, resolution, PRaT, and dynamics, making it the most comparable in sound profile and performance.

AMB's Beta 22, while offering a slightly less rich sound, advances in refinement and naturalness with a wider and deeper soundstage, alongside greater dynamic ease and drive. It's an overall better amp as it should be.

Compared to the Topping A90. (via listening notes when I had the unit on loan), the Pietus stands out for its overall naturalness, warmth, and PRaT, suggesting a more engaging listening experience.

Against the Headamp GSX mk2, the Pietus is noted for being slightly warmer and rounder sound signature, though it falls short in all other aspects.

In a direct comparison with the CFA3, the Pietus was found lacking in all areas. CFA3 was in a different plane of existence.

Despite this, the Pietus Maximus is a great amplifier and an exceptional value at $500.

 

Pietus vs Ragnarok 2?