Schiit Jotunheim 2

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by PacoTaco, Dec 22, 2020.

  1. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    Thanks again for your feedback. I don't like a thick and bassy sound signature, so maybe the SW51+ will give me exactly the sound I want with the VC and the Aeolus.
     
  2. HotRatSalad

    HotRatSalad Friend

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    I wouldn't call it thick and bassy honestly. It's more of that weight and density a good tube amp will give 300ohm headphones. I think a lot of the difference comes from output impedance also. For me the Sw51+ was a little light sounding even with Bifrost 2.
     
  3. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    Interesting. I just found a ZDT Jr (Revised version) for $430 CAD. I'm tempted to buy it while I'm waiting for the SW51+
     
  4. Erroneous

    Erroneous Friend

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    @YtseJammer If our preferences align at all (and I'm getting the sense that they do), you're going to prefer SW51 to Jot2 AND ZDT Jr for VC and also for Aeolus.
    Aeolus already has its own thing going on. The cleaner, blacker the amp is, the more you let Aeolus do what it does best. Too much coloration clouds the romance.
    I found the same thing with VC. Get everything out of the way and let it do its thing.
    ZDT Jr and also Jot2 (and I am sure this will be an unpopular opinion) both have too much coloration to do either headphone justice.
    But that's just, like, my opinion, man.
     
  5. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    I'm sure the SW51 will be a great match with the Verite Closed, but I'm trying to find a short term solution while I'm waiting for the delivery of the SW51. Even if the LP is a very good match with the Aeolus, it's not a good amp for the VC.
     
  6. HotRatSalad

    HotRatSalad Friend

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    I think ZDT Jr might be bad idea then. SW51+ is probably better with more headphones. I feel they are similar though.I just love the ZDT and Aeolus pairing personally. I swap with Jot 2 and they compliment each other nicely. Don't know about VC only Blackwood Aeolus which I don't like as much with LP so maybe our tastes don't align. For me Jot 2 is as good or better with Aeolus compared to LP.
     
  7. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    Thanks again for your feedback. I have decided to scratch the ZDT Jr from my list because I read that the Verite Closed tends to expose the noise floor in the ZDT Jr (even with the fix). The VC are probably more sensitive than the Aeolus.
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    LOLOLOLOLOL.
     
  9. Erroneous

    Erroneous Friend

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    @YtseJammer I was going to send you a link to a Geshelli Erish that is for sale (not mine) that should be a good stop-gap for you until SW51 arrives, but it appears that I'm unable to initiate a conversation with you, so yeah.
     
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  10. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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    Thanks for the recommendation ;)

    I don't know what happened with my profile, I cannot like any posts anymore as well.
     
  11. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Apologies if this is common knowledge or already covered, but to get the benefits of Jot's balanced output, do I have to use the balanced input? I'd like to add a Loki+ (pretty sure the Lokius Maximus or whatever will be out of the range I want to spend on EQ) to the mix, but it is obviously single ended.
     
  12. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    AFAIK it shouldn’t be an issue on the input.
     
  13. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

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    No you don't. Nexus gain can do an equal job for both by design, and my experience (for both J2 and Freya S) has also been in line with the theory.
     
  14. joseG86

    joseG86 New

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    Proud owner of Valhalla 2 and Jotunheim 2 paired with Bifrost 2 and with less than 5 months in this hi-fi world that I already love very much.

    I come from the measurements "scam" "hoax" AKA "THX AAA Topping Dengxiaofingchan AAA 12B9 X69 type vomit" I had the D90/A90 and couldn't listen music with that setup more than 1 hour without getting extremely bored and emotionless, so I sold them because I knew something was wrong with that shit and I found Schiit.

    Bought the Valhalla 2 for only 275$ almost brand new and paired it with a Gustard X16 and a couple 6CG7 tubes really enjoyed the forward, detailed and agressive sound but I ended up prefering original tubes: More organic, natural sounding, more airy, bigger soundstage, maybe little less detail but way more pleasant/rich less fatiguing for longer listening sessions.

    I found that I had a problem with DS DACs (D90-X16): Female singers, specially Sopranos. It was very annoying but I used to hear a metallic-like wet tube sound added to the edges of their long notes. I fixed this problem when I bought the Bifrost 2 and I am not coming back to DS ever again.

    After reading for endless hours everyday I knew I wanted to keep getting Schiit stuff, so far I loved what I had from them so I easily decided to get the Jotunheim 2 and this is my opinion of it.

    Jotunheim 2 with Focal Clear and Hifiman Arya / Both EQed and only Tidal and FLACS, no MP3s or Youtube. Forza Audioworks Hybrid Noir XLR cable //// Coming from A90, Loxjie P20 and Topping A30 with Burson V6 Vivid

    XLR: Instantly felt blown away (specially the 1st hour) by its agressive slam, very punchy and alive I couldn't stop listening to all my favorite songs again, I really enjoyed every minute of it.

    Low frequencies were superb to my taste as a basshead myself, I wasn't missing anything. Stronger than A90

    Mids and Highs: Once I fixed the problem with Sopranos and the metallic voice thanks to the Bifrost 2 I was happy enough with treble already. No brightness at all, evething tamed and right. Never fatigued out of any long listening session so far.

    Soundstage pretty decent, airy, nice instrument separation, easy to pinpoint them in space, harder to pinpoint when the song is very complex. I usually use a few DSP toys like Dolby Surround to increase the soundstage and make it more holographic/3D if you will. And it is totally worth it and addictive. Can almost feel in front of the bands, orchestras etc...

    With SE I got the same feeling as described above but in a different way, SE is like giving the amp a little dose of Diazepam.
    Laid back, sweet, relaxed, more natural I might add, slightly different presentation, close to Valhalla 2.

    Overall: Jotunheim 2 is worthy, cheap, good sounding piece of Schiit, I can only recommend it.

    Additional notes: I am very happy with Schiit gear so far, I have all I want for almost $1300 plus 5 years warranty and the possibility to upgrade. I'm never coming back to shity-godlike measurements devices and never ever again going to trust Youtubers getting paid to make you buy lifeless soulless stuff. Just trust my ears and senses.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 22, 2021
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I'm sorry. We tried to warn folks about ASR, but ASR is simply too powerful. Think of ASR as the audio equivalent of the insiders on Reddit who ran up Gamestop. This is the reality of today.

    FWIW, there is a lot of good stuff out there, not just Schiit.
     
  16. jaker782

    jaker782 Friend

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    First off, I'd like to thank SBAF for graciously permitting me access to the Jot 2 loaner tour. I really appreciate it!

    Set-up: Modius DAC (SE) -> Jot 2 / Feliks Echo / Asgard 3 -> Sapele Aeolus (Universe Perf. Suede)

    I don't have a whole lot to contribute as far as the general tonality that hasn't already been said, but just to reiterate, I would describe the Jot 2 as being primarily neutral, with some warmth and musicality thrown in that is anchored by a tastefully elevated low end. In fact, to me, the bass response is the star of the show here as it is powerful, tight, and can really slam when called upon. Little to no bleed into the mids either, as they remain clear and well fleshed out. Highs have decent extension and some zing to them without crossing the fatigue threshold. I hear the staging as being on the intimate side, with vocals and instruments close, but remaining well separated with very good imaging. My only real criticism is that I do detect some slight congestion at times with busier passages on certain recordings. To give a better idea of where the Jot 2 stands, I have compared it to a Feliks Echo and Asgard 3 listening exclusively with my Aeolus.

    Feliks Echo:
    The Jot 2 balanced output was used for this comparison. The most apparent difference between these two amps has to do with the stage and low end. In my experience, tubes amps generally cast a larger soundstage than SS amps, and this is no exception. While the Echo's stage is noticeably grander, it has a much more diffuse sound, accompanied by a looser, more wooly bass that the more precise notes and tighter, punchier, more slamming bass of the Jot 2. Speaking of the low end, I would say the Jot 2 has more sub-bass while the Echo exhibits a bit more mid-bass focus that results in a more full-bodied midrange than what I hear from the Jot. The more intimate presentation of the Jot places vocals a bit more forward and right in front you, while the Echo places vocals a bit farther away with less precision. The Jot does have a blacker background with a more dynamic sound as notes seem to pop out with better clarity than the more laid back presentation of the Echo, Jot is definitely the more energetic amp, which I could definitely see as being slightly problematic with brighter headphones, at least for me. With the Aeolus, I feel the more neutral, dynamic, and energetic sound of the Jot provides better synergy with the warmth of this headphone.

    Asgard 3:
    In comparison to the Jot 2's balanced output, A3 exhibits a warmer tone, is smoother and more laid back than the more neutral, dynamic sounding Jot. A3 is overall bassier, but the quality of the low end is, in my opinion, far inferior to the slam and low end impact the Jot 2 dishes out effortlessly. In comparison, I find the A3 bass to be a bit muddier and softer with more bloat. So yeah, A3 has more bass quantity, but Jot 2 wins the quality competition. Similar to the Echo comparison, I feel the Jot 2 has a much blacker background, with a more 3D presentation and better imaging than the A3, which in direct comparison I hear as having a slightly grayer background with a more diffuse, 2D presentation. In addition, the superior imaging, dynamics, and instrument separation gives the impression of a larger stage than what you get with the A3.

    Switching to the SE output, the above impressions still hold true, but to a lesser degree as I feel the tonality of the Jot actually shifts closer to that of the A3, becoming a tad warmer, slightly less dynamic and more laid back. Initially, I thought it was a night and day difference due to the gain being a bit higher from the balanced out, but once I did my best to volume mach the SE and BAL outputs, these difference became much more subtle, but are still there. This really is a great feature, as I can see the SE output actually being preferred for brighter, more unforgiving headphones and when you just want a more relaxed, laid back listen.

    Overall, I feel the Jot 2 really is an outstanding amp for the price of admission and a great choice for anyone looking for a powerful, solid performing SS amp with a bit of warmth, slam, and musicality thrown in that should play well with most headphones.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 23, 2021
  17. Poimandres

    Poimandres Acquaintance

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    Has anyone had an opportunity to compare the original R2R module with the revised one?
     
  18. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Title: Good, but Still Congested

    HP's: HD600, HD650, T50 - Argon, AH-D2000
    Source: Theta DS Pro Basic II

    The Good:
    I will start with the good. It is a very capabple SS amp with plenty of power and details. The FR is not all out of whack and somewhat neutral. It is super dynamic and just slams, especially with lower impedance headphones. Top end is not glary or spiky, just more flat when it comes to macrodynamics in the top end. It has a kicking low end, but as you near the top of the spectrum, it has a tendency to flatten out at the top.

    Gain was good, volume was good. I really cannot get past noon on just about any of my headphones. Maybe on the T50's I was pushing 2 or 3 o'clock, but that was PUMPING loud. To reach the same volume on my Gilmore clone, it was at max volume. Plenty, plenty, plenty o-headroom.

    The Not So Great:
    It does need a bit of warmup time. This is odd for a SS amp, but cold start can sound like the low end is somewhat missing and dynamics are not there. After a few hours it settles in. My Dynalo settles in about 5-10 minutes, sames as my Liquid Carbon, so not sure why such the long time. So leave it on 24/7 if you want the best sound. Note: I did not have it long enough and there was too much stuff going on in my house to have a real scientific approach to this.

    The next thing I mentioned in the title, the congestedness. This goes along with what I stated about the macrodynamics. It kind of does that thing where in really complicated passages, it starts to narrow the soundstage and everything gets super close - everything sounds flat. Several times I would go back to the Gilmore clone and it was like stepping into a big room or that feeling when you get off the plane after being cramped in one seat for awhile. Sure the Gilmore is more colored, but I will take that character for the space between instruments and all that depth and sheer effortless slam and microdynamics.

    It also had this tendency to sound muted. Now I have heard my Theta DAC on a variety of amps, and never would I call it muted. Somehow, the Jot 2 seemed to take some of that space and plankton and whatevers away. Once again, I would go back and play the same passage and it was like going from cassette to CD - maybe not quite that bad, but I cannot say I could leave it connected all day. Once I plugged in my other amps, I did not want to go back to the Jot 2.

    Other thoughts:
    Now granted, the Gilmore Lite MKII is a similar amp to my Gilmore, which is $499 vs the Jot 2 at $399. Also, I have a custom linear power supply, which probably push the cost of my amp to maybe a few hundo over the $499 price. However, compared to the Liquid Carbon, which is the Carbon X version, the Carbon X might have sounded with less slam and more open sound and also some glare. It is not my go-to amp for my Sennheisers, but for the T50 it has at least the power to drive them well. Sennhisers tend to sound too peaky and fatiguing on the Carbon X, but they did not on the Jot 2. And on the Argon moded T50's, things things were similar - although this time the muted sounds were more prevalent on the Jot 2 as the Liquid Carbon X can just pull more out of those in-between spaces and just sound more wide open.

    On my easy to drive Denon AH-D2000's, the Jot 2 could slam them into oblivion. It could really get the bass pumping even moreso than the Dynalo. They were actually suprisingly nice, until I go back and listen at low volumes and low gain, and there are the flat dynamics and congested sound again.

    Is it a good sounding SS amp? Sure
    Is it the best SS can do? Don't think so
    Is it better than Magni 3 or Asgard 3? I have heard Magni 3 and I would say yes. I think synergy would play into Asgard 3 or Jot 2 and if you need the power and balanced and all of that.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021
  19. jaker782

    jaker782 Friend

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    ^This.

    The congestion is by far my biggest point of criticism with this amp. If they were able to somehow increase the staging and reduce the perceived congestion, the Jot 2 would be a killer amp!

    Overall, though, this is a great amp for the price of admission considering its versatility, agreeable tonality, and addictive slam!
     
  20. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Were these impressions all balanced?
     

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