Schiit Jotunheim 2

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

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I feel they are all close enough with different strengths that it will be matter of what you want and what you can't live without, and also component synergies which can swing it any direction.

    This is more of battle vs. tubes vs hybrid vs balanced-solid state, all very well implemented. Would be interesting to line these up and do a contrast and compare.

    If it were up to me personally, I would build around Jot 2. However much I like the Lyr 3 and the 6SN7 tube, the balanced output of the Jot 2 gives it an advantage in some technicalities. The SW51+ tends to be a one trick-pony in that it only works well with high-impedance dynamic headphones. If one knew they would be using strictly an HD6xx or Focal, the things could swing into the SW51+ favor. There's nothing like all tubes.

    I tend to separate all tube designs from all solid-state designs when I consider gear and do not like the cross compare.
     
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2021
  2. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Well I actually only have one full size headphone and it's an HD580, but the SW51+ is going into my office/secondary system which is all SE anyway, no need for balanced. My main system is anchored around a Gungnir A1 and I currently have the Liquid Platinum in there for all my balanced goodness, so for me the real competition would be LP versus Jot 2 because both amps are balanced and can drive a multitude of different cans/types of drivers. Jot would definitely be better for IEMs though. I do almost no tube rolling so the Jot having a fixed sound wouldn't be a knock against it either.
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    4-pin balanced M XLR to 4.4mm TRS balanced ordered.
     
  4. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    I have a 4-pin 3.5 TRRS cable and a 3.5 TRRS to 4-pin XLR adapter. I can try.

    Found it!
    Jot 2 does hiss at low gain with OG Solaris. It's not super loud but clearly audible.
    In high gain, it is loud and very distracting even when things are playing loud.

    Note that I'm particularly sensitive to hiss. I've always heard hiss in the ZX2 + Andomeda, when some people seem to say there is none...

    To me high gain is where it's at with Schiit amplifiers, so I would use a IEMatch regardless.
     
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2021
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The office in Burbank for my work closed with no perma replacement slated. Not that it matters for me.
     
  6. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    You be surprised how good SW51+ with stock tubes. The only IEM that I have even a faint of hum is the Gaudio Nair. If I feel like getting rid of that noise I just use the IEMatch.
     
  7. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I've read the soundstage is shallow/flat (as-if it is just a Schiit thing) - does this have validity or is it more of a source revelation thing? My SFD-1 should have the ability to give some depth assistance, but I worry it won't shine through Shiit gear. I really didn't like Jot 1 off Yggdrasil with headphones known for already being lacking in "soundstage" size. The SFD-1 -> T3 has what I consider just fine soundstage with the Focal Clear, but I have heard them less 3-D and more of matter-of-fact there in your face (like watching a flat panel tv)
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It's on the shallower end, like all Schiit gear, but not as flat as Jot 1 which can be too close for comfort. The Jot 1's lacking microdynamics contributed to this sense of flatness. The SFD-1 should help. I was able to eeck out a headstage in front of my eyeballs, not very far in front, but at least it's not inside my head if you know what I mean. The stage is quite wide though. High gain has slightly more expansive headstage. The headstage reminds me of the T3. Wider than deeper, not super deep, but at least in front of my eyeballs and not inside my head.
     
  9. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    just to clarify this is with balanced output? Because Jason specifically said it wouldn’t hiss with balanced outs.

    kind of a relief if it does hiss. Last thing I need is to buy this.
     
  10. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    Thank you for your help. I'm going to try tube rolling the T3 and see if there is any magic with the Clear in there. The current tubes (CV4024 I believe) are really close to not having enough headroom for me. I think I'm at a great listening volume, but at the same time I might need a little extra if my material is truly more dynamic. Most the shit I listen to is all or nothing for dynamics for the most part. Some producers know how to get nuance in there. (Mainly listen to electronic music - somehow calms my brain)
     
  11. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    That is what I hear as well, for what it's worth.

    (Have Jot1 sitting under Jot2 if that matters.)
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    A lot of this is from memory (most of my stuff is still in the Pod) so sometimes I think I'm making it up :D
     
  13. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    It has some of the better Schiit staging I've heard. It's no zds tho.
     
  14. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    This is sort of an aside, but from a technical standpoint I've always been curious why the Schiit gear that I've experienced has always tended more 2d than 3d, compared to other gear. What's the majiks in the design that gets gear to pop into 3d? component matching between channels? I mean, I know we're comparing topologies more than anything, but within a topology, I'd be interested to know if Schiit has fooled around with trying to address this specific attribute of their house sound. I'd love to read Jason's input, too, if indeed Jot2 does break out of the Schiit house 2D soundstaging. NB, I've got Jot2 on order, and I'll be comparing directly to Asgard3.
     
  15. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Yes, balanced output :)

    The OG Solaris is the most sensitive IEM I have owned (or know - I don't really know the IEM scene :p)
    The 2020 Solaris is less efficient, but I suspect I would still hear the hiss at low gain.
     
  16. futbutts

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    Sounds like Schiit is having some issues meeting demand or something... I placed my order back on the 21st for Schiitr pickup and it's still not ready. @Elnrik getting a defective unit makes me wonder if they've caught a production issue and are fixing it en masse before more units get sent out... which happened with the BF2 release, if I'm not mistaken.

    I popped in anyway to grab a Modi 3+ and took another brief listen to Jot 2 and still dig it. The slam via balanced is just enchanting... but I wonder if it'll prove to be 'too much of a good thing' with more aggressive music, or over time. I'm excited to hear it with my BF MB. I'd love for some extra magical interaction to happen, though I'm not getting my hopes up as I suspect the BF1's relatively clinical presentation might not play nice with Jot 2's impactfulness.

    Does that guy mention his source anywhere? I couldn't find mention of it and I think that's an important consideration as well. I really was not super impressed by the Jot 2 w/ MB module, it maintained the Jot 2 slam but was kind of harsh- or chaotic-sounding. It reminded me basically of the same etchiness that's always turned me off the Modi MB revision I remember hearing.

    But as far as the Jot 2 being 'bright', I definitely didn't detect that in my listening either, at least using my definition of bright. However I do think I might detect a bit of the upper-mid shoutiness that, until recently, kinda seemed to be the Schiit house sound, and I wonder if that's what some might hear as 'bright'. The Asgard 2, for example, despite being an overall warm amp, still somehow managed to be fatiguing in my opinion, and my feelings on the Jot 1 (rev 2) were pretty similar. In fact, part of the reason I bought the Asgard 3 with no hesitation was it being the first Schiit amp I'd heard with none of that shout... the Vali 2+ being the second. Even the Lyr 3 has a smidge of it to my ear and, albeit based on fairly brief listening sessions, I think Lyr 3 and Jot 2 might be bunkmates in that regard.
     
  17. PacoTaco

    PacoTaco Friend

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    The Macrodynamics seem to be a weakness for all SS amps that are under the BHA-1/BlackWidow 2. As long as the Dynamics aren't as flat as the A-cup the THX amps strut around, it'll be just fine.
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It's all relative. The guy compared to a Burson Soloist. Everything sounds bright compared to that.

    Even Jot 1 had better macrodynamics against the THX stuff. Jot 2 seems on par with BHA-1/BW in this respect.
     
  19. Raimei Templar

    Raimei Templar Friend

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    What DAC do they use with Jot 2 there? I have a feeling based on the initial impressions that Jot 2 with Modius XLR would probably be subbasshead nirvana!
     
  20. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    They use a built-in DAC module. Pretty sure it's multi-bit.
     

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