Schiit Jotunheim impressions

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

  1. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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    @Shutterbox. sorry for confusing post, what I meant was:

    1) I need a new balanced preamp(headphone amp is not a necessity) to hook up to my Yggdrasil. It's either Jotun or something else.

    2) Holy trinity was meant to be a separate question.


    another note: Amazon is having $100 off HD650 now.
     
  2. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    Adorama had them for $284 just last week!
     
  3. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    Sennheiser HD6X0 prices fluctuate more than Index Funds.
     
  4. bclark8923

    bclark8923 New

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    Ah so I already own the Bifrost 4490 and have for awhile, was thinking of stacking or selling it and then buying a diff separate DAC later
     
  5. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Sell the Bifrost, buy a Momby and a Joti. Or get a Joti with the internal DAC and save up for a Gungnir Multibit.
     
  6. Pyruvate

    Pyruvate Friend

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    Sold my Bifrost 4490 a couple weeks ago and got a Modi Multibit instead. Best decision ever.
     
  7. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    I'm using a split USB extension cable to supply power and transmit data separately. That's how you can get GOv2 to work with a battery.
     
  8. Shutterbox

    Shutterbox New

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    I'm hoping that if Schiit is going to come up with a new balanced preamp, it will have multiple SE/Balanced I/Os to feed stereo power amps and headphone amp.
    That will give lots of flexibility in terms of connection options.
     
  9. Huxleigh

    Huxleigh Almost "Made"

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    Or! Upgrade the BF4490 to a Bifrost Multibit for the same price as a Moby, and then buy a Joti. Makes a neater stack, I think, and the cash outlay is the same. Plus you get an (arguably) better DAC. ;)

    Though saving up for the Gungnir Multibit is without question the wisest move to make in the long run, provided that you can a) see yourself shelling out that much for a DAC in the future and b) don't find its form factor obtrusive. If neither of those potential obstacles concern you, then the Joti's internal 4490 DAC should serve as an excellent stopgap while you muster the requisite funds. I rather doubt that it's any worse than the BF4490, which you've presumably enjoyed up till now. I know I did. :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2016
  10. Shutterbox

    Shutterbox New

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    For a desktop setup with Schiit stuff, I'd think Bifrost Multibit is probably the one that gives the best sound and yet physically compact enough to be placed on compact bookshelves/deskspace.

    I'm trying out my Bifrost Multibit and Modi Multibit driving Vali2.
    For the initial 20hrs of listening, Bifrost Multibit is that one that gives the better listening experience.
     
  11. Huxleigh

    Huxleigh Almost "Made"

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    @Shutterbox: Out of the box, I preferred the Moby to the Bifrost Multibit by a decent margin. But that changed over time, eventually reversing. Could be you're ahead of the curve! I agree that the Bifrost Multibit packs the most punch without losing the "convenience" factor. I intend to hang on to mine for a while, and that's a big reason why.
     
  12. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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    It will also be interesting to see if schiit can shoehorn a balanced multibit into a Jotun-sized chassis ;)
     
  13. Huxleigh

    Huxleigh Almost "Made"

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    Inevitably, they will. But everyone should understand that it's not going to happen tomorrow. Or even probably the day after. :p
     
  14. Shutterbox

    Shutterbox New

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    Right now, Modi Multibit + Vali2+ATH-M40X goes to my office desktop setup
    At home, its Bifrost Multibit + XXX + Fidelio X2/ YYY stays with my home workstation, where XXX~Jonti and YYY~SennHD600.

    No decrapifiers nor usb/spdif for the time being until I understand more of what the main equipment sound signature is like.
     
  15. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    I might have been hallucinating to justify my purchase of the Bifrost 4490 but I swear Marvey hinted that a rev 2 multibit board would be out sometime within a year. Or at least that is how I interpreted it. I dont ever see Gungnir Multibit in a desktop system for myself so Im still hoping that a new Bifrost Multibit can get me great multibit (ie noticeably better than Modi Multibit) and allow me to have a nice neat stack to satisfy my OCD.
     
  16. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Reading Marv's easter eggs / hints is like reading tea leaves isn't it. I don't remember that particular hint, but I haven't been following the convo that closely. On one hand, it has to be upgraded right, eventually. Its an up-gradable dac, better chips / better implementation will come out some day. But one can not wait forever.

    I remember after the socal crew had a meet (in december?), schiit showed up with reDACted^3, and the standard rec on mid tier dacs was to wait a bit for modi mb to come out, hopefully soon. Well, obviously it didn't come out for another quarter or two.

    Thinking about it, what really makes the schiits dacs (jotunheim, bifrost and up) so valuable is their ability to be upgraded and not be left behind (not that theta dacs have suffered this fate, just check Ebay).
     
  17. Neal

    Neal Facebook Friend

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    @fraggler I'm in the same boat as you. I'm really hoping Schiit offers a Bifrost Multibit rev 2 with balanced out to stack with Jotunheim. But I'm not sure that would even be possible without completely tossing the current bifrost chassis. Oh well, just have to wait and see.
     
  18. Dr. Higgs

    Dr. Higgs Boson - Member

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    Well, I'm no engineer, but based on the success of the miniaturized multibit platform in Modi Multibit so far they've probably picked up some new tricks to cram more DAC horsepower into the Bifrost Multibit chassis. Even if they just have dual Modi Multibit boards with an improved power supply, improved USB input, and balanced outputs it would easily be worth the premium over the Modi Multibit for me at around $600.
     
  19. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

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    Maybe we should make a thread and archive all of the hints that Marv has dropped us over the years.
     
  20. moosecraft

    moosecraft New

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    The thought of an upgraded Bifrost Multibit is what has been keeping me from upgrading my uberfrost so I would certainly not mind it with balanced outs to match the Jotunheim which I am certainly buying st this point.
     

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