Schiit Mjolnir 3 Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by ColtMrFire, Aug 18, 2023.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yeah. Also the HD600s in the past half decade or so don't seem to have the Sennheiser veil. It's like Sennheiser secretly fixed it.
     
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  2. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Bit off topic but yeah modern ones are a fair lot leaner. Not actually my preference, there's some weirdness in the mid-treble now which hurts on top of the reduced lower mid warmth, but yeah I'm only going off two samples from a few years apart (listened to them with the same pads and grilles so...eh).

    Was chatting with someone else on a mics Discord server recently about how, while the relative differences between the HD600 and HD650 seem fairly constant when comparing within the same "generation", there seems to have been some overall variability across time, enough so that some HD650s might sound like some HD600s and vise-versa.

    This is all anecdotal and I'm doubtful that this was all done with the same pads necessarily, which WILL impact sound a bunch, but eh.
     
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  3. roshambo123

    roshambo123 Friend

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    The Romanian HD6XX's sound different than Irish 6XX's which largely sound like the OG Irish spackle gray 650's. Not sure exactly where things diverge but agree that there some loss of warmth and also some of the magic. For my 2c the Irish 6XX was the ideal compromise.
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Pads.
     
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  5. Simple Tim

    Simple Tim New

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    This past spring I finally bought the Sony OLED I'd been wanting for a long time. After a couple months I sold it. Not because I needed the money, or because it wasn't as good as expected, but because no matter where I put it, it felt too prominent in my (small) space, and its prominence was out of proportion to it's priority in my life. Its spatial prominence felt like a misrepresentation of its prominence in my affections.

    I feel like the pursuit of the "end-game" system is similar. What constitutes a balanced and appropriate end-game for one person may be a gross over-reach for another. Not based merely on how easily the person can afford it, but also in terms of how accurately it represents the prominence of music in their life and their heart. I think a person who finds immense joy in music (and associated gears) could find themselves at peace with a massive investment of time and money on behalf of assembling their ideal system (whatever that means to them). Another person who also loves music, but finds it lower on their list of affections, might find a similar purchase to be an over-reach, and consequently to produce some degree of existential angst, even if it doesn't stretch their budget to the same degree.

    Whether the pursuit of the perfect system requires too much of our budget or too much of our heart and mind, I feel like "end-game" is achieved when the quality and synergy of the gear has reached the point where it accurately reflects the prominence of the audiophile endeavor in our lives.
     
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  6. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    I'll have more thoughts about this amp as I enjoy the loaner over the week.

    Another of the biggest takeaways so far is that I find this amp surprisingly easy to "switch" with... meaning, I can be reading/typing something, involved in another activity and am not "annoyed" or feel like I am being "pulled" into the music and away from the task at hand.... it just lets me do what I'm doing without being intrusive. On the other hand, when I just listen to music it is still totally emotionally involving. I have never owned an amp that is able to pull this off. Usually very resolving/engaging amps force me to pay attention to them and makes it hard to do anything else. MJ3 does this weird magic trick when it can be simultaneously laidback/non intrusive and extremely engaging/emotionally involving, allowing you to seamlessly switch back and forth at will between these two states.

    And there is definitely some magic synergy going on with HD600/MJ3/BF2.
     
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  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    upload_2023-11-20_22-39-20.png
     
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    Last edited: Nov 21, 2023
  8. roshambo123

    roshambo123 Friend

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    No matter how attractive the gear there's some guy who is sick of its shit.

    Most of us stop dating different audio gear and marry when the effort required to trade up exceeds our laziness.

    Sometimes we just want different.

    You can't put a price tag on having your end-game, but if you could, I'd wait for it to go on sale.
     
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  9. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Another MJ3-ism is it does a very good job of isolating each part of the soundstage in terms of rhythm/pace/dynamics... each element on the stage feeling distinct and separate with a life of its own. A singer in the center of the stage could be a little more "aggressive" than the guitarist in the back right corner who's a slightly more relaxed and vice versa. Multiply this for classical with its myriad of different musicians on the stage. Other amps sometimes have a tendency to "blur" the propulsion levels of these elements into one mushy sameness. Alot if it is microdynamics I suppose. You can really feel the energy levels of each separate element as more distinct from one another on the MJ3.
     
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  10. Johnny the Nose

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    I agree that the engagement factor with MJ3 is super high - while I don’t get totally intoxicated, I do get completely absorbed in the music while also being able to listen more casually. I did order a Caldera and that may possibly take over for me on this amp, but I will always go back to 6xx on MJ3 for a superbly balanced and cohesive dynamic headphone presentation.

    6xx + A2 + MJ3 also sounds about right to me with any kind of music, even rock music, which I find challenging to get the right synergy sometimes. It does not require the most detail but necessary to have top-notch clarity, separation, and the right tonality and timbre. MJ3 + 6xx + A2 has a for-the-price exceptional ability to separate each component of rock music while sounding just right. (I don’t listen to metal, though.)
     
  11. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Same, which I mentioned above.

    I also find myself listening to alot more live performances with this amp (currently listening to The Smiths "Rank" live in London in '86), because it gives this spooky sense of reality.... well, maybe 95% spook factor, as I've heard other (tube) amps that have a bit more of the spooky-real quality because good tubes do that, but MJ3 gets close enough. With the MJ3 it's more about the unique balance of every element (laid back but explosive when necessary, large roomy stage with rock solid imaging/sense of 3d space, the microdynamic thing, gobs of resolution to round it all out) leading to this satisfying sense of being there and just chillin'. Alot of amps make live performances exhausting to endure.
     
  12. artur9

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    I only want to listen to live performances (fav, Mutter The Club Album) as studio music sounds really fake.
     
  13. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    I could walk away with the MJ3, Spring3 and HD800-JAR and call it good.
    Not going to give up Studio B though.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    LOL. I've never seen you so excited about a piece of audio gear. Everyone is talking about it with me, enjoying seeing your enthusiasm.

    Maybe it's the low price? Or maybe it's like a film from one of great directors who knows who to keep things real, not be overly pretentious or artsy-fartsy. I know you've heard all the good shit. Maybe it just ticks all the boxes for you.
     
  15. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Something special about this one for sure.

    But it really comes down to this... I really like highlighting good work when I see it, because of constantly swimming in a sea of incompetence and mediocrity at every turn (and people actually being rewarded for it) has really soured me on alot of this world. And good stuff desperately needs to be promoted to rise above all the crap. You have to shout to compensate.
     
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  16. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Switching back to the SW51 for a bit after being exclusively MJ3 listening since I got the amp, some very noticeable things pop out....

    First off 51 is way less accurate in terms of imagining and stage solidity... MJ3 gives you this rock solid firm foundational sense of the stage, where everything is located in relation to everything else... it gets you so much closer to the feeling of hearing the real event and being there at the performance. 51 sounds alot more "blurry" in direct comparison. But the 51 makes up for this deficiency with a more emotional presentation, where performers and instruments take on another dimension, probably more of a tube vs SS thing, though MJ3 is one of the least SS sounding amps I've heard in terms of the negatives. The 51 is less technical with its method of "getting you there".... preferring to focus on the emotional content of the notes to do this rather than spatial reality. It's a weird contrast. It's like the 51 gets you there, but does it with bad prescription glasses. I am tempted to say it captures "emotion" better but that's just tube distortion... MJ3 is much better at capturing overall timbre, with the 51 being a little more indistinct here. Again, nothing is "missing" with the MJ3, only lacking tube presence, though it can't be penalized for being a fundamentally different amp (SS). Stage on 51 has decent depth, but is alot more in your face and borderline claustrophobic at times in direct comparison.
     
  17. rfernand

    rfernand Almost "Made"

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    I've realized something subjectively awesome. Not everybody understands what has been lost with the "new school" remasters that have plagued us since the 2000s - loudness, loss of dynamic range, you name it.

    Well guess what. Mjolnir 3 may be the best tool to experience the difference (requires volume matching and patience). But the super clean presentation across the board really helps appreciate the extra headroom of how CDs used to be mixed back when MTV played music videos.

    Suggested A/B if you have access: the late 90s Atlantic CDs for Phil Collins' catalog vs the 2016 remasters. Which one is best? You decide. But it's super obvious to discern the tradeoffs now, with a humble pair of HD600...
     
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  18. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    TL;DR
    Mjolnir 3 a TOTL SS amp, kicks ass.

    audio chain: macMini M2 HQPlayer sending DSD256 USB to Spring3KTE, SE out to MJ3, XLR out to Oor + Hypsos.
    Meze Elite with balanced Forza Audioworks Noir Hybrid HPC cable.
    All switches down on the MJ3 for these listening sessions, gotta keep it somewhat simple with too many SS amps on hand at the moment.

    Note: this loaner MJ3’s XLR headphone jack alignment is slightly askew from the hole in the front case. XLR plugs in fine, just isn’t perfectly centered.

    There’s not a lot I can add to the awesomeness of impressions already stated here by many. Yet want to especially agree with the comments from @earnmyturns about the “room size” delivered by these amps, as he’s had both amps longer.

    Usually I hunt for a more spatially open (with air) presence, and Oor does provide a smidge more spacing, with 1-2 steps back from the stage. The MJ3 presentation is closer, but NOT closed in, NOT right at your nose and doesn’t feel small either. Within this space, one hears superb harmonics and dynamics that pop with crystal clarity.

    The MJ3 has an ability to still “sound big” despite a slightly smaller room feel. This may be due to the MJ3 maintaining an improved sub-bass grip and wide bass layer with Elite. It’s immersive without being overbearing, and sets a great foundation for the rest of music to easily float on top.

    Primarily it’s the precision and clarity of electric guitars that has sucked me into MJ3! Compared to Oor the MJ3 dials up more contrast (if you will), a super in-focus delineation of instruments.
    the drums and guitars in “You On The Run” by Black Angels has always brought a physical and emotional engagement at live gigs, and the MJ3 elicits that emotional feeling. It’s like the MJ3 is operating with an uber laser scalpel for ultimate precision slicing and dicing, guitars have BITE and crunch of a live gig just brimming with energy, shimmer, decay and vibration.

    That’s it actually - texture.
    MJ3 creates that crazy spooky realism of acoustic guitars, like feeling the harmonics of individual strings, yet melding together effortlessly. Same goes for the vibrations from piano hammers, elements of the drum kit, etc.
    Those “little somethings” you might hear in the background, or in a left or right channel now have actual “details” popping out amongst other layers.

    All this might lead to thinking the Oor isn’t as detailed or as powerful, but those would be false statements. The detail is there from the Oor, but just doesn’t jump out as always obvious. Oor has more power and refining qualities that might make it a better match for Susvara, but neither of those traits seem as necessary with Meze Elite.

    Having kept the Oor even after trading Susvara for Meze Elite, on most tracks my ears are now preferring the raw energy “bite” of the MJ3 over the refined and smoother energy from the Oor.
    This is a matter of synergy with Meze Elite and personal preference, it is not an overreaching claim that either amp is superior in all ways.

    Thanks to Jason / Schiit and SBAF for this amazing MJ3 loaner tour!
    fun to have jaw dropping moments in audio these days.
    I’m now going to listen to Bardo Pond for 5 hours and revel in guitars exploding into the airwaves.
     
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  19. ckhirnigs

    ckhirnigs Friend

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    Not sure how much difference you will notice, but I would definitely recommend trying the XLR inputs of the MJ3. Balanced in and out is the best option with this amp. I also use the Meze Elite with my MJ3 and, like you, find the combo really special. I have personally found myself preferring Push-Pull over SE Class A with the Elite. I’d give that a try too to see what you think.
     
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  20. Joshvar

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    I got an audition since @ColtMrFire (thanks buddy) is local - prior posters have done a thorough job describing what it sounds like so I don't really have room to add much. So, since this place is ostensibly about music, I'll go with "if Schiit was turning albums from my late teens/early twenties into amplifiers" - that would go a little something like this (in order of me hearing them):

    Mjolnir 2 -> The Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole
    Jotunheim -> Slipknot, Slipknot
    Jotunheim 2 -> Tool, Lateralus
    Lyr+ -> Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News
    Piety -> Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Left of Cool
    Mjolnir 3 -> Alice in Chains, Unplugged

    As I said in a For Sale post, it motivated me to finally start getting rid of things to make room for one. It's a winner.
     
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