WTB/Interest check: Mjolnir 1

So yeah, I'd be curious to buy a Mjolnir 1 and see how that performs in my chain. Honestly looking for the Mjolnir 1 because I think it'd look prettier on my desk than a Jot. My interest here depends on the all-in price vs a used Jotunheim.

I'd also need to snag a balanced cable for my Elears as well, or at least an XLR -> SE converter. It'd be nice if I could buy a Mj1 and a cable from the same seller, but I'm open to offers here separately too.

BIG caveat here being I'd prefer the Mjo1 to be shipping from within Canada. Border tax on sales is hell here. Even if Schiit stuff should be NAFTA exempt, it gets messy quite quickly when it's a resale. Buying stuff from over the border generally incurs an extra $50+ cost to me immediately, and with something the size of the Mjolnir it could total to over $100 quite quickly.

edit: Away between Aug 12th and 22nd. I may not have WiFi, but feel free to leave me an inbox message and I'll try to respond promptly as possible when I can do so.

 

don't do it man!

 

Is the Jot really that much better? Haha

 

Too bad since I've been thinking about selling my 1st gen Mjolnir but I'm in the USA (Ohio).

 

I'm not entirely against buying from US sellers, it's just that the costs add up. So depending on quoted costs, I may have to ask for a pretty steep discount for it to be worth for me vs buying within Canada.

This isn't fair to the seller, since they shouldn't have to absorb the costs that shipping and customs are piling on. But ultimately it comes down to how much they're looking to get out of it.

All that being said, if you're still interested, feel free to shoot me a pm

 

I'm just allergic to side-grades or (in this case, more than likely) down-grades. forward and upward, i say. progress aside, i'm also a fan of deliberate downgrades as a way to save crap loads of cash (e.g., going from a kilo-buck setup to a small stack cause headphones are compromised anyway).

 

Fair point, and definitely appreciated. My current system is Bifrost Multibit -> Vali 2 - > Elears, so I feel like the Mjol1 or the Jot will both be an upgrade here. Was intending to use the Vali 2 as a tube pre-amp to them to add some tube flavour, but I'd have the opportunity to test with and without it in the chain as well.

And while I'd love to just switch to speakers and call it quits, headphones are much more convenient for my living condition for now

 

@FallingObjects I have a Jot + Bifrost Multibit you can try out for a week if you want. I'm coming down this weekend and you could mail it back to Edmonton when you're done. Easy peezy.

 

oh yeah i'd stick to searching for a jot. its upgradable, and still has value. mj1 not so much. the real question is whether the jot would serve you better than the vali2 with elears. it's been a while, but i'm not really sure, it might make the elears bite your head off. still if you can get one used there's little risk cause someone would buy it off you (Same goes for vali2).

hey i get it! i still use headphones a lot, they have plenty of purposes! anyway, unsolicited advice over and out...

 

I'd hit you up on that for sure if I wasn't gonna be gone for two weeks soon anyways. Prime houseboating season is coming up right now

Also what brings you down to cow town?

Unsolicited, but still genuinely appreciated! It's making me wonder if I shouldn't go a bit deeper down in the tube-rolling rabbit hole first, before I start looking at total overhauls to my chain.

Maybe it's just my wallet burning a hole in my pocket, too. But there'll be ample time for me to mull things over while I'm on vacation haha.

 

@brencho is right man. Do something that is a noticeable step up, not something that is a slightly better but also $$$. Keep an eye out for used Mjo2, EC BW I/II, for example, if you want a real upgrade. IMO it's a waste of time and money f'ing around with presently-affordable items. Keep saving for something more substantial and worthwhile.

Coming down to visit friends and family. I come down every other week it seems (trying to avoid thesis writing I really think).

 

The Mjolnir 1 does have less congested staging then the Jot, but I can't think any other advantages. Different flavors really. Now the Mjolnir 2 is another ball of wax...

 

See, I've heard the Jot is a good pairing with the Elears (especially if I use my Vali 2 as a pre-amp), but I definitely notice the narrower headstage in the Elears compared to some of the other stuff I've tried.

Know off-hand what other advantages the Jot would have over the Mjo 1? Or am I better off as others have suggested here at just saving up for a big upgrade. Some amp to get my Elears to really sing, or just pony up for the Sagaheim combo.

 

The Elears are very guilty of being congested in front to back staging (extra critical, I enjoy the Elears) And the bass is a little too forward and intense for my liking. I'm a bit concerned about using a Jot with the Elears simply because the strengths of the Jot don't necessarily do the Elears any favors. (I haven't heard the pairing, just both separately) And I don't know if the Mjolinir 1 will make a drastic improvement (But I really enjoyed it with the LCD-2.2 and my HD650s)

I'm of the opinion that the Elears really need tubes to shine. And I wouldn't buy a Vali 2 to use as a preamp, it means to be a headphone amp. And I wouldn't buy a Saga just to use as part of a headphone amp contraption, it means to be a speaker preamp.

So all that blah blah blah is to say use your Vali 2 with your Elears until you can afford a Mjolinir 2. As you will have everything an original Mjolinir has to offer and much more. (I just Schiit shilled again I guess)

 

Ain't nothing wrong with shilling if it comes from a position of knowledge and experience, though.

All that taken under consideration, my interest in a Mjo 1 is tapering off quite significantly, but I'll mull over things until I get back from my break.

Again, sincerely appreciate your advice on this

 

Have you thought about a T3? If you can find one with cinemags Without all other costly upgrades I'd take that over the Schiit amps.

Edit* not sure how it'll look on your desk though

 

FWIW, there's Mjolnir 1 FS on audiogon.

 

It could work. It'd look a little derpy, but I could figure out a way to make it less so. Plus it'd be fun to build! I'll have to do a bit more research on how it sounds with Elears vs various pre-assembled units, or comparable DIY's.

edit: For reference, here's my (cluttered) section of my desk reserved for my audio setup. A granite slab (that we were given as a sample for possible countertop choices) sitting on top of some eggshell foam. Not sure if it actually accomplishes anything, but it looks pretty imo!

I'll give it a look, much obliged

 

You know they don't sell T3 kits anymore? They have one last assembled new one.
http://www.beezar.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=172

Used T3s show up pretty regularly.

 

Huh, guess that scratches off that as a possibility. I'll do more research, and if it seems like it meshes with my needs, I'll keep my eyes peeled for a used one.