Schiit Jotunheim impressions

Any comment/hypothesis as to *why* there's an overshoot?

Is it the inherently balanced topology is simply cleaner? Or perhaps the current draw due to shorting the negative leg causes issues for the positive?

 

Anyone know how the Joutheim (Balanced) compares to a Bifrost MB/Valhalla 2 Combo?
Is this unit better than a Bifrost MB/Valhalla 2 combo?

 

I say this with the utmost respect, admiration, perhaps even love ...

But you wonderful pack of bastards are not making it any easier to resist buying a Jotunheim just to see what all the fuss is about!

Between the HD800S and Utopia, the resolution limits of the little Vali 2, delightful though it is, are quite apparent in my bedside rig. And now you have me wanting to replace that with a Jotunheim, feed it with the MOMBY that's already there, include the Phono module, and actually put a basic turntable by my bedside.

Or maybe move the current turntable there and use that as a "justification" to undertake a major upgrade in my main rig ...

 

thank you @Marvey and @zerodeefex

 

So the Jot is like a nice compact perfectly formed piece of shit in a pristine white toilet with crystal gleaming glass in a sunlit bathroom (with songbirds tweeting outside and a perfectly groomed dog lying in the hallway)?

sorry, I couldn't resist

 

Totally appreciate where you're coming from!

It's probably not clear where I'm coming from though (and no reason it should be).

My bed-side rig is just that; something I have by the side of the bed for the, relatively rare, occasions where I am listening to music before retiring with my darling fiancé (if she's around when I retire, which she usually is, it's an entirely different kind of "music" that I'l be focusing on). Right now that rig is a MOMBY/Vali 2, for no particular reason other than I wanted to see how it performed. Prior to that it was a MHDT Stockholm V2/Woo WA6 ... which I retired due to, well, killing more than one set of tubes as various things (mostly of the Agent Provocateur persuasion) got energetically propelled about the room (and it being a bit "big" for just sitting on the nightstand).

I'm just thinking about a Jotunheim in that rig as a better way to drive whatever set of cans (Utopia, Abyss, LCD-4, HD800S primarily) I happen to carry up the stairs with me that evening, whilst (yes, I'm English) wanting to keep that configuration as clean and compact and simple as possible. And, of course, to satisfy my curiosity as it relates to all the enthusiasm around the thing.

A ZDS in my main rig, or my secondary or tertiary setups (multiple homes, multiple listening rooms in each) is definitely intriguing. I struggle a bit with aesthetics there ... a problematic issue for me as an audiophile and music lover, but I remain interested. I am in the unprecedentedly fortunate position of not needing to save or sell to go in that direction, but it's not really a solution for my bed-side setup. Strictly speaking, neither is a turntable, even if only for reasons of dust, but I digress.

If I was less lucky in life, then the save/sell advice would be spot on.

As it is, my primary source is an Yggdrasil (and I'm in the process of seeing what else really challenges that). And then it's feeding a Ragnarok and WA5-LE Mk2 (w/ all upgrades and both TAK 300B and 274B tubes). Open to other options, always, but mostly looking to reduce my "box count" and get better results in specific, limited scenarios, than anything else.

 

Also ... while it's tempting to buy a Jotunheim "just because"; I'm trying to be conscientious about not accumulating more "stuff" while in the process of moving and wanting to consolidate gear (not just audio) to stuff that actually gets used ...

 

@Marvey You're really not helping!

Okay, you ARE ... but I want less gear right now, not more!

And now you not only have me wanting to piddle about with a Jotunheim, but wanting to see how the Nighthawk compares to the phono-stage and ADC/software RIAA EQ in my Linn Akurate DSM/1 ...

 

Coming from someone who appears to have a considerable budget for gear, this is really sensible advice.

 

I'd like to second this. Plenty of comments out there on the synergy with HD650 (which there is), but I'm pleasantly surprised by how great the TH-X00 PH sound with the Jodie. It really smooths out the treble without losing any detail.

 

Even more excited to get my Jodie now, already have HD650 and my TH-X00 Ebony is on the way!

 

The great news is that Massdrop just listed a pre-built O2 amp again. Quick everybody!

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-o2-amplifier

 

Is it fair to infer from the above that you feel the mid-forwardness of the Jotun does not mesh well with HD650M, hence the return to stock (soon to be stock-plus-dampener)? Interested in any updates or comparisons on the Jotun between the two headphones now that your stock pair arrived.