Schiit Jotunheim impressions

How recent is your model? I'm not aware of any such changes on mine.

 

I bought them about a month ago, but the changes are older. I'm damned if I can remember where I read about the changes, though.. just as I can't find those pictures ofthe internal grille revision/removal on the HE-400i. Apparently, before the change, the 560 drivers would vibrate against some part of the housing. I can't say if the revision had any noticeable effect on the sound, other than the cessation of very occasional buzzing, though.

 

Am I the only person who thinks that the Jodie's internal DAC is Schiit's best D/S implementation? By a pretty good margin, too. Moby is certainly better, but the gap isn't huge by any means.

 

Here are my thoughts - I currently have the loaner phono Jotunheim with HD650. I'd only heard the HD650 once prior (through the Christmas tree Elise at Canjam) and my vinyl setup consists of an Audio-Technica AT-120LP with the built in phono pre, so lots of unfamiliar territory to cover going into my assessment. My DAC is a Modi 2U 4396, other amps are Magni 1 and Matrix M-Stage HPA-3B.

HD650 +Jotunheim is very pleasantly balanced, although I prefer a touch more bass. The Matrix is slightly closer to the sound I'm after but not as resolving. My HD600 also works well, I'm hearing thicker mids but also more distortion, not sure how much of a difference my slightly flat pads are making. I prefer the mids of the HD600 but the distortion is kind of a deal breaker. HD800S combo doesn't sound terrible compared with the Magni, as they're more similar than not in tonality. That said, neither synergizes well, even with the SBAF carpet liner mod.

There is a huge difference between the built in phono on the turntable and the Jotunheim phono pre. Onboard sounds extremely V-shaped in comparison, so lots of musical details lost. My vinyl rig is not a priority, but now that I know I'm missing something I may consider a phono upgrade in the future.

Finally, the TH-X00 PH combo is the real deal. As good as the HD650 combo is, I think the HD650 is just a great headphone that isn't too picky, while I felt the TH-X00 ascended to a new level with the Jotunheim. The valleys in the W shaped FR were filled in slightly for a more well rounded yet still fun sound. I bet it would sound even better with the Ebony TH-X00 which is slightly more balanced.

Not sure if I'll pick up a Jotunheim for myself, I'm still looking for a better complement for the HD800S. I need to get my Crack+Speedball working again first, then maybe get an HD650 after I clear out some more of my unused collection, and then finally maybe the Jotunheim. Thanks to Marv and Sphinx for the opportunity to try these out!

 

Have you compared the internal DAC vs V2A line out to Jotunheim?

 

IMO the GO2a smokes the internal DAC. For me the upgraded GO units are as capable and enjoyable as the Modi Multibit, but with a different presentation. And a nice bonus is you can run balanced out to the Jotunheim (although I realize the internal unit is also balanced).

 

If you're interested you can borrow my TRRS->XLR adapter for now. Once my speakers arrive I'll be moving the Modi Multibit to them and the GOV2+ will become my headphone DAC, but for now the Modi Multibit is hooked up to my Joti so I don't need the cable for a few weeks.

 

Sounds good! Mine is from Surf Cables and I've always liked their stuff.

 

I just sent off my Jot loaner to the next wallet victim so here's my
impressions...

I tried the Jot sans DAC/HD650. I was hoping to hear my friends HD650
but he skipped town.

Equipment compared:

HD800(Anax 2.0), ZMF Vibro MK2, ZMF Blackwood Zebra
SE and balanced cables for all cans
Schiit Modi 2, Multibit Bifrost
Schiit Magni 2, Schiit Valhalla 2

Like others have said, the Jot is very fast, detailed and hits hard
across the frequency spectrum. This is great for most tracks but its
a bit over the top for others. Its sometimes amazing and sometimes
fatiguing.

All three headphones I tested sound equally mediocre on the Magni.
The HD800 is pretty good on the Valhalla and kind of hyper on the Jot.
I normally wouldn't choose the HD800/Jot pairing, but if I had to live
with it for a while it would be hard to listen to something more
natural afterward. I think all that speed and intensity could be
quite addicting. I didn't listen to the HD800 much after the first
day since the ZMFs were just a better pairing.

The ZMF's sound horrible on the Valhalla and really good on the Jot.
I never knew what the bass plugs were for when I was listening to the
Blackwoods on the Magni. The Jot brought out really nice mid and
lower bass. I added one bass plug and was still in basshead
territory. Acoustic guitars sounded quite convincing. Treble could
be a little too intense and sometimes sloppy with the Jot. Harmonica
solos (nobody's favorite) were too energetic and harsh. Pink Floyd
Time (3:15) guitar solo sounded too thick and a somewhat distorted
compared to HD800/Valhalla. I'm not particularly sensitive to
sibilance (55 year old ears) and Natalie Imbruglia Torn offered no
sibilance problem with the ZMFs but HD800/Jot was a no go. Mozart
Requiem XIV Harnoncourt was very warm and detailed. I always pictured
the choir standing on a wide stage (HD800/V2) but here it presented as
standing under the dome of a cathedral, offering a different but cool
perspective.

The Blackwood was clearly better than the Vibro with the Jot in every
way, although Vibro is acceptable. With Magni, the more laid back
presentation of the Vibro is sometimes my preference but not clearly
worse.

The Jot is very transparent and the difference between Modi DAC and
Bitfrost was much more obvious than with either Magni or V2. The
extra warmth and detail of the Bitfrost was a clear step up. I hope
the internal DAC sounds better than the vanilla Modi 2.

Balanced was somewhat more detailed and had a wider soundstage for all
three headphones. Balanced is also louder. Reterminating the cables
was my first soldering project and I'm glad I could compare both
inputs.

I liked the Jot. I'll probably sell the Modi/Magni/Vibro and grab
one. I'm looking forward to hearing from others how the internal DAC
compares to modi multibit. I like the all-in-one for the office and
it would be great to have less gear at work. I was hoping the Jot
would be the one amp to drive my planars and Senns, but its not that.

Thanks SBAF for making the loaner available. That's a great service.

 

Knowing which Jotunheim abbreviation to use has been baking my cookie lately (ok I'm easily confused). @schiit dropped the following cleansing bomb into his latest update....

Jonada vs Jono vs Jodac (Jotunheim alone, Jotunheim Phono, or Jotunheim DAC).

I particularly like "jonada" .

 

Yeah, and @baldr used Jodie on an occasion. Between all the (im)possible Yggdrasil/Jggj/Yiggy/Yggi/etc. and Moby/Modi Multibit/Momby/Mobi abbreviations and this, I think the folks at Schiit are... confusion junkies. They seem to get off on confusing people; think 'Schiit'.

 

Someone has to say it...when are we getting Jomama?

 

I've intentionally avoided using Joti or Jodie when speaking about the amp in general because to date all the products with abbreviations ending in i/y have been DACs except Ragnarok. The rest don't really work - Asgy, Lyri, Valy, Mjolni...

 

Oh, forgot about Mojo 2...

 

Just got my Jotunheim, just the right amount of attack for me! The Burson will be going to add to my computer upgrading fund

I'm pairing this with my Xfinity 2.0, Burson sounds like marshmallow compared to this lol

 

The worst is when people call Mjolnir 2 "Mojo" or "Mojo 2", it really strikes a Chord.

Careful, you'll have @Marvey doing his impression of the bass on a Burson amp again, "blub blub blub", etc..