Schiit Jotunheim impressions

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

  1. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,300
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    SoCal
    Bummer, I feed my DAC from a CD player via coax so this isn't an option for me. Oh well. Sounds cool though. Thanks for reporting on your findings.
     
  2. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,300
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    SoCal
  3. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

    Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,999
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    What DAC do you have? Can you not do the Method 1?
     
  4. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,300
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    SoCal
    Like @Garns, I'm using the Modi Multibit.

    I think the miniDSP solution is perfect for those using spdif sources. I must investigate this more. I don't know why I didn't think of this before but you could also use these miniDSP boxes to EQ headphones if you want that option but don't want to use a computer as your source.

    This little guy can do lots of stuff: https://www.minidsp.com/images/documents/Product Brief-2x8 nanoDIGI plug-in.pdf
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2017
  5. Garns

    Garns Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,483
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Sydney, AUS
    Yep, looks like that will work. I would suggest trying things out over USB first before committing to the miniDSP though. At $20 it's pretty easy to give this the nod... once you're up to $200, it's not so clear.
     
  6. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,300
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    SoCal
    Agreed. I'll definitely test this with a plug in before jumping through hoops to make it work with my CD rig.
     
  7. Nyerk

    Nyerk New

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2017
    Likes Received:
    23
    Trophy Points:
    13
    Location:
    Sweden
    You guys sure like to make things more complicated for someone like me who is trying to get into this, heh. But still good to know, this phase reversal trick is something I’ll keep in mind if I do purchase the Jotunheim. Maybe I’ll poke @Garns for some help in the future, if I have a hard time ordering a cable for method 2 :oops:
     
  8. Cruxiaer

    Cruxiaer New

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2017
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    Finally got my Jot w DAC. Cancelled my order and bought one used instead. Sounds great and all but unfortunately my PC has a whining issue. Now to figure out the most economical method to get rid of the whining.
     
  9. Erikdayo

    Erikdayo Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2017
    Likes Received:
    423
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Boston, MA
    This is causing an issue with the sound output from the amp?
     
  10. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2017
    Likes Received:
    566
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    What kind of whining issue? Is it power supply noise coming through the USB to the Jot? Does it track with the volume knob? Is the Jot on the same circuit breaker as the PC? If you can change that, does it make any difference?
     
  11. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

    Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,999
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    What inputs are you using? If USB, pull the USB cable and see if the noise goes away. Also try removing interconnects if you're using a separate DAC. It's probably RF and other equipment noise leaking onto the power line of the USB cable. Not much you can do to completely get rid of it. You can try a Wyrd but I would first try different ports on your computer and remove other peripheral devices to see if they affect the noise. I stopped using USB for this very reason. An optical SPDIF cable will fix this issue but you lose the use of the internal DAC.

    Power conditioning is another option but can be hit or miss.
     
  12. Cruxiaer

    Cruxiaer New

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2017
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Melbourne, Australia
    Thanks for the prompt replies :) And yes, I'm using Jot with the internal DAC with USB as input. I stay in a rather small apartment, have both my PC and Jot in the same room so I would assume they are on the same circuit breaker. Yes, the noise increase volume as I increase volume on the Jot (if that is what you mean but if not, the volume knob is smooth, no crackle of any sort).

    Yes the whining is electrical that comes out from my audio output. It is not always there but when it is, I can hear it. I notice it about once or twice every hour? Not entirely sure. This issue is also present using the onboard soundcard 3.5mm out to speakers/headphones.

    Have not tried removing USB to see if the noise go away but I'll try it the next instance I hear the noise.

    Already tried using different USB ports, all sounds the same to me. Did not try removing USB devices 1 by 1 as I need all the devices connected at all times.

    Someone told me to get rid of my mobile phones and put them somewhere else, trying that out atm can't confirm as to whether issue is solved yet. Previously I had my phones 10cm directly the Jot.

    Is the internal DAC not powered via Jot's source?
     
  13. Stride

    Stride Facebook Friend

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2016
    Likes Received:
    145
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Location:
    Sydney
    I had heard these noises in my Jot in a similar situation as you. I have my Bifrost Multibit-Sagaheim connected to my PC in an apartment. I would not notice PC/electrical noises with my previous gear before the Jot but I believe this is how much better the Jot performs in hearing your whole signal path.

    In the end I found my issues stem from my mouse cursor triggering my CPU to load and motherboard being unable to dissipate the electrical noise. This electrical noise however was only noticeable the further I turned up the knob. Also my placement of my router is not ideal (side-by-side) which increased noise floor.

    To remedy this, I just listened to the sound from each USB port and picked the best sounding port least impacted by noise, stopped multi-tasking when critically listening, disconnected the offending USB device and I moved my power cable as far as possible from the router which helped enough for me to enjoy music. Anything else I tried made insignificant-placebo differences. Have not tried PCI card solutions or a SPDIF-USB converter as I am unwilling to spend any further.

    What I tried did not solve the problem, but you got to pay for a good source if you really want to eliminate electrical noise issues. In the end, bypassing USB and going to a raspberry pi-based streamer took my stack to the next level.

    From what you described, sounds like the noise is generated from your computer setup. Good luck troubleshooting it.
     
  14. twice

    twice New

    Joined:
    May 5, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Location:
    Colorado
    I have a Valhalla 1 and Bifrost 4490 with HD650 headphones, and I'm looking to change to a balanced setup. If I were to replace the Valhalla with a Jotunheim and still use my Bifrost instead of getting the USB DAC 4490 upgrade for the Jot, would I still be getting the Full Balanced Experience, even though I'd be running RCA between the DAC and amp? I prefer coaxial out over USB due to driver concerns, but I suppose I could replace both the Valhalla and the Bifrost and get the USB DAC on the Jot. What say you guys?
     
  15. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,942
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    This has been asked and answered many, many times, but the answer is more or less yes. The "full balanced experience" is overrated, read this thread for a better understanding. Don't downgrade to a worse DAC just because it will make your chain "fully balanced".

    Keep your Bifrost, it's head and shoulders a better DAC than the one inside the Jotunheim, especially if you are skipping USB. You can upgrade it to a Multibit variant down the road or jump to a Gungnir Multibit.
     
  16. cocolinho

    cocolinho Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    58
    Trophy Points:
    28
    From the all purpose advice thread :
     
  17. Divad al-Rahsir

    Divad al-Rahsir Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2016
    Likes Received:
    115
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Location:
    Bremerton and elsewhere
    Another dissenting voice here. The Jot isn't working for me.

    When the music sounds like shit, my first thought is that the music actually sounds like shit. This was a rude awakening for me, when I upgraded my gear past Walmart earbuds and my pawn shop iPod. All of those .MP3's that were traded to me on deployment were perhaps not the best renditions of the best recordings, and that's the problem with resolving gear - ideally you hear what is played, and if what you hear is shit, then it sounds like shit. I can live with that. Shit, I loved Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness as much as everyone else did back in the day, but holy f**k it sounds bad to me now. The situation can change. I get that.

    The problem for me is that the music in question (and not necessarily those sandbox passarounds, but rather my CD rips) sounded good on my chain when the Val 2 was doing the work, and a lot of them don't sound good any longer with the Jot. Sure, a few of them do, but the majority do not. Things sound smeared together in a way that they weren't before, and the music seems...I don't know, "removed" is the term that I would use. Far away. "Fucked up and smashed together" is how I would phrase it in non-audiophiliac language. There's probably an audiophile term for this but I never bothered to learn the lingo. It does not sound live, or close to live, and thus it sounds wrong to me. I've given it a few months and I haven't gotten used to it and I still don't like it, so it's probably time to let it go.

    For the curious, PC > USB (f**k off, it sounded good on the Val) > Gungnir Multibit > Jot > HD600. If I get the time, I may hook the Jot up to the HTPC just to see if the USB is somehow ruining things, but based on past experiences, I'm not expecting much improvement. When the only thing in the chain that's changed is the amp and the result suddenly sounds like shit most of the time, the simple answer is that the amp is to blame.

    Just to be completely fair, Talk Talk sounds f'ing amazing on the Jot. But Talk Talk sounds amazing on the Val, and you lucky few already know how Talk Talk sounds on vinyl. I mention it because it's one of my control albums, but I'm beginning to doubt whether it should remain one.

    Just to be more completely fair, the Smashing Pumpkins sounded f'ing terrible live circa 1997, but shit...they shouldn't sound that bad on an album. No one should.
     
  18. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

    Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,999
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Tempe, Arizona
    Just curious, are you using the same cables you used with the Vali 2 as well or did you get different balanced cables? For instance, balanced silver cables would sound like shit...
     
  19. landroni

    landroni Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,164
    Trophy Points:
    93
    I recall people mentioning that Jotunheim can highlight issues with the source. A cheap way to test this would be an RPi & Digi+ Pro to use Coax In on Gungnir Multibit.
     
  20. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,426
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I would argue that the hd600 simply isn't a good match.

    The Jot still may not be for you, which is fine, but pairing really matters with this amp.
     

Share This Page