The All Purpose Advice Thread

Which of course is good advice, I agree with climbing the ladder over shooting for the top straight away. So perhaps the best gear in the $6000 category is... modded HD650 + Crack + Speedball + Gungnir Multibit ??

 

Amen. Even though I lament over what I could've bought if I had the knowledge I do today, I have not regrets. I loved every step of the journey; every single step had a purpose.

 

Thanks all for your suggestions! It is a huge help to get some answers from people who have been at this much longer than me.

I just have been reading so much conflicting information online that it got to the point where I was feeling stressed for no good reason.

Based on what I read I'm looking to see if I can find any HD-650s used to try out with my Jot as a starting point. Joining the electrostat Mafia is very tempting! I'm doing some research on the Stax website as we speak.

The real issue is that I went to the demo store hoping to find something that just blew me away as a next step. The truth is a lot of this is taste based so it's difficult to say one thing is definitely better at the top of the range.

Tbh the Utopia was a standout for doing the most things right and it feels well designed. It's just I was listening to DSD files via a HUGO TT and it was just nice. I enjoyed it, but this is over an $8000 combo minimum. I then moved to the Mojo (this dealer was in love with Chord lol) and I liked it's sound quite a bit, but there wasn't nearly enough of what else I wanted for it to be a long term solution. I saw a lot of people say that it was good for the price, but it didn't stand up to the desktop DACs on the Market. I went out and bought the Jot with DAC module and returned the chord.

After going through countless DAC threads including Marvs tabled thread and a headfi thread called "Life after the Yggdrasil." Metrum Pavane was the only option that people agreed sounded better than the Yggdrasil(heard this is amazing after a week of burn in) that was in my price range. Both Metrum and Schitt DACs looked to be the best options based on the what I read at 6moons etc.

So here's where I'm at:

Is the Jot good enough to be in an end game setup?
Is the Yggdrasil a large step up from the Bifrost Multibit and other Schiit DACs?
What should I start with if I just need to try things out? Should I get the headphones and then a DAC etc that works with them, or should I get a high end DAC and then try out headphones that interest me in that setup?

For now I'll look into the HD650 + Crack + Speedball + Gungnir Multibit vs the HD650 + Halo Lynx if I can get the HD650 for a deal. If I don't love them I'll see if there is good way to sample electrostats with out spending most of my budget up front.

Looks like I have a lot more research ahead of me!

 

I can tell you this much: Jot is good enough to hint how any non-stat hp will sound from even better amplifier. It has got the bone structure right.
I think you'd need to spend much more in amp to have meaningful upgrade. Like 2k+.
After you have settled on the headphone you like most, then try sources. One's 2x better is another's 5% better.
After that, if you really still are unsatisfied, maybe try totl SET amp from EC, DNA or ECP for some added magic.

 

I am, and it is the cat's meow, at least for me It's a very powerful, snappy sound. It's not the last word in anything, but I think it makes a fantastic semi-closed alternative to the Jot/HD650 combo which also is the cat's meow in sub-$1k combos.

 

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I upgraded from a Magni 2U to a Jotenheim for the benefit of my HD650s, which sounded a bit soupy on the Magni 2U- with great results. A nice side-effect of this is that my HE-400i don't sound quite as bright and splashy. They used to be headphones that I only properly enjoyed on certain albums, but they're a lot nicer-sounding out of the Jotenheim. I'm not sure why they're less bright, the Jot is a more forward-sounding amp in the mids and highs, after all. There's a bit of me wondering if the HE400i were just having slight issues with bordering on sibilance- it being a slow amp and all.. goodness knows, honestly.

I am using the HE400i single-ended out of the Jot (balanced cable on the way), and feeding it with a Modi Multibit, or sometimes a Chord Mojo. I'm pleasantly surprised, as I honestly expected them to sound slightly more unruly in the highs, rather than less.

That said, one side doesn't usually fit all- and that was more blind luck than anything else on my part.

 

@geomaso44 , Have you posted in the "Introduce Yourself" thread yet?

 

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Understandable

 

FWIW I use Jotunheim with my HD650 and HE-6. Granted both are modded, but like others have said, this amp is pretty much transparent and lets you hear your chain as it is with very little coloration. I would say there might be some very slight treble etch but that's nitpicking. It also CAN drive the HE-6 fantastically well, as long as it's not being compared to a 100+lbs speaker amps.

 

Can you do diy?
Cavalli Ehha Rev A is bound to be superb for your use.

- Power? Check!
- Warm, unoffensive tonality while being slightly romantic? Check!
- Slam, dynamics, clarity? Check!
- Every possible HP synergy? Check!

Don't expect absolute totl resolution though.

Might be a little more than 500$ ,depending on particular upgrades.
Very long shot but you could try to score one used.

 

My vote in your short lived poll went towards the Polaris. It seems to check most of the boxes you're after.

 

I'm in the same holding pattern for now. I'm interested, but I want to wait until the honeymoon is over and the hangover begins to get a some more critical opinions. Schiit has only ever done me solid and I doubt that this is a bad amp and not worth the asking price, but hype trains (regardless of measurements or trusted sources) make me automatically wary.

There is no harm in waiting. These aren't going away. And if they do, it will only be because something better came along in the meantime. You'll win either way.