Schiit Jotunheim impressions

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

  1. 8man

    8man Acquaintance

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    I wonder what kind of setup would make a Jot sound compressed, just as a useful bit of info. In fact I find it kinda' surprising cause my experience was pretty much the opposite. For the HD650s I think the Jot is among the few solid state amps that actually feel like they have plenty of heft to give the bass proper punch. Couldn't be bothered with all the technicalities and maintenance of tubes, but the fact of the matter is that most commercially available tubes have no issue making these cans easily powerful, while solid-state stuff was a very hit or miss (in my limited/amateurish experience). As soon as you plug them to a Jot, the mid range and the bass immediately step up a few notches.
    Small modi dac, Schiity cables, and it just works, dude. I'm actually a bit wary of switching to any other combo in this range or trade it because of the mid-range heft it has.

    Maybe they tried it cold and it biased their conclusions? I think it's a bit weaker until it warms up.
     
  2. hifiandrun

    hifiandrun Almost "Made"

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    I second. and using the balanced cable with a balanced source (for example, Gungnir MB) will bring the setup another notch up.
     
  3. 8man

    8man Acquaintance

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    Tbh, I've been planning to get a balanced cable for the 650s for so long that I'd completely forgotten about them. I have no clue where I would even begin looking for a reliable place to source them in EU, so it never really made it to my short list. Based on several people praising balanced on Jot I can probably assume they'd be noticeably better anyways. It's just really cool that even with a basic setup like a modi mb, it doesn't feel like the details are lacking or the dynamic range isn't fun to listen to.
    I'd tried an X-sabre before and didn't like the synergy so I figured unless I could save up for a gungnir, it wouldn't be worth the risk.
     
  4. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    I use these on my HD600:

    https://customcans.co.uk/s/s/index.php/cables/sennheiserhd650-cables/hd600-balanced-cable.html

    HD600 and HD650 and all variants use the same connector at the headphone end.
     
  5. 8man

    8man Acquaintance

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    Nice, I'll definitely have to bookmark this. It's not as expensive as I'd imagined it to be and the sleeves look pretty good. Cheers
     
  6. hifiandrun

    hifiandrun Almost "Made"

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    Also check with the new Bifrost DAC, same form size, easy to stack up. I prefer my schiit vali 2 (using vintage Bulge boy 6DJ8 tube) for single ended to HD650, over Jot single ended. The vali 2 with HD650 is warm and musical, but lack of impact and details. The Jot-balanced with HD650 (mine is unmodified) is more alive, and at the same time, the setup is still suit for long listening sessions.
     
  7. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    So what's the word on burn in with these, or is it just warm up?

    If it's warm up, I should be fine. Mine was just delivered and it's literally about 45 degrees C in Sydney today. The jot was warmer than my powered on Asgard when it came out of the box!
     
  8. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    Not envying you folks right now, it's crazy hot there.
     
  9. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    It's crazy here. As well as scorchingly hot, there is smoke haze and ash literally falling like rain from over 100 bushfires burning in NSW. It really is like post-apoalyptical film out there. And I'm in suburban Sydney.

    Some first impressions on the Jot. Comparing to Asgard 3 both SE, it has a reasonably similar tonality. The A3 is marginally smoother, the Jot has more clarity and space and more treble sparkle.I think it's a better amp than the Asgard 3, even single-ended but some might prefer the A3.

    In terms of the MB DAC module... it has really surprised me, it is VERY close to my Modi 3. MUCH closer than than the topping D30 v Modi 3 and much closer than was indicated by that sound comparison someone posted of the Modi 3 v Modi Multibit in the Modi Multibit thread. I actually think I might prefer the MB DAC module. It is a very small amount more three dimensional. Similar to Modi Multibit v Modi 3 but MUCH more subtle. But those are very early impressions and the DAC module is slightly louder which throws out quick switching comparisons.
     
  10. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    Two very important features:
    1. soft exterior and cable suppleness create very low head and neck drag - important for long listening sessions
    2. soft exterior and cable suppleness result in low mechanical noise when moving head around
     
  11. 8man

    8man Acquaintance

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    Huh...seems like I've learned something new. Didn't really consider this up until now for sure, sounds pretty interesting actually. Makes sense as I've always thought the extended length and weight on the cable was a bit unnecessary (already had to swap a cable once for a new one).
     
  12. Hammy

    Hammy Friend

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    I've been using a balanced CustomCans cable with my Senns for several years. The cable sounds good (better than the stock Senn HD650 cable) and the ergonomics are awesome. The cable is light in weight and very flexible. And the price is reasonable. It is the only headphone cable I have that I can almost forget that I've got a cable attached.

    Don't neglect to also get a short adapter cable so you can use the balanced cable with a single-ended amp. A short 6 inch adapter cable with a male TRS on one end and female 4-pin XLR on the other end.
    Like this: https://customcans.co.uk/s/s/index.php/acessories/adapters/balanced-unbalanced-adapter.html

    There is also OIDIO Sound cables also based in the UK. Appear to be very similar in design and construction as the CustomCans cables. They weren't around when I bought my CustomCans cable. I don't know if they're better or worse or the same as CustomCans. Just another option to consider. OIDIO Sound UK: https://oidiosound.co.uk/
     
  13. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    Speaking of Senn 600s and balanced cables and the Jot ...

    Today I had some time so decided to do a little Deep House battle on my tidal hifi -> usb -> Eitr/Mimbyv2 -> Jot with the ZMF Eikon, Atticus and HD600 and Fostex TH-x00. all of this was done for fun earing in volume, all cables balanced except fostex, i listened to the same 30 secs about 5x in all combinations - and i suck at describing sound

    Track 1: What do want - Miguel Migs

    * Eikon - immediate toe tapping, head bobbing forgot i was doing anything - win
    * Atticus - not a lot of difference from above, mids boosted of course, but head bobbing win
    * HD 600 - sounds really good, pretty similar to Eikon and of course open! But ... there was a clinicalness that didn't grab me as much as the Eikon despite it being more closed in ... just small head-bobbing, not sure what it was missing, transients?
    * Fostex - ehhhh ... overboosted, not sounding right, loser

    Track 2: Izinque (Alessio Cala remix) - Angelo Ferreri

    * Eikon - good mid-bass, nice sub-bass! really wins here
    * Atticus - Oooo loser, feels WAY overboosted, not good, loser
    * HD600 - good, similar to the Eikon, still clinical though, I like it a lot but not as musical as the Eikon despite better openness
    * Fostex - really good! nice thumping bass without ruining the rest, win

    Track 3: Facedown - Jose Nunez

    * Eikon - good! Fun track with immediate jam-out, win
    * Atticus - Whoa, mid-bass connects into some heavy sub-bass, time to dance now, what a winner!
    * HD600 - really good! The 600s work here, lots of bass, great sounding with just a stitch of clinical but definitely toe-tapping here
    * Fostex - good, but man that mid-bass to sub-bass is over-boosted, loser

    If I had to rank the HPs (these tracks this setup): Eikon > HD600 > Atticus > THx00

    Anyway, just a quick casual test, but always fun and interesting to do a comparo and shows how different one headphone/amp can be across tracks even in the same genre.
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2019
  14. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    I've been listening some more. I definitely prefer the Jot MB card to my modi 3. They are very, very close. The MB card is fractionaly more 3D, dynamic and has fractionally more treble sparkle.

    I feel like I am going against the weight of opinion of that. Does anyone else feel the same?
    It could be a synergy issue, I'm using Aeon Open, which can use the treble energy and dynamics.
     
  15. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    Quick question about the
     
  16. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    How much of the superiority of the balanced out is down to power? Is balanced still better for something like the Focal Elegia?
     
  17. Polygonhell

    Polygonhell Acquaintance

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    There is a marginal improvement in the balanced out of the Jot, but I’m not sure it’s enough to be worth worrying about.
     
  18. barbz

    barbz New

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    Have searched and there's not many comments on this but would the jot be a good match for the aeon open and LCD2C? I have balanced cables for each and looking for something a bit different to my Wa6 (non se) with some more headroom.
    Thanks
     
  19. RobS

    RobS RobS? More like RobDiarrhea.

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    Got to hear this amplifier during my time in the SBAF slammer.

    It might be the worst amplifier I've heard from Schiit yet. It sucks ass. Using a balanced DAC input to balanced out headphone HD800/HD6X0.

    It is incredibly veiled and hazy, with zero depth and completely flat headstage. The DAC that was hooked up was definitely mitigating the Jot's tendency to have a steely, glarey treble. I fear a different DAC would have introduced an etch.

    Timbre is completely off, every instrument sounds wrong. Cymbals are total fail. Down low sounds compressed. It's also too warm.

    Anybody who claims the Sennheisers sound good with this amp cannot be trusted. I shudder to think what other headphones could sound like with this amp.
     
  20. schiit

    schiit SchiitHead

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    This is completely different than my personal experience, for what it's worth. If this is what you heard, there's something wrong with the amp, the (unnamed) DAC, or the cables. Aftermarket balanced headphone cables that short the negative negative phases to ground or together will cause all sorts of problems.
     

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