Schiit Mjolnir 3 Impressions

As far as measurements go that is some beautiful spectra.

Thanks purr1n

 

Any impressions of Mj3 as a preamp? Are the pre-outs mainly just a convenience thing like Schiit’s other headamps? Or something a bit better than that?

 

If you refer to pre-outs that are exactly the same gain stage as the rest of the product, not compromised or changed in any way, except for the addition of 75 ohm resistors as "convenience," then yes, they are "convenience."

Pretty close to the overall plan. Lots of 0.8 and 0.9 (hell I did a 0.8 over the long weekend and thought of two more), some go to shows if promising. The MJ3s at previous shows were exceptionally limited due to chokes with too low inductance (by a factor of 8), and they weren't at full bias in case the shows were warm. Also early functional issues. We can sometimes get a 1.00 production run. Sometimes it's more like 1.12. And sometimes it's stuck in 0.991, 0.992, 0.998, 0.9995. Those are less fun.

 

Let me ask another way then - does the gain stage in Mj3 lend itself to improving performance through the pre-outs relative to the other headamps in your lineup? Does it get us closER to a dedicated preamp performance, or we still need a separate preamp to achieve something like that? Trying to ascertain whether Mj3 would be “good enough” to not have to have another box to feed my power amp/powered speakers.

 

There is no magic to a dedicated preamp. It's literally a headphone amp, maybe a bit weaker, maybe running less current. All preamps run in Class A, unless maybe it's a (bad) IC design.

Mjolnir 3 is a different topology than our other headphone amp products (its closest to the Freya+ buffer), but there is no "dedicated preamp" magic--not with anything we do.

 

!

Maybe Keanu Reeves could successfully reboot it? He's part Chinese...

 

Hawaiian mostly, but ya small percentage Chinese, his dad was a real hapa (the word is a calque into Hawaiian meaning "half"), meaning part something (usu Euro, but could be anything, really—just tends to shake out that way) and part Asian—or could be more accurately called a Eurasian, as he is also Portuguese and Bri'ish.

His momma is a blonde. So Keanu is like, p much a white guy, to us—barely even a quapa (1/4 Azn).

 

Would it be fair to conclude, given the above measurements, that MJ3 really loves low impedance headphones?

 

If I were going to design an all out TOTL solid state amp. I would end up with the Mjolnir 3.

This amp has it all. Full Class A, discrete output stage. High voltage input stage. Dual mono choke power supply. Zero feedack / feedback option. Single ended or push/pull. Every base is covered. I rarely buy anything this expensive but this amp has tempted me numerous times already.

Well done Schitt Audio!

 

They did a continuation of the series, a psudo reboot already called Kung-Fu, The Legend Continues. David Carradine plays the grandson of the Kwai Chang Caine from the original, coincidentally, he is named the same - adventures just set in modern, urban times. But I guess there is continuity in the family resemblance doing it this way.

For the price, it seems the MJ3 is an incredible value. The multiple mode options this amp can do seems like a no brainer for those constantly switching out other components in their chain - seems very versatile in nature. I'd be all over this, if the Lyr+ wasn't way more than enough for my humble headphones.

 

So are we saying that MJ3 is Kwai Chang Caine just humbly walking the earth?

I mean, it does everything the old school way in a small discrete package. Does it not have some Kung Fu moves in a very effortless way?

 

Does that make Jot a little grasshopper?

 

If it is the Kwai Chang Caine - I hope the included electrical cable is long enough to hang in my closet.

 

First Mjolnir 3 casualty it looks like, reported on Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/schiit-mjolnir-3-impressions-thread.969416/page-17#post-17721897.

 

At what hour of burn in do the angels start to sing? Bought to try with Modded Fostex T_-RP...

 

I think it needs some burn in. First listen, 30 minutes or so after initial switch on, was muddled and raw (HQplayer>May>MJ3>Caldera). Two hours later, tightened some. Drums starting to gain transient edge and presence, piano and double bass sounding more separated and natural. Macrodynamics are convincing. I can already hear that it will may a tad darker and grittier than Oor, but showing a promising character. Really liking double bass string separation and resonances, although maybe slightly over the top. Listening to one of my favorite recent albums, Russ Lossing's "Alternate Side Parking Music" which (not surprising given the title) is all for grit, instrument materiality, and NY traffic dynamics; I suspect one of the best albums in my collection to show off MJ3. Horns still slightly mushy. But the double bass!