The All Purpose Advice Thread

I'm hoping to keep it around 500 USD as shipping is gonna be at least 10% that. I mostly use IEMs though I do have some low impedance headphones for gaming use.
I'll likely be keeping it as I'm not sure where I could sell it off to. But if I do sell it off I will have to upgrade my DAP (which I've been meaning to for a while).
The Jotunheim is as big as I can fit it on top of my speakers but I could try to clear some space behind the laptop. I'm worried about sun and dust if I put it there however.
I'm young enough I don't need to worry about retirement yet but I do have a mandatory savings account if that counts

Also thank you @Kattefjaes and @JoshMorr I'll look into the separate DACs from Schiit. I probably won't get the Vali2 however most of my gear tends towards warm but I don't like it too warm.

 

Probably not, except one will theoretically burn out before the other.

I have compared the T3 to the Valhalla 2 here, if that's helpful. (My T3 at this time had the Cinemags and the stock Epcos caps, not either of the CCS board upgrades or the Mundorf capacitor upgrade.)

 

To clarify:

• Do you use IEMs at home, on the laptop and/or to game? Or do you only use them on your portable DAP setup?
• Are you planning on using the HD650 for gaming?

If you use the IEMs at home and/or to game, Jotunheim is your choice. I'd get the internal DAC and call it good for a while.

Reason I ask about retirement is because it's precisely at (or before) your age that you should start saving about retirement given the benefits of compound interest. See my post in the rule of thumb thread (I'd check out the whole thread too). I got into the hobby at your exact age (9 years ago), and wasted a lot of time and money I wouldn't have if this site had existed then. HD6XX is an awesome first step. Also suggest reconsidering spending this much on electronics if you've taken out student debt.

Our goal here, if I may speak for others, is to get you off the mid-fi treadmill to get quality electronics you can keep for years so that you can focus on stuff that actually matters.

 

I do use the IEMs at home but I'll likely be using them with my player since I often lie down while listening from them and the laptop would be too far. As for gaming, do cables with mics work with the Jot? Like can you still speak through it? If not it would probably depend on the situation but I'll use the Jot whenever I can with the laptop.

Luckily I'm indecisive (and rather stingy) with my wallet and won't let myself use more than a small portion of my income each month. The gear I already have I got at discounts as well Student debt I don't have to worry about luckily.

That's definitely the plan although I'll have to save up a year or more to justify myself getting anything over 1k (that can wait).

 

I'll jump in here just for this one. The answer is no, unfortunately. It's going to be no with any dedicated headphone amp. The only exception I've seen with a microphone passthrough are some of the cheaper Creative small all-in-one dongles (E5 I think is one)

There are ways to still use a mic with a headphone that has it integrated in the cable. There are TRRS breakout cables, which splits the mic part out into it's own jack, that can go into your Mic-In on your PC, for instance

 

Thank you for the info! That's a shame but I already expected that so no big. Sadly this is one of those "newer" (4 years old now) laptops with the all in one ports but i think they do have adapters for that as well.

 

Do also bear in mind that Modmics, and random add-on USB mics are often horrible from a noise cancelling POV. For the love of god, if you're gaming with others, just use a good-quality headset with a proper noise-cancelling boom mic, and enable push to talk too.

No-one wants to strain to hear indistinct, echoey words when the shit goes down and faces are melting. No-one wants to hear you chewing through monster bags of Doritos or getting told off by your girlfriend. Everyone who blithely claims that they're a unique and special snowflake, and it will be great quality for them, as they have a hall pass from the laws of physics is just an inconsiderate bellend.

Having been trained to mic up wriggling actors with lavalier mics (shoving mics up peoples' tops and taping them down is a bit weird!), I don't really suggest this approach, either, it's harder than it looks to do right, avoid handling noise and get the levels right consistently.

When you're under considerable cognitive load due to N things happening within seconds, the last thing you need is poor intelligibility of speech- it uses up attention that you can ill-afford to spare. When you're playing with others, you're a better and more considerate team mate when you don't sound like crap. A good-quality headset (either broadcast or gaming) won't kill you, and it will help your team mates!

End of rant. Sorry

 

Quick question, gents. Would it be deranged of me to unload the Jot in favor of picking up a minty Sony ZX2? I'd have to sell something to offset the cost. With the other desktop amps I've currently got on hand or en route, Jodie may not see a lot of use going forward.

 

Only you can answer that- depends on your use.. Maybe wait until some of the en route ones land and see how you feel? Or is the mobile itch too strong? I mean, if you don't even need it as a backup, better than someone else gets some use out of it, I suppose.

(..he said, having spent the afternoon clearing crap out of the spare room.)

I can totally understand the urge, have often considered looking for a non-EU ZX2 to reduce the "pocket sandwich" effect. I tried a Q1PR locally, it sounded a bit plastic, oddly, and the UI was dreadfully 2002, unlike my wrecked eyes.

 

I think what's driving my interest is a) the numerous, unreservedly positive descriptions of the the ZX2's sonic (and physical) attributes from trusted ears, and b) the possibility of having a totally portable, dedicated solution for mobile use. Also, I'm pretty pleased with my stable of amps. Sonett 2, CTH, and M3 pretty much have all the bases covered in terms of possible headphone synergies. The CTH is small enough to qualify as semi-transportable, so I could pair it with a Moby for use at work if I was so inclined. Not as convenient as the Jodie in that application, certainly. But it removes a potential impetus for keeping it.

I've got zero interest in DAPs in general. The ZX2 is an exception due to the obvious quality of its build and seemingly sensible UI. It's the only one I'd consider buying.

Heh, apologies if this stream of consciousness is less than clear. Really just thinking "out loud," as it were.

 

Afraid not. My plan is to stay at this level until I can justify one of the TOTL tube amps.

 

Despite this being a loaded and subjective question, I'm going to say go for it if you are serious or planning to get serious about your mobile game. The Jot was a decent headamp for $399 but it never sent shivers up my spine like the ZX2 was capable of. My favorite experience in audio thus far was listening to the first Cranberries album on the ZX2+Andromeda and being so engrossed in chamber pop I forgot what was going on around me. When I sold my portable setup it was a lot tougher to let the ZX2 go than the Andromeda, something that surprised me then, especially since I was one of those people that thought a phone was good enough for most IEMs a few months ago.

Get a case to keep it safe since the one it comes with is semi-useless and enjoy audio nirvana on the go.

 

@k4rstar: Ha ha, indeed. But then so are most such questions! Honestly, I wouldn't want you to read the question as me simply seeking affirmation for a decision already made. I am genuinely curious to see what others think about this. It's a loaded line of inquiry, but not a disingenuous one. And I do like the Jodie a lot. Either the amp alone or in combination with a source component, it's the best value in this hobby that I've ever come across.

However, if ratification of a decision already made was all I was after, that testimonial of yours would be mighty compelling. Experiences such as that are what make this whole business worthwhile.

 

Hi everyone,

Returning here with some good and bad news.

So i took some people's advice and got the Vali 2 + Modi multibit for my HD 800 and got great results.

I managed to get lucky and land on a prebuilt speedball + crack which has paired amazingly with the hd 800.

I still preferred the chord mojo as a DAC compared to the modi multibit(which is why i'm selling it along with my vali 2).

I also preordered the ZMF Eikon(which i heard is pretty neutral) and I'm not sure if the crack/speedball would pair well with it since it doesn't seem like the crack pairs well with any headphones outside of the hd 800 + HD 6xx range.

But since the ZMF Eikon is 300 OHMs, can I assume they will pair well?

I've been pondering whether I should upgrade my amp after I sell the Vali 2 + Modi multibit.

I am looking for a do-it-all amp that can pair well with my HD 800 and ZMF Eikon.

I've been looking at the Schiit Mjolnir 2 as a possible replacement/side amp to my crack - speedball.

Any thoughts or recommendations for an amp that would pair well with the ZMF Eikon / HD 800?

Maybe I should keep the speedball afterall and forget upgrading?

Would be willing to throw $1K< on an amp upgrade

Thanks!

 

No problem. I recall seeing the Jot plus Val2 or Vali 2 in a synergy thread as well as your mention here.

As someone who just ordered a Mjo2, it makes me curious. The fully built/upgraded T3 is another but like you I wonder if I should be happy for awhile and save for an end game amp like DNA or high end EC...

 

Do it, enjoy the Mjo 2 for now, save for a behemoth, and laugh in the face of moderation.

I was all set to commission a ZDS (which I have fancied for a while), and then the pound tanked due to brexit idiocy. DNA no longer makes his Stratus, which was the other amp I sort of pined for. So I sighed, and arranged for an NBM to be smuggled in to keep me entertained, and accidentally got a killer deal on an HP8mk2. I think those will mostly keep me amused until I can justify something badass.

(Now watch me ignore that plan the next time another nice amp comes up cheap.. grr!)

 

Slow down, grasshopper...

 

Hi.

Good news first, please.

Great! What do you like about it?

Well that's nice, but what happened to the Vali 2?

Oh, well that was sudden.

Exciting, but given the Eikon hasn't released yet and very few people have had the chance to hear it, maybe you should check the thread dedicated to the Eikon/Atticus instead.

One can assume that OTL Tube amps like the Crack will pair well with high Z dynamics, yes.

Didn't you just get the Crack though?

See the last three comments.

Check out the dedicated Mjolnir 2 thread and the thread on HD800 amp pairings, should be plenty of notes there on how Mjo2 pairs with at least one of your headphones...

You asked this already!

Probably not a bad idea....

 

Sell it. You won't want to go back to the Jot with a Sonett 2 imo. IME, you don't need a dedicated amp for IEMs with the ZX2 around. Only exception I can think of right now would be for the Katana. I don't know how well the ZX2 would pair with your UM though.

Syntax please.. You don't need to put every single sentence in its own line.

 

I'm using a Vmoda boom mic and so far haven't gotten any complaints about not hearing me properly so I assume it's fine. Nevermind about the rant I know how annoying it is having heard someone in a public game with mic always on. Their fish tank was really loud lol. (Sorry if I'm going off topic here)