Schiit Amp Compendium - Guide to Schiit Amps (headamps)

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by purr1n, Oct 22, 2016.

  1. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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    Totalled up Marvey's scoring:
    Rag: 44
    Jot: 43
    Mjnolnir 2: 41
    Valhalla 2/ Lyr 2: 35
    Vali 2: 34
    Magni U: 33
    Magnu 2: 31

     
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    This is why Magni 2U is rated 7 in both the speed and clarity categories. It's in the middle to bottom compared to the rest of the Schiit line.

    On treble fuckery: I don't have an issue with any of the current Schiit line. The Jotunheim might be the one that could be slightly difficult, but properly selection of source, headphone, and leaving the amp on all the time takes care of that. I've already advised against HD800 with Jotunheim because of the HD800's 6kHz peak. The Valhalla 2 can be a bit dry or prickly, but similarly, proper selection of tubes and source, headphones, and warm-up can alleviate that. The Magni 2U is perfectly fine - the treble sounds natural to me. The Magni 2 a little bit less so. I do agree that Vali 2 and Asgard 2 are probably the most laid back. If people find the Schiit stuff too aggressive, I'd recommend they check out these two amps, or Cavalli gear, which is outside of the scope of this discussion.


    On summing the scores and comparing the totals:
    This is exactly what I DO NOT want people to do when making a purchasing decision. The totals are interesting from a academic point of view, but what I want people to do is to examine what aspects of sounds reproduction are most important to them, and make a decision upon that.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2016
  3. WNovizar

    WNovizar Facebook Friend

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    Where is Mjo2 BAL score?
     
  4. PoochZag

    PoochZag The Shadow knows - Friend

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    I would assume the Mjolnir 2 impressions are balanced, as he has iterated before that one should use the balanced outs of Mjo/Rag due to their topology, as well as the concept of using the best output for a particular amp to get the most out of it.
     
  5. WNovizar

    WNovizar Facebook Friend

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    But he also scored Jodie SE....
     
  6. PoochZag

    PoochZag The Shadow knows - Friend

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    Did he? I just see "Jot BAL" on the heptagram and elsewhere. Anyways, I'm sure he'll clarify, I just think it's unlikely it would be Mjo2 SE and not balanced. I could be wrong
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Mjolnir 2 is balanced. The circlotron designs get severely gimped from their SE outputs. The summing circuit gets in the way and defeats the point of the circlotron. Macrodynamics and plankton take a huge hit. All the other areas take a minor hit.

    The Jotunheim SE doesn't lose much. Maybe a point in speed and macrodynamics. Maybe a half point in plankton.

    I'll provide an update.


    All of the current generation Schiit amps are quite far away from the Asgard 1. Maybe the Asgard 2 might be the most similar to it. The Magni 2U has slightly better technicalities and more natural sounding treble compared to the Magni 1. The Magni 1 was a little lean and bright sounding. The Asgard 1 was too soft and fuzzy.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2016
  8. WNovizar

    WNovizar Facebook Friend

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    Its not in Heptagram but its there in his post
     
  9. Zed Bopp

    Zed Bopp Friend

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    This is great info, cheers Marv!

    I mostly use Lyr 2 with Lisst tubes that certainly make it less warm. Have you heard it like that, would it get different grades?

    If I was buying an amp right now, I'd certainly go with the Jot. Right now I'm leaning towards sticking with the Lyr. The difference shouldn't be huge, if I've read the impressions correctly.
     
  10. tdockweiler

    tdockweiler New

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    Wish they made a Jotunheim SE ONLY version so I could save a few dollars :D Probably couldn't cut costs that much or would it?
    Yes, I have this weird issue where I don't like anything on my amp I don't plan on using!

    I'm still waiting for the Schiit Weisenheimer. :rolleyes:
    Sorry, bad joke and I think I watch too many old TV shows like "The Honeymooners"!
    Everytime I see the word Jotunheim I want to call it the Jotunheimer. Yes, i'm weird.
     
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Lyr 2 with LSST makes it a totally different amp with a lot of similarities to the Jot if i remember correctly. I actually prefer the Lyr 2 with LSST and Mjolnir 2 with tubes. I haven't heard Lyr 2 / LSST enough, or in comparison to other Schiit amps to make an assessment. This is why I haven't made an assessment of the Asgard 2. I've heard it by itself a few times, and also briefly in comparison to the Valhalla 2 and Lyr 2, but it wasn't enough time and it wasn't in a home environment.

    It would cut costs massively. There have been several mentions of an SE CFA, but no one has a clue if this is real or not.
     
  12. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    A SE Jotunheim would make a lot of sense as a pairing for the Modi MB...
     
  13. GoldfishX

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    Semi-newb question...Does the Valhalla 2's lack of impact/slam stem from it being an OTL amp? I think it has a beautiful, textured sound and amazing separation/spatial abilities (using HD650), but is lacking when listening to any type of metal. In contrast, my main amp (a Luxman SQ-10, tube/transistor hybrid) didn't quite match the separation, but really seemed to wake the HD650 up with raw power and dynamics.

    Only reason I ask is the Valhalla 2 is the only OTL amp I've had a chance to hear and I was wondering if my experience is normal for that type of amp. I fully agree with the rankings it was given and I'm kind of happy I have sort of an "alternate" sound to switch to for non-metal stuff.

    Thank you for the great chart.
     
  14. geomaso44

    geomaso44 New

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    Last edited: Nov 21, 2016
  15. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    No, the lack of dynamics is not inherent to it being OTL.
     
  16. Colgin

    Colgin Friend

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    Shoot. I have a Q701 and didn't try it when I had the Jot loaner. But I did try to with K7xx and they paired nicely. I also compared the Senn HD 600 SE and balanced and while the balanced was better, the SE still held its own. Much closer in quality than say comparing the Liquid Carbon SE to balanced.
     
  17. aufmerksam

    aufmerksam Friend

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    Block of Salt: I have never really focused on synergy with my K7XX (its mainly a back up / alternate can to my 650's).

    Still, I will say that I have liked the 7XX most out of the Jotun. Of schiit amps, certainly more than Asgard 2 and Valhalla 2, and only a tiny bit more than Mjolnir 2. I really liked it with Mjo2, mostly because of bass-travaganza, but I think the Jotun suits the overall tonality of 7XX better (and I am not much of a basshead).
     
  18. zeissiez

    zeissiez Turn that Schiit down - acquaintance

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    Sorry for being a noob, what is plankton?
     
  19. Delayeed

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    That green spongebob dude who always be stealing the krabby patty recepie... Anyway I think low level detail.
     
  20. PoochZag

    PoochZag The Shadow knows - Friend

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