Schiit Jotunheim impressions

@Marvey So how does this case open up?

 

I just ordered one of these (amp only) for kicks after seeing the specs. I have been wanting to get an inexpensive balanced amp to play with for a while. I did look at the Mjolnir but I don't want anything with tube sockets as I am over and very done with tube rolling.

I can't say I have had the best luck with Schiit amps in the past, so I hope this lives up to even a portion of the hype.

My first post after lurking for a very long time.

 

@Sanlitun: Good first post, and I'm looking forward to seeing your impressions on the Jodie. But I'd encourage you to make your second post here.

 

My system is substantially similar to @RKML0007 with the following exceptions:
PC running JRiver MC instead of MBP Tidal/Roon.
No TPLink FMC between DVS and RN D16
No LPS on MC-3+USB
ZDSE instead of ZDS
HD800 instead of HD800S, stock HD650 only cans used

My listening experience follows Ron's very closely. Schiit has created an amp of extraordinary quality with a ludicrous speed performance / price ratio.

Jotunheim is one amp that deserves highest marks and should be on everyone's radar at the meets.

 

I've had the Jotun since Friday but I haven't had too much time to listen through all my stuff cause I've had people over. But so far, my impressions of this amp are VERY positive. I've left the amp on the entire time that I've had it. Initially there seemed to be a little bit of harshness and forwardness to the sound but that seems to be gone now.

At $400, this is a seriously disruptive amplifier. @zerodeefex wasn't kidding when he said that this is Schiit's TOTL amp. It's so damn good and versatile enough to power most headphones and IEMs out there. In addition, it's a very transparent pre-amp for speakers with the Yggdrasil. I haven't done extensive comparisons between the internal Virtue One.3 preamp and the Jotun yet, but I've definitely heard some of the great qualities that I heard through headphones while using the Jotun as a pre for my Virtue. That post will be for another time when I have access to @SteelCannon's or @sphinxvc's Odyssey Stratos. For now though, here are my impressions on the headphones that I've listened to through the Jotun!

Setup: PC > Yggdrasil (USB) > Mogami XLRs > Jotun > Headphones
^Yeah yeah... no decrapifier, spdif converter, streamer, or anything of that sort here. I'll wait patiently for USB gen 4.

Common traits b/t various headphones

• The Jotun is an extremely powerful amp that dishes out clean power.
• From all the headphones that I've heard it through, it had a sound that reminds me of the EC 2A3.
• Sounds seem to pop and disappear, leading to a very black background and sharp transients.
• It's a very fast amp capable of resolving nuances and small volume shifts.
• Excellent layering of sounds and instruments. Everything is so well separated.
• It's the best solid state headphone amp that I've heard (definitely preferable to the BW for me)

UERM (SE)
This is the best amp that I've heard with the uerms. The noise level on the Jotun is kind of weird. From 7 to 11 o'clock, there is no noise on low gain. There's a very faint hiss from 11 to 4 o'clock, and then there's a hum from 3 to 5 o'clock. I think for the most part, anyone playing at 11 o'clock or higher with the uerms on low gain will probably eventually go deaf anyways, so it's not a problem at all. I actually prefer using the high gain with my uerms as they seem to be more dynamic and powerful that way. The only trade off is a very minor hiss when music isn't playing. I actually bought some used Forza Hybrid CIEM cables with a balanced jack and adapters to use my uerms with the Jotun, but they won't be here til later this week.

• This amp blows the Leck out of the water.
• Thought that the UERMs were lacking subbass? This amp brings it out of them, especially the texture.
• Edit: It's cliche but I seriously heard stuff that I've never heard before with the uerms and Jotun because the noise level is so low. There were details in Dark Side of the Moon and Meddle that I've never heard before.

HD650 (Modded and Balanced)

• Soundstaging on the Valhalla 2 seems to be a bit more wider.
• The Jotun has a lot more balls than the V2 and is very hard hitting. The V2 in comparison is a bit more laid back and soft with my tube configuration
• The Jotun brings out more details than the V2.
• Again, the blackness of the background really stands out to me with the HD650s on the Jotun.

Other headphones
Modded HD800s - @Maxx134's pair. I really liked this pairing with the few tracks that I listened to. The Jotun really brings out the positive traits of the HD800s while giving its bass a powerful punch that I wouldn't have expected out of them.

Modded HE-1000 - Also maxx's. I thought that this pairing was also really good and kind of a middle ground between the HD800 and HD650s.

Ether Flow - Blegh. The Flows sounding claustrophobic and a bit V shaped to my ears. They certainly didn't bring out some of the details that I was hearing from the HD650s and HD800s at all. Things sounded like they had some sort of haze that's holding them back.

Conclusions
For anyone looking for a desktop amp for their IEMs, GET THIS NOW!!! I think I was most impressed by the sound I was getting from the uerms than the other headphones that I tried. I can't wait to hear what improvements I'll get from running the uerms balanced.

As for the Senns, the Jotun was a wonderful pairing with them. YMMV on the HD800s depending on mods used and dacs used though. For the hd650, it's an extremely safe choice over the rest of the amps available at or above the Jotun's price point.

Congrats to Schiit for cramming so much performance into such a small enclosure and at such a low price point. Like others have said, I'd probably be willing to pay much more than $400 for this amp. Again, I'll be sure to report back with my balanced UERM and speaker pre-amp findings once I have access to them!

Edit:

Part 2 - Pics of UERMs with Forza Cable
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...jotunheim-impressions.2700/page-20#post-78118

Part 3 - Impressions with Forza cable and balanced output with UERM
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...jotunheim-impressions.2700/page-21#post-78164

 

from what thegunner100 described, It sounds like the fast and agile Jody is perfect pairing to the Fast and Furious Campfire Andromeda.

 

I wouldn't necessarily say so unless you like the Andromedas with a lot of bass. The <0.1 output impedance on the Jotun is ideal for the UERMs in retaining all of its treble but I've found sources with <1 OI to be too bassy for me with the Andromedas. I'm sure someone with the Andromedas and Jotun will chime in soon enough though. I'm definitely interested in hearing the two together myself.

 

With the UERM and low gain - can you have balanced sound at a very low volume? Fall asleep levels

 

I guess people who bought the Andromeda would already loved the bass from it to begin with. I would get the Fidue Sirius A91 If you seek something less bassy than Andromeda. Bass can be offset with different tips or fooling* around impedance adaptors.

* I don't recommend doing that as any additional adaptors/cabling can smear the sound.

 

On both SE and balanced inputs, only a tiny part of the volume part has channel imbalance. I guess it depends on how low volume you want to listen to. If it helps for reference, it can get slightly quieter than my Leck with the low gain mod before channel imbalance.

 

wow... so here goes my hopes of finding an expensive end game solid state amp. I was hoping to find one in the 2k range. Now I have to pay 400. Now I won't feel so cool with all my fancy gear. Now I can't brag about how fu fu my tastes are and how much it costs to satisfy my snobby finickiness.

Well hopefully you guys are wrong and this thing sucks so I can sit back on my perch of summit-fi gear that is ever rising in price to exclude the average from having the best.

 

can anyone compare it to the black widow

 

Need more photos of the Jotun stacked above and below DACs for scientific reasons and not for this stacking fetish onset by Schiit.

 

the aspects that i'm interested in hearing more about from folks is not just tonal balance, resolution, clarity, speed, but also soundstage. the BW has the best soundstage of any solid state i've heard but still lags behind some of the great tube amps. The exception is TMoney's DSHA-4 which I heard for like 5 minutes at a meet months ago and don't recall it's soundstage presentation. Also costs a bundle more than Jediheimmer and even BW so possibly apples to not-apples.

 

@thegunner100 You said you like it better than BW. Can you elaborate?

 

There are several raving (and convincing) reviews already, but I was wondering if someone has paired Jotunheim specifically with Modi MB/Bifrost MB. Is supplying Jotunheim with a SE input distract in any meaningful way from the amp's qualities?

 

Don't worry so much about the price. Look at the history of the company and how they market their products for value/performance. This amp is seriously good. I compared to several amps this weekend at the mini meet. I preferred it to the now $800 LC. And the functionality of the Jodie is just icing on the cake.

Schiit could have put this amp in that stack of mjolnir 1 chassis that they have and charged $1k and people would have loved it just as much, maybe more.

 

Hey guys, I don't think people realize this , but the Jotunheim delivered the MOST powerful bass I have heard out of my HEK, in a fast way, unlike an EC2a3 which is capable of heavy large bass.

The Jotunheim is really some ballsy amp.
No, really..
It really is special, and actually should be the first amp to look at for planar headphones..

Why?
Last time I heard the HEK sound that strong, explosive bass impact and liveliness,
it was out of a Wells Audio HeadTrip amplifier..(!)

Now I consider the HeadTrip to be "solid state" sounding with artificial blackness and no ambient air like tubes, but that amp has shit loads of power and definition.

The Jotunheim has this sense & same dynamic power and control, yet with delicacy and air found in tube amps.
I think they finally got solid state done right.
The ultimate question for me is how large is its soundstage.
From my short listening, it seemed to have larger than most amps.

This schiit is a serious high end amp with kick ass performance.
I believe this amp will become a reference of comparison for other amps ,
And a first choice for planar headphones.

 

There are lot's of hp amps with schiit loads of power and I have dismissed most of them. They were overbearing and clumsy and I could never get past 9:00 on the pot. The Jodie is powerful and delicate in the way it applies power. It's a beautiful sounding amp.

I keep thinking that the Jodie is my end game solution for noobs getting into the hobby and maybe add a MB dac If and when they get more serious about the hobby and want to take it to the next level. The funny thing is that I may have found my own end game solid state amp.