PicoWattson Posted November 13, 2017 Share Posted November 13, 2017 (edited) Is anybody using this supposed giant killer with planar magnetics? I am particularly interested to hear if anyone with HE-1000, HE-X, LCD-3/4, Focal Utopia/Clear etc has tried it. Stoddard and Moffat claim it is their lowest distortion HP amp yet but that does not always translate to the best listening experience. There appears to be plenty of forum gushing, but all phones used appear to be in the commensurate price range. I am considering upgrading my Taurus for a Violectric V281 but wonder if the the Joti may be a rewarding experience (not just the financial kind) or as I am prone to suspect, unsubstantiated hype more suited to the HE-400 or Elear. I am willing to be proven wrong if someone with the relevant experience rather than idle speculation can chime in. Edited November 15, 2017 by PicoWattson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarzan Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. I'm thinking of purchasing this with the DAC installed and use Audeze EL8's closed back headphones so this should be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PicoWattson Posted November 15, 2017 Author Share Posted November 15, 2017 The DAC board doesn't seem to garner the same sort of respect and most reviewers are of the opinion it warrants a better source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suopermanni Posted November 15, 2017 Share Posted November 15, 2017 I've used the Jotunheim with an LCD2.2, a HifiMan HE560 and a HifiMAN HE500 and had quite enjoyable sound FOR THE MONEY. I feel the main benefit of the Jotunheim is the price/performance aspect of it, that you get a decent balanced amp for a decent price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PicoWattson Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 @Suopermanni Did you notice a difference in performance between SE and balanced output? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarzan Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 On 11/15/2017 at 10:59 PM, PicoWattson said: The DAC board doesn't seem to garner the same sort of respect and most reviewers are of the opinion it warrants a better source. That may be the case but at what price point will the better source be? And is it worth the extra stretch on the wallet (mine anyway ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarzan Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 10 hours ago, PicoWattson said: @Suopermanni Did you notice a difference in performance between SE and balanced output? Great question, were you able to test the balanced headphone output? Was there a noticeable difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suopermanni Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 @PicoWattson From my experimenting, I can only detect volume differences between the SE and Balanced Outputs. Obviously, use the balanced if you want the additional power it can provide but the SE is respectable in my opinion. I also managed to briefly compare the Schiit Ragnarok to the Jotunheim. I could not tell much of a difference using the balanced HP out on both the Rag and the Jotunheim. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarzan Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 What were you using as a source? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suopermanni Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Was using and still am using a gungnir multibit connected via xlr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarzan Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Wow nice, what are you using as an amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suopermanni Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Using the Jot as a headphone amp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestefster Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 I'm using a Jot with both LCD-3's and EL-8's and they sound brilliant to me, however I have no other reference. I have been meaning to drag them to Melbourne or Sydney to audition them against other more expensive in-store setups to see if its worth my while to upgrade. Be interesting to get some feedback on anyone who has more than the Jots, who can compare it to other more expensive rigs. Almost pulled the trigger on the Mojo2's, as they look like a great combo but for that money I could upgrade to the LCD-4's!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarzan Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Wow, are your EL-8's closed or open? Are you using a DAC and if so which? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestefster Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 EL-8 Closed. I have the Jot with the DAC embedded. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuced Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Still getting to terms with my unit. Currently tried it with 3/7 of my headphones but initial impressions are good! Don't have experience with anything better (or priced higher) but I've got some Aune X1S, Schiit Magni 2 & Lyr (1) to compare the Jot against. Tl;dr yes it's good and I consider it a straight upgrade from the cheaper amps I've got. However, if I had to choose between the Jot and Magni 3 (or even the 2) I'd get the 3 and pocket the savings unless I was serious about this hobby. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarzan Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 13 hours ago, thestefster said: EL-8 Closed. I have the Jot with the DAC embedded. I wish you lived closer so I could check it out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestefster Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Got a good deal on a pair of HD800S for a little bit more portability. See how those go with the Jot, should arrive next week sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PicoWattson Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 Keep us posted on how the HD800s sounds on Jot. Imagine you will be glued on for a good 100+ hour break in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novman Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 When buying my HE1000 cans I was able to trial them on a Chord Dave and a Jot. To my ears the Jot kept up. This little box punches well above it’s weight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestefster Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 (edited) Just received the 800's.... been swapping between the LCD-3's on the Jot. What a set of headphones. I am speechless. Everything that they say about them is true. The clarity and detail is astonishing. Obviously I need to give it some time, but they are so much better to my ears than the LCD's. I didn't think that was possible. Been eyeing off the new HDV820, what are people's thoughts when compared to other options in this price range? Edited December 8, 2017 by thestefster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PicoWattson Posted December 8, 2017 Author Share Posted December 8, 2017 In the HDV820 you'll be getting a combined DAC and HP amp, which may fast track inbuilt obsolescence somewhat. Sennheiser are a bit coy about which ESS Sabre chip it uses. The buzz seems to warrant mandatory balanced use of this unit. Have you thought about a balanced cable with 4.4mm Pentaconn connectors? You might be the first kid on the block with one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightstream Posted December 24, 2017 Share Posted December 24, 2017 (edited) On 13/11/2017 at 10:35 PM, PicoWattson said: Is anybody using this supposed giant killer with planar magnetics? I am particularly interested to hear if anyone with HE-1000, HE-X, LCD-3/4, Focal Utopia/Clear etc has tried it. Stoddard and Moffat claim it is their lowest distortion HP amp yet but that does not always translate to the best listening experience. There appears to be plenty of forum gushing, but all phones used appear to be in the commensurate price range. I am considering upgrading my Taurus for a Violectric V281 but wonder if the the Joti may be a rewarding experience (not just the financial kind) or as I am prone to suspect, unsubstantiated hype more suited to the HE-400 or Elear. I am willing to be proven wrong if someone with the relevant experience rather than idle speculation can chime in. Mm, unfortunately not personal experience with the Jot yet, only the excellent review I've read several times in HiFi Plus mag - Dec 2016 edition. It was used WITH the supplied DAC and run with the Focal Utopias, HifiMAN HE1000 V2 and Mr Speakers Ether Flow, apparently really quite something on all of them, including some top class CIEMs. Several aspects of a favourite piece of music left the reviewer 'slack jawed and wide eyed in wonder,' using the Utopias. Fabulous instrument timbre, full, rich and pure, lots of tonal colour. Dynamic contrasts also highly praised. If I may quote Chris Martens' conclusion, " ... offers heavyweight performance in a middleweight chassis for a bantamweight price. " I think he really liked it! Definitely something I may need to hear for myself next year, especially since it seems very capable with some of the best cans out there. I know the Utopias are not planars, but the rest are and the Utopias are known for brightness with some amps, maybe those reviewers didn't get to hear them with a Jot Edited December 24, 2017 by Lightstream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestefster Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Had the Mjolnir2 with the Gungnir Multibit arrive today from the nice folks at Addicted to Audio in Melbourne. Have been swapping between the Jotunheim and this stack all morning and the main difference for me is the low-end, its night and day on the HD800S. Deep and powerful. More detailed separation is also noticeable, especially with tracks like ACDC's Thunderstruck where the low-end makes it come alive. I also tried the solid-stack tubes next to the glass tubes but without further testing i'd struggle to pick a winner other than *maybe* the solid-state sounded slightly better to my ears. The MJ and Gumby are an amazing piece of kit, no question. That said, what the last three hours have taught me is that the Jot is an even more incredible achievement for the level of performance it delivers in such a small unit, irrespective of price. To my ears is, the Jot is not that far off the MJ and Gumby combo, at least on the HD800S. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bones2 Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Listened with Audeze2. Found the sound got muddy in the mid highs with complex music passages. For SE found the Burson Soloist better. Schitt much improved with balanced use though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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