Schiit Mjolnir headphone amplifier - Page 33

Your english is great!  And certainly 100000% percent better than my spanish!  I'd say if you are interested in classical, and the HD800 is a good price, that would be my choice.  Next would be HiFiMan HE-500.

Quote:

Originally Posted by turopark 

This my first post so be kind ¡,
Wich headphone, ( 1500 usd maximun) is best to hear classical music , from Bach to Richard Strauss , with Mjolnir and gungnir . I know is guessing as gungnir is not on sale but i have to buy now my headphones so , I need your wisdom ¡¡ 👂👂👂
sorry if this is not the right place to ask and pardon my poor english I am from Barcelona ( Btw here in Spain HD800 are quite cheap)
thanks for your help¡¡

No contest, Senn HD800.

I think it really depends on the guy's taste in sound signature. I always preferred the LCD2 over HD800 with even classical. They lured me into the music whilst with the HD800, I sat there appreciating the gigantic sound stage... but no "romantic" feeling.

tl;dr - @turopark: define what you mean by "best"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solude 

No contest, Senn HD800.

The HE500 is great for classical music, the realism and the soundstage both in width and depth is just fantastic.
 

I haven't tested them on high end amps and DACs, but most that have says that the HE500 scales well with better equipment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BleaK 

The HE500 is great for classical music, the realism and the soundstage both in width and depth is just fantastic.
 

I haven't tested them on high end amps and DACs, but most that have says that the HE500 scales well with better equipment.

Bit off topic but yes - I find that orthodynamic and electrostatic headphones are completely superior in terms of string instruments. It's a real eye opener the first time you hear it and it is not subtle.

Back to the Mjölner...

Quote:

Originally Posted by wotts 

The ß22 has always sounded a little thin to me but I can't put my finger on why. When time allows, I'm planning to check all the solder joints again. For the most part it sits under a cover.

I've always found the upper mid of the β22 a bit on the thin side so it doesn't have that vocal sizzle of what one might commonly associate with solid-state amplifiers. That and it is almost completely free of any coloration whatsoever so I can understand that if people find it sterile or lifeless because you're practically listening to your source. 

That's a good analogy. Many say that the source should be as colorless as possible. If there's any coloration to be desired, it should come from your amp and not the source. But in the case of the beta, you would be out of luck as it truly lets you hear the sound sig of your source. If your source doesn't have a particular sound, the beta won't either. So this could be a good or bad thing. And that depends on who you ask.

So from the very few impressions, it seems the mjolnir has this quality as well. And if that's true, then that's certainly high praise coming from a commercial amp that only cost 750.00. And it will also mean that this can compete with solid state headphone amps costing multiples of 750.00. But it still early though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by K3cT 

 

I've always found the upper mid of the β22 a bit on the thin side so it doesn't have that vocal sizzle of what one might commonly associate with solid-state amplifiers. That and it is almost completely free of any coloration whatsoever so I can understand that if people find it sterile or lifeless because you're practically listening to your source. 

My 4 channel β22 is not free of coloration if I compare it to my old GS-1.  Now If I compare it to the M^3 I would say the M^3 adds more color but the β22 is still not completely free.  Not a neutral / transparent amp at all.  However, it's a very much enjoyable amp to listen to.

I wouldn't say the beta is the is completely free of coloration. And it may not be the most neutral amp in existence. To be honest I haven't heard an amp that is completely free of at least a little coloration. There really is no such thing. As long as resistors, capacitors, etc are used that would be an impossible feat. But the goal would be to have it be as neutral as possible if that is the goal of the designer. But the beta is more neutral than most, and I think K3cT was speaking in relative and not absolute terms which is why he said "almost" completely free of colorations. I directly compared a gilmore reference to a beta, and thought the gilmore reference was a little more neutral than the beta, so I could see the gs-1 having less coloration.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikek200 

 

HI Wotts,

Well---hope the Mjolnir/T1's,has the same affect on my ears---that will be a first for me,but hey,open to anything-within reason

Also,Looking forward to your impressions with the he-6

 

Tnx,

Mike

I'm using the T1/Mjolnir combo and I can tell you that imaging and soundstage is superb. It's the most convincing combo yet. It's like Dolby Headphone without the processing lol. After 30 minutes of listening to them on the HA-160D and B22 (friends) i would get listening fatigue. I haven't experienced fatigue on the Mjolnir at all! The only amp I've heard that can hold a candle to the Mjolnir is the Violectric, but I think it will get pushed out the spotlight in a few weeks once more reviews and impressions are in. I sometimes find myself turning up to louder volume than I should because its so clear and life like. The music and detail/transients just pour in that no sub $1k amp on the current market can come close to. The unit runs cool for quite some time, but after several hours of heat pooling up, it does get a bit hot. Mjolnir's heat sinking ability is very well engineered and really isnt a problem at all. This is also in a ~78 F room.

I can't stress enough just how convincing the Mjolnir+T1 pairing really is. It's a match made in heaven for sure. There is a very flat sound signature, unlike the V shape of Burson units. The Burson units sort of put the vocals "outside" your head ,but they are actually hurting the SQ in the end. The Mjolnir is more of a " \ " bass tipped curve, but doesn't drown out those ever-so-fine treble details and transients. That means a very flat frequency response for those neutral-nazi people out there. However, it doesn't try to get in the way of the music like Burson and others do. I'm done searching for headphone equipment for atleast a year, I might occasionally login to headfi now. That is the only compliment a manufacturer needs. Yulong D18/Mjolnir/Beyer T1 combo = Peace out HeadFi. Thank you Schiit!

Quote:

Originally Posted by moodyrn 

I wouldn't say the beta is the is completely free of coloration. And it may not be the most neutral amp in existence. To be honest I haven't heard an amp that is completely free of at least a little coloration. There really is no such thing. As long as resistors, capacitors, etc are used that would be an impossible feat. But the goal would be to have it be as neutral as possible if that is the goal of the designer. But the beta is more neutral than most, and I think K3cT was speaking in relative and not absolute terms which is why he said "almost" completely free of colorations. I directly compared a gilmore reference to a beta, and thought the gilmore reference was a little more neutral than the beta, so I could see the gs-1 having less coloration.

I completely agree.  

Uh huh.  Now imagine with a good source and headphone ;)  Oh snap :D