Schiit Mjolnir headphone amplifier - Page 43

To some of us, it's really not feasible to just purchase, then return, losing both ways' shipping + 5% fee.

To Canadians specifically, we'd be losing out around $300. I'd rather just trust the ears of experienced fellow members with similar equipment thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brunk 

Why would you solely trust reviewers when it's your ears? Plus, there's an in-home trial anyways. What are you waiting for? If you don't like it, just return it.

Certainly it's much preferred to be short shipping charges etc than trying to sell an entire amp you dislike.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MomijiTMO 


Making headphone have massive soundstages with oodles of detail etc. The HD800 always sounds 'big' on anything, including an iPhone. My amps don't really make it sound that much bigger. On my ß22, the edges are much more well defined and things are not as sludgy/fuzzy/hazy. I'm not really sure how an amp makes things more detailed either. It's an amp....
I'll have to wait for more reviews/impressions. So far, most members are saying it's transparent which gets two big thumbs up from me.
Pedantic semantics. If I had put the word 'dedicated' or 'stand alone' in there, you wouldn't have a problem.

I'm not sure where you get "the amp is giving more detail", but it's definitely very transparent. What Solude hinted at, we may be getting more DAC reviews than the amp because of this (transparency), which is very cool indeed. Solude's comment also reinforces my initial impressions that the Mjolnir really does step out of the way of the music. However, he still hasn't heard it either just like you, but he does have it on the way I believe. I wouldn't be surprised if his own findings will be very similar to mine, except he will be comparing to much more costly amps, which is speaking high praises to the Mjolnir. That also reinforces my impression that it's worth about 3x its price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solude 

My impression from reading err impressions is that the amp is if nothing else... transparent.  Meaning whatever your DAC does, the Mjolnir spits right back at you.  So we could possibly be reading DAC reviews ;)  Which is damn cool!

I haven't been able to peg the Mjolnir's inherent signature. The way it sounds changes with every recording. Every flowery audiophile term can be applied but less flattering descriptions can also be accurate under different conditions. I get the sense I'm listening to the quality of the recording, the limitations of the Bifrost and the signature of the headphone. The Mjolnir is inconspicuous and it is indeed damn cool.

edit: I'm finding the Mjolnir sounds significantly better once it's had time to warm up. The LCD-2 is nice through the Mjolnir, but this Schiity amp elevates the HD800 a few rungs above imo. The clarity of every element and coherence of the overall presentation is something to behold. Also, this amp should obliterate the "HD800 has no bass" myth. Anyone clinging to that view after hearing these components should not be trusted. Ever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by olor1n 

 I'm finding the Mjolnir sounds significantly better once it's had time to warm up.

To quote Nelson Pass... what you are hearing is the amp go from class B to AB to A as you listen while its getting up to temp.  Treat it like a tube amp.  Don't listen after turn on ;)  I just simplify things and never turn off.

Not sure if anyone else has commented on the ultra-low noise floor of this amp, which allows subtleties both good (musical details) and bad (tape hiss, studio noise, etc.) to be heard ultra-clearly. I think I can state without fear of contradiction (did I just write that on Head-Fi?!?) that this is one area where SS always trumps tubes. While I own no high-efficiency balanced phones, I can see the potential.

At the same time, there's some tunes that just cry out for glass bottles. Apparently the Schiit statement amp will come in two versions - SS or tube - and I can't decide which one to get. Or maybe I'll just have to buy both and live on ramen for the next decade.

As to the Mjolnir, I think I can state without fear of contradiction (good grief, not again) that it is one heck of a piece for the money.

It is with contradicting fear I grief the onset of ramen

Quote:

Originally Posted by 45longcolt 

Not sure if anyone else has commented on the ultra-low noise floor of this amp, which allows subtleties both good (musical details) and bad (tape hiss, studio noise, etc.) to be heard ultra-clearly. I think I can state without fear of contradiction (did I just write that on Head-Fi?!?) that this is one area where SS always trumps tubes. While I own no high-efficiency balanced phones, I can see the potential.

 

At the same time, there's some tunes that just cry out for glass bottles. Apparently the Schiit statement amp will come in two versions - SS or tube - and I can't decide which one to get. Or maybe I'll just have to buy both and live on ramen for the next decade.

 

As to the Mjolnir, I think I can state without fear of contradiction (good grief, not again) that it is one heck of a piece for the money.

+1 I still agree with you, as a fellow owner. It's very hard to give a description of this amp other than "extremely transparent" and "has excellent control". If the amp is virtually invisible guys, that is awesome! Second, I do agree some tunes can benefit from some warmth, but you don't have to wait for the statement gear if you don't want. I have been using the Yulong D18 in conjunction with Mjolnir with great success. The Yulong D18/Mjolnir combo will only set you back $1,500 and both units have in-home trials too. As I have stated before, I'm done looking for atleast a year. What better compliment is there? Fact is, the people that don't own this amp need to get off the fence and try it out, or patiently (quietly) wait for additional reviews to flow in if they want more info, but those reviews will be very similar to ours anyhow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 45longcolt 

Not sure if anyone else has commented on the ultra-low noise floor of this amp, which allows subtleties both good (musical details) and bad (tape hiss, studio noise, etc.) to be heard ultra-clearly. I think I can state without fear of contradiction (did I just write that on Head-Fi?!?) that this is one area where SS always trumps tubes.

Wrong on both counts.  

I've heard more SS amps masking detail than tube amps.  Of course there are more SS devices out in the wild period.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaxilus 

Wrong on both counts.  

 

I've heard more SS amps masking detail than tube amps.  Of course there are more SS devices out in the wild period.  

LOL, I've heard a few well known SS headamps with more noise than some tube amps! Just grab an ATH-AD2000 or similarly highly efficient headphone to test. SS does sound cleaner to me, but from my limited experience, ultra-low noise floor does not necessarily mean that all micro-details are reproduced.

That being said, I felt the Mjolnir was quite excellent at reproducing plankton. I'm glad a lot of people are enjoying it, and that it does the HD800 justice (for those who like the HD800). I must say that I'm rather tempted to get one myself given the price, although I don't really need another amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstaken 

I agree with this completely. The only thing I find with the Mjolnir that makes it a tricky recommendation is that it is balanced only. If you're actually a headphone enthusiast that makes it a little difficult to serve as your only amp. Trying different headphones on it before you're committed to them isn't really possible in cases where the cable is either hard wired or after market cables aren't readily available. Also some headphones that only have a 3 conductor cable can't be balanced at all without major surgery to the headphone it self. Fortunately that's rare with high-end headphones but it is a problem for some midrange ones.

 

Yep, the Mojo sounds like a great amp, but personally I would prefer to have a high end headphone amp with both SE and balanced inputs and outputs. 

I'd still like to plug in my legacy 'phones without rewiring them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgjy 

This type of misconception bothers me. What do you mean by "no amp"? If you plug your headphones into something and hear music, that is an amp. Your iPod is an amp. Your sound card is an amp.
The misconception is over different approaches and degrees to amping. Dedicated amps generally sound better than op amps. But, op amps still amplify.
The Mjolnir is one approach to amplification, and it seems like a very ambitious and cutting edge way to do it.

I don't think you really mean all of that Jay:

"Dedicated amps sound better than Op Amps"?    There are quite a few Op Amp based dedicated amps, it's all in the total implementation. 

Absolutely....

A dedicated, desktop amp like the Heed CanAmp, which uses opamps as voltage regulators sounds much better than an iPod, which probably relies exclusively on an op amp for the entire amplification scheme.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris J 

 

I don't think you really mean all of that Hodj:

"Dedicated amps sound better than Op Amps"?    There are quite a few Op Amp based dedicated amps, it's all in the total implementation.