[Odin412]

I have a Peachtree X1 USB to coax converter, and after the Anniversary update, I had to uninstall the Peachtree driver and reinstall it. Uninstall, reboot, reinstall, reboot. The reboot after uninstalling is critical. Waste of time, I know. FWIW

 
Now that you mention it I don't recall if I rebooted after the uninstall. Good advice! I'll try again over the weekend and see what happens.

 

[valiant66]

Did I miss this earlier? A review of the Yggdrasil/Ragnarok stack over at Audioholics.
 
http://www.audioholics.com/gadget-reviews/schiit-yggdrasil-and-ragnarok
 
"Together with their durable two-piece aluminum chassis and generous 5 year warranty, the Schiit Yggdrasil and Ragnarok are a highly recommended end-game purchase that will serve you for many years to come."

 

[KLJTech]

I apologize if this has already been answered or mentioned elsewhere but is the Jotunheim a Class A/B or Class A amp? I'm working too many hours this week and have tried looking it up a couple times with no luck. Are they simply keeping some information close to the vest since the Pivot Point design is new to the industry? (which I could completely understand)  
 
I love the fact that Schiit Audio isn't married to one type of circuit design when it comes to their amps. I've loved music all my life but didn't truly get into the hobby of better audio components until the early 90's so I find Schiit Audio and the way they do things (DAC's and Amps) extremely refreshing. I love how they're thumbing their nose at the rest of an industry that appears to only care about how much they can drive up prices, with their CNC milled aluminum casework, which has to be the most expensive part of the product they're selling. 

 

[Argo Duck]

^ I don't recall seeing Jason answer the A or A/B question - here or another site I read

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Jotunheim is Class AB...kinda obvious, I thought, from the heat (or lack thereof.)

 

[KoshNaranek]

^ I don't recall seeing Jason answer the A or A/B question - here or another site I read

I doubt it is class A. Jotunheim has half the aluminum radiating area of Asgard which is 1 watt per channel pure single ended class A.

Lyr operates in single ended class A for only the first watt, It then moves to push/pull as output increases, finally moving to AB.

Given half the radiating area, I think it unlikely that it can maintain class A operation for 5 watts and still stay in the thermal envelope.

 

[rtaylor76]

I apologize if this has already been answered or mentioned elsewhere but is the Jotunheim a Class A/B or Class A amp? I'm working too many hours this week and have tried looking it up a couple times with no luck. Are they simply keeping some information close to the vest since the Pivot Point design is new to the industry? (which I could completely understand)  

I don't want to answer for Jason, but I think it is a Class A/B or Class B. The reason I am guessing this is something that Jason wrote:

Aside: if your eyes are crossing due to the heavy dose of engineeringese, look at it this way: the battle for better amps usually comes down to one thing--how the output stage behaves. This is why some designers choose to make hot, heavy, inconvenient, inefficient Class A amplifiers...because they sidestep the zero-crossing problem by never having the output turn off at all. Of course, this dramatically limits the kind of power output you can have without self-immolation (assuming a true Class A design, but that's a screed I've already written.) Using Hawksford linearization is a way to make the output stage behave.

The only thing I found on "Hawksford linearization" was this paper:

QUAD-INPUT CURRENT-MODE ASYMMETRIC CELL (CMAC) WITH ERROR-CORRECTION APPLICATIONS IN SINGLE-ENDED AND BALANCED AUDIO-AMPLIFIERS

In the description in this Abstract, it says:

"An amplifier topology is introduced that functions principally in a current-steering mode and offers wide bandwidth and low distortion...t is shown that the new topology can be used in both single-ended and balanced power amplifiers."

I am not an IEEE member, so I don't have access to this Abstract and I doubt I would understand it even if I did have access to it. However, this topology, but it seems like a method of current feedback that overcomes the other issues Jason mentions. And given the amount of power consumption to the power output, it is highly efficient:

Power Consumption: 25W typical

Balanced Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 7500mW (7.5W)
Balanced Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 5000mW (5W)

Unbalanced Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 2500mW (2.5W)
Unbalanced Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 1500mW (1.5W)

So...25 watts in, 7.5 watts out...still less than double...that is a 30% efficiency. However, I am guessing the 25watt consumption is with a phono or digital card, which would also suck some juice. Still...that is some hella output for only 25 watts. For comparison, lets look at a Class A design Asgard:

Power Consumption:30W
Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 1.0W

That is 3.3% efficient. Ok...we're comparing 16 ohms balanced to 32 ohms unbalanced. Still, 32 ohms unbalanced efficiency of Jotunheim is 6%, which is almost double the power efficiency of Asgard. The extra input boards must take that extra 0.3%...that would make sense. So I am guessing Class B.

Another side note, that Abstract was published in 1996, which I think falls in line when Jason was at Sumo. Did I just stumble upon something?

PS - Jason I won't feel bad if you delete this post if you think it gives away too much information.

 

[rtaylor76]

Ok...so Jason replied. Class A/B. That is still a hella efficient class A/B amp!

 

[KoshNaranek]

Ok...so Jason replied. Class A/B. That is still a hella efficient class A/B amp!

Ninja-ed by Jason himself!

 

[KLJTech]

  Jotunheim is Class AB...kinda obvious, I thought, from the heat (or lack thereof.)

 
Sorry, I haven't seen nor heard one in person yet...I would have picked up on the lack of heat though as I'm used to and love the warm and toasty case of my Asgard 2. 
Sounds like I'm going to need to get me a Jotunheim, but the Asgard 2 isn't going anywhere, I love that amp! 
 
Mr. Stoddard, this may be an odd question but are their certain amp designers that you admire/follow their work? I'm always interested when I see that Nelson Pass or John Curl has a new amp coming out and wondered if a successful amp designer like yourself has certain people in the industry that intrigue you? I don't know if that's obvious or like a writer that doesn't want to read other writers work within the same genre, you try to avoid watching what others are doing.  I apologize in advance if this seems like a stupid question, as someone with zero engineering background, I still love to read about designs that are new and inventive. Thanks.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

   
Sorry, I haven't seen nor heard one in person yet...I would have picked up on the lack of heat though as I'm used to and love the warm and toasty case of my Asgard 2. 
Sounds like I'm going to need to get me a Jotunheim, but the Asgard 2 isn't going anywhere, I love that amp! 
 
Mr. Stoddard, this may be an odd question but are their certain amp designers that you admire/follow their work? I'm always interested when I see that Nelson Pass or John Curl has a new amp coming out and wondered if a successful amp designer like yourself has certain people in the industry that intrigue you? I don't know if that's obvious or like a writer that doesn't want to read other writers work within the same genre, you try to avoid watching what others are doing.  I apologize in advance if this seems like a stupid question, as someone with zero engineering background, I still love to read about designs that are new and inventive. Thanks.

Good question.
 
I think I've mentioned that some of the most interesting stuff happens at tubecad.com (John Broskie) and at diyaudio.com (a variety of sources). But note the terminology: "interesting." Interesting ideas are sometimes worth pursuing, often not. I don't spend any huge amount of time chasing interesting ideas around online, but I do stop in and see what John and the guys at diyaudio.com are up to from time to time. What I do try to avoid is single-path, one-right-way, "my way or the highway" types who will tell you they have all of audio figured out (and usually codified in their own pet solution.) I think that's the apex of hubris. I wouldn't pretend to know everything, nor try to convince you there's only one right way to do something.
 
Nor do I want to spend any time chasing/studying/analyzing/worrying about what's out there, because I've seen this over and over on the agency side (a different type of creative endeavor.) Some of the creative staff at the agency immediately started looking at all the awards books as soon as they were given a new project, so they could "get an idea what was out there," and "be in touch with the zeitgeist." These were usually our crappier creatives, and usually didn't last very long at the agency.
 
Same way when our creative director would say, "Maybe something like this," without waiting to see what the staff came up with. The "Maybe something like this" design became a huge sucking creative vortex that ensured that every idea was EXACTLY "like this." Even when the "maybe something like this" wasn't all that great to begin with. Our creative director learned not to do this, which usually resulted in much better overall work.
 
So, in short, nope, I don't really pay much attention to what "name" designers are doing. There's lots of good stuff out there. It's my job, though, to ensure that there's at least some good stuff in here (at Schiit). So I'll stick to that. 

 

[KLJTech]

 
Good question.
 
I think I've mentioned that some of the most interesting stuff happens at tubecad.com (John Broskie) and at diyaudio.com (a variety of sources). But note the terminology: "interesting." Interesting ideas are sometimes worth pursuing, often not. I don't spend any huge amount of time chasing interesting ideas around online, but I do stop in and see what John and the guys at diyaudio.com are up to from time to time. What I do try to avoid is single-path, one-right-way, "my way or the highway" types who will tell you they have all of audio figured out (and usually codified in their own pet solution.) I think that's the apex of hubris. I wouldn't pretend to know everything, nor try to convince you there's only one right way to do something.
 
Nor do I want to spend any time chasing/studying/analyzing/worrying about what's out there, because I've seen this over and over on the agency side (a different type of creative endeavor.) Some of the creative staff at the agency immediately started looking at all the awards books as soon as they were given a new project, so they could "get an idea what was out there," and "be in touch with the zeitgeist." These were usually our crappier creatives, and usually didn't last very long at the agency.
 
Same way when our creative director would say, "Maybe something like this," without waiting to see what the staff came up with. The "Maybe something like this" design became a huge sucking creative vortex that ensured that every idea was EXACTLY "like this." Even when the "maybe something like this" wasn't all that great to begin with. Our creative director learned not to do this, which usually resulted in much better overall work.
 
So, in short, nope, I don't really pay much attention to what "name" designers are doing. There's lots of good stuff out there. It's my job, though, to ensure that there's at least some good stuff in here (at Schiit). So I'll stick to that. 

 
Thank you for taking the time to respond. For what it's worth, to me and I'm sure to many others, it's far more impressive to make GREAT sounding components available at affordable prices than to make a statement product for which you weren't worried about what the final price would be. 
 
I've said it before on this forum, but it worries me when my Stereophile or TAS arrives and most of the products being reviewed aren't affordable to me or most of my friends. My 26-year-old (college graduate) son tells me that most of his friends use their phones for music and I seriously doubt many of them are walking around with the latest/greatest pair of Audeze headphones. We NEED companies like Schiit Audio kicking out great sounding products for far less than the norm (like you do) if we're going to save this hobby. We most certainly need the younger generation to be passionate about their music the same way we were and still are.
 
Products like the Fulla, Modi/Modi MB, Magni, Asgard, and Jotunheim, etc are great products to steer younger (Hell, anyone) to when trying to get them to understand that they can truly get more enjoyment out of their music. 
 
Thanks for all you've done and continue to do! 

 

[rtaylor76]

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I man just still trippin' on your Master Shake avatar. :bigsmile_face:

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Originally Posted by KLJTech /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
For what it's worth, to me and I'm sure to many others, it's far more impressive to make GREAT sounding components available at affordable prices than to make a statement product for which you weren't worried about what the final price would be. 
 
I've said it before on this forum, but it worries me when my Stereophile or TAS arrives and most of the products being reviewed aren't affordable to me or most of my friends. 

 
I hear you.
 
It's funny. In the past, I once opined that there really wasn't any art in creating a TOTL amp..."just choose the best components regardless of cost and throw them together, and you're done." Or something like that. It was in a group of other designers (of higher-end gear than the Sumo stuff I did at the time). As you might expect, this comment went over like the proverbial fart in a car. And, to be fair, it is oversimplified...it's actually pretty easy to use good parts and get a real stinker of a product.
 
But, since then, we've actually moved beyond pricey components that might have value, at least in many cases. And that's even scarier.
 
Huh? Let me explain.
 
It's been a long time since I've heard about the lower ESR and other desirable qualities of certain brands of audiophile capacitors. Just as we've moved beyond hearing about linear beta and low Cob in certain exotic VAS transistors. And you don't hear much about super-exotic stuff like choke-input power supplies and relay switched stepped attenuators (a couple of the ultimate crazy high-end things that actually makes measurable differences). Instead, most of the time we hear first about the massive milled chassis, the big colorful screen, and the baroquely embellished industrial design...while inside the box, you find $2 volume-control chips proper to A/V receivers, switching supplies, Class D outputs, and off-the-shelf Bluetooth modules. 
 
To me, this is completely and utterly insane--engineering meets postmodern art. Complete with the well-dressed "guides" intent on helping you "understand" and "appreciate" (and purchase) things like dining chairs made of dog poop and single bent spoons nailed to a wall.
 
Sorry. Call me simple. I don't get it. Not in art. And not in engineering.

 

[bigro]

It seems I am in good company, While I can appreciate the Talent needed for some of the classical forms of art , anything made of Dog poop or Something that looks like some one accidentally kicked the paint can over on the canvas is beyond my level of comprehension. When It comes to Audio Gear or any type of gear for that matter when the selling points are how the chassis started life as a block of Unobtanium, 35  wireless ways to connect your phone and a screen that's better than your I device and never a word about topology or basic measurements, I run. I am a big believer in function over form. But once the functionality is rock solid ,Please package it in a reasonably nice case. Speaking of Function Over form, Mike Has Mentioned Cthulhu "a new vanguard of fuglytivity". It seems Jason is taking that Idea to the next level. I can't wait.
 

 

... It clearly argues function trumps aesthetics by a wide margin.  It is a veritable home wrecker.  Mine will be installed covered by at least three bags, lest two break.  This visual abomination is entirely Jason's doing.  It is truly stunning.