[Emospence]

Jotunheim gives me the option of going balanced, which I read would improve the sound of the HD600s.

The Modi 2 + Valhalla 2 combo gives me an OTL tube amp, which I also read goes well with the HD600.. Plus, separate DAC and amp units.

I am very reluctant to spend much more than the cost of the headphone on the DAC+amp combo, which it would appear all decent balanced OTL tube amps are.

Which do you think is a better choice for the HD600, and why? I'd prefer the frequency response to be as neutral as possible. Any other recommendations welcome.

 

[murphythecat]

Jotunheim

 

[sonic2911]

modi 2 multibit + asgard2

 

[Emospence]

  modi 2 multibit + asgard2

 
What benefits does multibit give?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Which do you think is a better choice for the HD600, and why? I'd prefer the frequency response to be as neutral as possible. Any other recommendations welcome.

 

Jotunheim would be more neutral with practically any headphone you throw at it, while the Valhalla wouldn't be as neutral with low impedance loads. 

 

On the flipside, tubes might have a relatively shorter life than solid state parts would, but on the off chance something goes wrong, you can't just roll tubes to test what the problem is. At minimum you have to desolder then solder on new parts.

 

If you want flexibility go with the Jotunheim. If you're certain you won't get any dynamic driver headphones with impedance lower than 100ohms or so save maybe for high sensitivity Grados, and something relatively easier to diagnose when something goes wrong with the sound (ie you just roll tubes for a spare set that you know or trust measures well), there's the Valhalla.

 

[axtran]

I've been hearing a lot of great things about pairing the HD600/650 with a Garage 1217 amplifier, namely the Horizon III if you're looking for an OTL, high-impedance pairing.

 

[Ninadada]

Very satisfied with the Jotunheim/HD650 pairing across nearly all genres of music. Looking to add Bifrost Multibit soon to see if I can improve on "very satisfied".

 

[GangGang]

I didn't like the Jot paring with the HD650. Wja y the paring did well though was show you how punchy and dynamic the HD650 can be.

TOTL tube amps win out on Solid state on key areas such as staging, resolution, dynamic punch and neutrality. The Valhalla 2, while not a TOTL amp is phenomenal for the price and has some of the best plankton extraction in the Schiit line, maybe the most. While the Valhalla 2 is a tad drier, lacking balls I'd still favour it's airy, holographic and fairly natural sound over the Jot for the HD600 and 650.

 

[Ninadada]

I didn't like the Jot paring with the HD650. Wja y the paring did well though was show you how punchy and dynamic the HD650 can be.

TOTL tube amps win out on Solid state on key areas such as staging, resolution, dynamic punch and neutrality. The Valhalla 2, while not a TOTL amp is phenomenal for the price and has some of the best plankton extraction in the Schiit line, maybe the most. While the Valhalla 2 is a tad drier, lacking balls I'd still favour it's airy, holographic and fairly natural sound over the Jot for the HD600 and 650.

How much does the choice of DAC influence an amp's characteristics? Or phrased another way, if you like what you're hearing, how does one know how much of that is due to the amp vs the DAC?

 

[GangGang]

How much does the choice of DAC influence an amp's characteristics? Or phrased another way, if you like what you're hearing, how does one know how much of that is due to the amp vs the DAC?

It really depends.

The more resolving the amp the more less resolving DACs can show up as a weak link.

When I got my first high quality amp many years ago it was amazing how veiled a DAC can sound. In audio many still believe a DAC doesn't matter and it down cases like entry level gear they ate right bit once you start to experience better gear and train your ears you start to notice that everything in the chain is important.

I find DACs like the ODAC, to sound lean and veiled lacking in many key areas but the Modi Multibit was the perfect DAC for me as it had the resolution to compete with some TOTL stuff and didn't crumble on a good amp.

Headphones matter a lot because of the headphone doesn't scale or resolve well it's not going to matter as much.

I always use either a HD650 or HD800 to test equipment as they are highly resolving and scale like a demon.

 

[Ninadada]

Thanks for the great reply. I've read so many good things about Schiit's Multibit DACs. I have a Bimby scheduled for delivery end of the week. Can't wait to hear what improvements it makes.

I see many discussions and comments about "end-game" components and systems. Even if I could ever afford it, i'm not sure I'd ever want to get there. Experimentation and discovery is half the fun.

 

[GangGang]

I wouldn't worry about end game comments. I think end game gets thrown around too much anyway.

I've found you can get so much resolution out of setting like a Mimby>Valhalla2>HD650

The Bimby is a great DAC, full bodied, and doesn't hold back much equipment.

If you ever get the upgrade bug you can just add an Elise to the chain and your HD650 would be pretty much end game on a good budget. If you wanted to take them to god tier a Zana Deux with the HD650 would smash any headphone that isn't the Utopia and HD800 or LCD-4 and HEK and a few exceptions that cost a lot more.

 

[singleended58]

Anyone in this thread using Mojo connected to Valhalla 2 to pair with HD600 or HE400? What is your opinion and/or suggestion?

 

[redrich2000]

Just to confuse things further, you should consider the Lyr 2 as well. It has the same flexibility as the Jot, can deliver lots of power to low and high impedance phones. But compared to the Jot, it will give a bit tube warmth.

Remember that all these differences are subtle. So it's worth considering factors like whether you do or don't want to get into tube rolling. Whether you want to be able to leave the gear on. Whether you're okay with gear that gets VERY hot. Whether you want to invest in balanced cables to get the best from the Jot.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Anyone in this thread using Mojo connected to Valhalla 2 to pair with HD600 or HE400? What is your opinion and/or suggestion?

Valhalla 2 makes more power at 300ohms than at 32ohms since it's an OTL tube amp circuit. It gives more power than the HD600 needs but a lot less than the higher power requirement of the HE400.