I have been doing this stuff for so many years and still get excited when new stuff comes out especially headphones, amps and dacs…There are so many great products out there and Nitsch Audio came out with a new small form factor Schiit Magni Piety. A lot of us bought into the first run that sold out very quickly. It is an amazing amp for its size and price. It had some wart’s that a potentially bigger Piety brother might address.
Like more power, several gain selections, better volume control and the possibility to have an internal dac making for a nice AIO unit. Well, Nitsch did this with the collaboration of Jason Stoddard, which IMO is one of the best analog audio engineers of our times. Nitsch started selling the new improved bigger brother of the Piety, the Pietus Maximus.
I did not get into this version at first, but always wanted to be able to listen with and compare how this upgraded headphone amp worked. Many reviews and comments already out there and it seems like a real hit. Well…. a quick shoutout to Christian and he provided me with not one, but TWO Pietus Maximus Units, one with the Schiit ESS dac card and the other with the Schiit MB dac card. I told Christian I wanted to compare the two dac versions in a Piety Maximus and could swap out the dacs, but he sent me one of each to make the “experience” a bit easier.
Thanks Christian. As a matter of disclosure, I am not paid and do not receive any special deals. The units will be sent back to Nitsch Sound. All the comments are from my own experience. Your experience and opinions may be vastly different. I respect that. We all hear differently, listen to different music and sources.
The form factor for the Pietus Maximus is the same as Schilit’s Asgard, Jotunheim, Bifrost dacs etc. The larger enclosure allows for more stuff inside, some of much better quality. Nitsch’s website states “with bigger stuff”. Like a nice big Alps RK 27 potentiometer, and internal power supply, no wall wart! One of the nagging things with the smaller form factors is the smaller albeit custom ALPS pot, often has a noisy wiper that often drives me nuts. Good to see this larger Alps RK 27 type pot in the Piety Maximus. Along with these upgrades is a very well-regulated dual power supply, post filtered, and MORE current. Yes! Continuity is included but the programmable output stage has bigger “stuff” too. Like bigger transistor’s.
We now have three gain settings vs two of Piety. This is good. High gain has more current for those lower impedance headphones. Piety Maximus touts 4.6 watts into 16 ohms! Having several gain settings allows for more play or range with the pot so your not stuck in the low end etc.. If the circuit is designed correctly and this is a big deal for me. And in this case, it is. Even works better with IEMS over Piety.
A note on the case color! Awesome! I call this “Nitsch Grey”. The black volume knob has a nice “shiny” dot on it making it easy to see the position of the volume pot! Lovely! The dark lettering to me is well…I wish it was lighter so you could read the labels…small stuff. A step forward from Schiit icons, but need to be able to read that lettering.
The two dac cards available are both Schiit designs. Available from Nitsch installed or buy from Schiit at a later date if your budget precludes this or you just want separates. One thing with this design you can have an internal dac and easily compare with external dacs…makes for a great testbed. Switching dacs with one simple toggle switch. On the forums many folks have questioned the dac quality vs external and even between the two internal offerings.
This was the main reason I want to test both dacs….Testing is a real PIA. So many variables and combinations, easy to screw up, level settings, music etc.…and our own internal bias, likes and dislikes.
I am an analog guy, like numbers and specs, but these are all over-ridden here when it comes to listening. Its all about the music for me. But that analog engineer always wonders about the connection, but don’t get hung up on numbers alone. Numbers make a good baseline and in many cases are meaningful on how an amp will work. How much power across the frequency spectrum, stability, real RMS watts or not. For the most part most modern headphone “stuff” have decent specs…so its back to build quality, how well it integrates into your “use” case and listening….
Do you get lost in the music or nit pick at the parts?
Well Nitsch states Piety Maximus still has the Piety tube like qualities. This is a good thing IMO.
Specs: Internally a 48 volt ampere transformer. Weighs 5 lbs., rugged, solid built like a tank.
So the first listening experience was just AB’ing the two units with the different dacs. Second was comparing the internal ESS and Multibit dacs to similar external ESS and Multibit dacs.
I used several headphones in listening, Final Audio D8000 Pros 60ohms, ZMF Verite Closed 300 ohms, HD 650 344 ohms, Audio Technica ADX 5000 420 ohms, Rosson Audio Designs Rad 0 29 ohms, Hi-Fi Man HE 1000 SE 35 ohms.
The external dacs were a Schiit Modi Multibit 2 and a Schiit Modius E. I also tried a Soekris 2541, a much highly regarded R2R dac.
So, the internal dacs are indeed very different. Having good cans helps to be able to discern any differences, but the music you listen to has a huge bearing on which dac YOU might prefer. For me most of the time I preferred the Schiit ESS 9028 dac over the Schiit Multibit dac. Why? I have grown up with Schilit’s Bifrost for many years. That house sound is burnt into my brain and I liked it for years. When Schiit came out with their Modius E dac I had to try it with a Schiit Midgard and was enamored at how crisp and clean it sounded. Like a veil removed thing. Going back to the MB 2 was like turning on a filter of sorts. So its natural I like the ESS Schiit sound. With warmer of softer recordings, it works so very well here. With Brighter recordings my ear preference shifts back to the MB2. One thing that has stuck out noticeably for me is the ESS dac with this unit is a detail or resolving monster with certain cans like the D8000 Pros and HE 1000 SE and ADX 5000. Nothing goes unheard here. So, for me I would have a Piety Maximus with one or the other dac and buy and external dac of the opposite “flavor” and be able to “easily” switch in between them at will. Best of both worlds.
Schiit uses the words “euphony” and “maximum” space describing the Multibit version and “forward” and “punchy” in the FAQs on the Nitsch website. I agree. This is about as good as I could generalize this very subjective area.
When listening to female vocals like Racheal Price in Lake Street Dive, the Multibit wins hands down for this “euphony” thing…gosh it’s really very sweet, musical etc.…
So how did the internal dacs compare with similar external dacs?
Well, the answer is easy here, the external dacs were better to my ears than the internal versions. I have no earthly idea why, no schematics and what secret sauce in lurking in the two designs is indeed secret.
Setting up for honest testing and AB’ing is a real PITA. Yup, takes time and do diligence. I use a 1khz test tone, set levels at the transducer to get the same dB levels and don’t touch the volume from here on. Set gains similar. I noticed that the SPL levels at the can transducer were several dB different from the internal Schiit MB dac compared to the Schiit external Modi Multibit2. Enough to cause a preference of one over the other just due to the loudness. This was 5 dB measured here. So the volume pot settings were very different between the two units with the two different dac cards. If your not aware of this, its possible you might think one is better than the other just in the level differences…..listener be ware.
How warm do these units get? Well the MB version measured 138 deg on the right side underneath the MB card. The ESS unit measured similar at 133 deg. Having the units setting on top of other gear (off) they measured 102 deg in between the units. Warm and toasty to the touch, but now where near a MJ3!
I spent some time listening with Piety vs Piety Maximus…well they both are great with ZMF Verite Closed cans.. At 80 ohms these dynamic driver headphones did not seem to have any real issue with either amp. Both played very well. Very similar sound profile here. If anything listening to Dave Samuels on the vibraphones maybe a slightly more euphonic openness…used the Piety with my MB2 vs the internal MB in Mazimus…I would pick the Maximus over the Piety here if I had to choose. Worth the extra cost….you decide.
With the D8000 Pros, I actually preferred the Piety over the Maximus, planars vs dynamic drivers…Just a wonderful open clean pairing. IMO World Class. Yup for a $179 amp and $299 MB dac. Could live here for a long time. The Maximus was good, just not as good to my ears. Splitting hairs here, but the D8000 Pros did make this easy for me. This is why I have so many amps!!! LOL!
Listening to the Piety Maximus with a Soekris 2541 dac was an excellent pairing, the Soekris eclipses the lower cost MB dac card. But unless you have a trained ear the differences might be hard to discern. Again splitting hairs here. The Soekris is just more open, tad more dynamic, less euphonic, tad brighter in a good way…..Again $299 vs $1300….but the Maximus pairs well here.
If you don’t level match its easy to pick one over the other, you have to honestly match. A small twist of the vol pot can make one device sound “better” or different… again listener beware.
Using the 420 ohm ADX 5000’s with Bill Whithers Live at Carnegie Hall, I preferred the more pricey Soekris 2541 for overall presentation, better imaging with the amp, better soundstage. More like being at a live performance…Same with Jamie Cullen and Twenty Somethings “But for Now”. Timbre spot on with this combination. Listening to Fourplay’s material is almost perfect match for this light jazz and this amp and dac. Makes me smile using these stellar dynamic cans often overlooked. The Pietus Maximus make these shine brightly.
I did listen to the Piety Maximus compared to other amps like the Schiit Midgard. Again sonically very different. Preference is the Maximus with the MB card even with an external MB2 dac and the Midard. Price wise the cost for the Piety Maximus with the MB dac is $750 compared to the Midgard at $219 and a MB2 dac at $299 for a total of $518. Sonically is it worth the delta, for me yes. But as always there are compromises some are just how you use the gear in your setup…the Midgard has balanced inputs while the Piety Maximus is SE only. Does this matter? Well realistically no but for some…well.
Honestly the Piety Magnius is a wonderful headphone amplifier, its world class. Sonically its in a special place in our community. One word to describe the Piety Maximus “Musical”. One could buy this amp and be very very satisfied with most headphones. I wish I had the Schiit MJ3 here at this time to compare, I had a MJ3 here months ago and IMO its still the class leader for headphone amps from Schiit. One could be very content with this one AIO Piety Maximus and either of the dac choices.
Some of this diatribe is meant for those that want to know if there is a real difference in these units. Yes there are differences. But for the vast majority of us its splitting hairs. Most combinations will make you smile from time to time. Part of the hobby for me is just tinkering with the different devices. There is no on amp or dac to rule them all…and for that I am happy. How boring would it be if you were stuck with only one device!! LOL!
Congrats to Christian for providing the community with such a stellar package. Thanks to Jason Stoddard for this design as well…..I look forward to more neat devices from Nitsch and Schiit.
Now go listen to the music!
Alex
PS: At no time did the Piety Maximous have any issue providing adequate power to any of the headphones used. I did not try the pre-amp. Not in any of my use cases.
Like more power, several gain selections, better volume control and the possibility to have an internal dac making for a nice AIO unit. Well, Nitsch did this with the collaboration of Jason Stoddard, which IMO is one of the best analog audio engineers of our times. Nitsch started selling the new improved bigger brother of the Piety, the Pietus Maximus.
I did not get into this version at first, but always wanted to be able to listen with and compare how this upgraded headphone amp worked. Many reviews and comments already out there and it seems like a real hit. Well…. a quick shoutout to Christian and he provided me with not one, but TWO Pietus Maximus Units, one with the Schiit ESS dac card and the other with the Schiit MB dac card. I told Christian I wanted to compare the two dac versions in a Piety Maximus and could swap out the dacs, but he sent me one of each to make the “experience” a bit easier.
Thanks Christian. As a matter of disclosure, I am not paid and do not receive any special deals. The units will be sent back to Nitsch Sound. All the comments are from my own experience. Your experience and opinions may be vastly different. I respect that. We all hear differently, listen to different music and sources.
The form factor for the Pietus Maximus is the same as Schilit’s Asgard, Jotunheim, Bifrost dacs etc. The larger enclosure allows for more stuff inside, some of much better quality. Nitsch’s website states “with bigger stuff”. Like a nice big Alps RK 27 potentiometer, and internal power supply, no wall wart! One of the nagging things with the smaller form factors is the smaller albeit custom ALPS pot, often has a noisy wiper that often drives me nuts. Good to see this larger Alps RK 27 type pot in the Piety Maximus. Along with these upgrades is a very well-regulated dual power supply, post filtered, and MORE current. Yes! Continuity is included but the programmable output stage has bigger “stuff” too. Like bigger transistor’s.
We now have three gain settings vs two of Piety. This is good. High gain has more current for those lower impedance headphones. Piety Maximus touts 4.6 watts into 16 ohms! Having several gain settings allows for more play or range with the pot so your not stuck in the low end etc.. If the circuit is designed correctly and this is a big deal for me. And in this case, it is. Even works better with IEMS over Piety.
A note on the case color! Awesome! I call this “Nitsch Grey”. The black volume knob has a nice “shiny” dot on it making it easy to see the position of the volume pot! Lovely! The dark lettering to me is well…I wish it was lighter so you could read the labels…small stuff. A step forward from Schiit icons, but need to be able to read that lettering.
The two dac cards available are both Schiit designs. Available from Nitsch installed or buy from Schiit at a later date if your budget precludes this or you just want separates. One thing with this design you can have an internal dac and easily compare with external dacs…makes for a great testbed. Switching dacs with one simple toggle switch. On the forums many folks have questioned the dac quality vs external and even between the two internal offerings.
This was the main reason I want to test both dacs….Testing is a real PIA. So many variables and combinations, easy to screw up, level settings, music etc.…and our own internal bias, likes and dislikes.
I am an analog guy, like numbers and specs, but these are all over-ridden here when it comes to listening. Its all about the music for me. But that analog engineer always wonders about the connection, but don’t get hung up on numbers alone. Numbers make a good baseline and in many cases are meaningful on how an amp will work. How much power across the frequency spectrum, stability, real RMS watts or not. For the most part most modern headphone “stuff” have decent specs…so its back to build quality, how well it integrates into your “use” case and listening….
Do you get lost in the music or nit pick at the parts?
Well Nitsch states Piety Maximus still has the Piety tube like qualities. This is a good thing IMO.
Specs: Internally a 48 volt ampere transformer. Weighs 5 lbs., rugged, solid built like a tank.
So the first listening experience was just AB’ing the two units with the different dacs. Second was comparing the internal ESS and Multibit dacs to similar external ESS and Multibit dacs.
I used several headphones in listening, Final Audio D8000 Pros 60ohms, ZMF Verite Closed 300 ohms, HD 650 344 ohms, Audio Technica ADX 5000 420 ohms, Rosson Audio Designs Rad 0 29 ohms, Hi-Fi Man HE 1000 SE 35 ohms.
The external dacs were a Schiit Modi Multibit 2 and a Schiit Modius E. I also tried a Soekris 2541, a much highly regarded R2R dac.
So, the internal dacs are indeed very different. Having good cans helps to be able to discern any differences, but the music you listen to has a huge bearing on which dac YOU might prefer. For me most of the time I preferred the Schiit ESS 9028 dac over the Schiit Multibit dac. Why? I have grown up with Schilit’s Bifrost for many years. That house sound is burnt into my brain and I liked it for years. When Schiit came out with their Modius E dac I had to try it with a Schiit Midgard and was enamored at how crisp and clean it sounded. Like a veil removed thing. Going back to the MB 2 was like turning on a filter of sorts. So its natural I like the ESS Schiit sound. With warmer of softer recordings, it works so very well here. With Brighter recordings my ear preference shifts back to the MB2. One thing that has stuck out noticeably for me is the ESS dac with this unit is a detail or resolving monster with certain cans like the D8000 Pros and HE 1000 SE and ADX 5000. Nothing goes unheard here. So, for me I would have a Piety Maximus with one or the other dac and buy and external dac of the opposite “flavor” and be able to “easily” switch in between them at will. Best of both worlds.
Schiit uses the words “euphony” and “maximum” space describing the Multibit version and “forward” and “punchy” in the FAQs on the Nitsch website. I agree. This is about as good as I could generalize this very subjective area.
When listening to female vocals like Racheal Price in Lake Street Dive, the Multibit wins hands down for this “euphony” thing…gosh it’s really very sweet, musical etc.…
So how did the internal dacs compare with similar external dacs?
Well, the answer is easy here, the external dacs were better to my ears than the internal versions. I have no earthly idea why, no schematics and what secret sauce in lurking in the two designs is indeed secret.
Setting up for honest testing and AB’ing is a real PITA. Yup, takes time and do diligence. I use a 1khz test tone, set levels at the transducer to get the same dB levels and don’t touch the volume from here on. Set gains similar. I noticed that the SPL levels at the can transducer were several dB different from the internal Schiit MB dac compared to the Schiit external Modi Multibit2. Enough to cause a preference of one over the other just due to the loudness. This was 5 dB measured here. So the volume pot settings were very different between the two units with the two different dac cards. If your not aware of this, its possible you might think one is better than the other just in the level differences…..listener be ware.
How warm do these units get? Well the MB version measured 138 deg on the right side underneath the MB card. The ESS unit measured similar at 133 deg. Having the units setting on top of other gear (off) they measured 102 deg in between the units. Warm and toasty to the touch, but now where near a MJ3!
I spent some time listening with Piety vs Piety Maximus…well they both are great with ZMF Verite Closed cans.. At 80 ohms these dynamic driver headphones did not seem to have any real issue with either amp. Both played very well. Very similar sound profile here. If anything listening to Dave Samuels on the vibraphones maybe a slightly more euphonic openness…used the Piety with my MB2 vs the internal MB in Mazimus…I would pick the Maximus over the Piety here if I had to choose. Worth the extra cost….you decide.
With the D8000 Pros, I actually preferred the Piety over the Maximus, planars vs dynamic drivers…Just a wonderful open clean pairing. IMO World Class. Yup for a $179 amp and $299 MB dac. Could live here for a long time. The Maximus was good, just not as good to my ears. Splitting hairs here, but the D8000 Pros did make this easy for me. This is why I have so many amps!!! LOL!
Listening to the Piety Maximus with a Soekris 2541 dac was an excellent pairing, the Soekris eclipses the lower cost MB dac card. But unless you have a trained ear the differences might be hard to discern. Again splitting hairs here. The Soekris is just more open, tad more dynamic, less euphonic, tad brighter in a good way…..Again $299 vs $1300….but the Maximus pairs well here.
If you don’t level match its easy to pick one over the other, you have to honestly match. A small twist of the vol pot can make one device sound “better” or different… again listener beware.
Using the 420 ohm ADX 5000’s with Bill Whithers Live at Carnegie Hall, I preferred the more pricey Soekris 2541 for overall presentation, better imaging with the amp, better soundstage. More like being at a live performance…Same with Jamie Cullen and Twenty Somethings “But for Now”. Timbre spot on with this combination. Listening to Fourplay’s material is almost perfect match for this light jazz and this amp and dac. Makes me smile using these stellar dynamic cans often overlooked. The Pietus Maximus make these shine brightly.
I did listen to the Piety Maximus compared to other amps like the Schiit Midgard. Again sonically very different. Preference is the Maximus with the MB card even with an external MB2 dac and the Midard. Price wise the cost for the Piety Maximus with the MB dac is $750 compared to the Midgard at $219 and a MB2 dac at $299 for a total of $518. Sonically is it worth the delta, for me yes. But as always there are compromises some are just how you use the gear in your setup…the Midgard has balanced inputs while the Piety Maximus is SE only. Does this matter? Well realistically no but for some…well.
Honestly the Piety Magnius is a wonderful headphone amplifier, its world class. Sonically its in a special place in our community. One word to describe the Piety Maximus “Musical”. One could buy this amp and be very very satisfied with most headphones. I wish I had the Schiit MJ3 here at this time to compare, I had a MJ3 here months ago and IMO its still the class leader for headphone amps from Schiit. One could be very content with this one AIO Piety Maximus and either of the dac choices.
Some of this diatribe is meant for those that want to know if there is a real difference in these units. Yes there are differences. But for the vast majority of us its splitting hairs. Most combinations will make you smile from time to time. Part of the hobby for me is just tinkering with the different devices. There is no on amp or dac to rule them all…and for that I am happy. How boring would it be if you were stuck with only one device!! LOL!
Congrats to Christian for providing the community with such a stellar package. Thanks to Jason Stoddard for this design as well…..I look forward to more neat devices from Nitsch and Schiit.
Now go listen to the music!
Alex
PS: At no time did the Piety Maximous have any issue providing adequate power to any of the headphones used. I did not try the pre-amp. Not in any of my use cases.
NITSCH x Schiit Pietus Maximus Review:
Today I’ll be sharing my experiences with the NITSCH x Schiit Pietus Maximus paired with my headphone and DAC stable. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase this DAC slightly before release and am choosing to share my impressions of my own decision. I’m not being compensated in any way for this review and as always, my viewpoint will be unfiltered. My preferences may be different from yours and I welcome this.
My review chain is as follows: Schiit Modi Multibit 1, Modi Multibit 2, Bifrost 2 OG, Gungnir A1, Modius E. Yes, my DAC collection is pretty Schitty. I’ve also owned the Gustard R26, Yggy A1/2/LIM and several other high performing DS and MB dacs. Headphones are JAR580 OG & HD8XX EQ'd
Pairings:
This is extremely important as synergy is king in the world of audio enjoyment. I found that the Modi Multibit 1 and by similar sonic extension the built in MMB card are an ideal match for my preferences. The BF2 OG sounded good, Gungnir SE wasn’t as great due to the inherent limitations of that DACs SE outputs. MMB2 was serviceable but not as layered as MMB1, MMB2 is a touch energetic in the treble and Pietus revealed this. Modius E was another excellent pairing and, as before by extension the built-in Sabre card will also perform well here.
So, long story short you won’t need an uber-buck DAC to get great sound of the Pietus. A neutral/dark one is a great match. Just get yourself one of the in-built DAC cards from either Nitsch or Schiit and call it a day with an all-in-one solution or get yourself a used MMB1/Modius E for pretty cheap. They are all over and reliable.
For headphones I use primarily the JAR580 OG (which performs similar to the JAR600 available on NITSCH’s website) and an EQ’d HD8XX. The 660S/S2’s were also great from this amp. I don’t currently own any Planars so if this is your primary headphone type I won’t be able to share any impressions, however given the specs of this amp it should perform well enough with everything short of the HE-6. I can certainly say that the Sennheisers I own sounded incredible. The JAR series in particular really did shine on the Pietus.
Features and Operation:
This amp is simple, RCA in and SE out with an RCA out pre section as well. Inside is an Alps RK27 pot which I have absolutely no complaints about. The black knob on the front is a very welcome change from the usual Schiit gray affair. Everything feels smooth and there is no annoying light up front, though the power switch is still in the back per classic Schiit design. In the front there is a three-pole gain selector which is -10db, 0db and +15db. Unlike the original Piety the gain settings are perfect and even high gain allows for some pot movement before ramping up quickly. Power is rated at 4.2w into 32ohms and 600mw into 300 – which is to say plenty. Internal PCB is white and components are very high quality. Add-in cards are supported of course making this a compelling all-in-one solution. The Pietus also runs pretty cool and can be left on 24/7 without worry. This is a big plus in my opinion.
Sound Quality:
Compared to the Piety the Pietus is not as upper mid forward – which is quite the relief. Depending on the headphones (looking at you, 660S) this posed quite the problem with Pietus’s little brother. With the other 6 series I had no qualms. Pietus has a more relaxed and fleshed out low-end as well with a very organic bass presentation. My favorite rendition of the lower registers was from the Modi Multibit DAC (or MMB card) as the heft was very engaging and the high frequencies are smoother as well. Perfect match for the 600 series. Modius E wasn’t far behind trading a bit of euphony for accuracy and speed, which the higher tier headphones took advantage of. Midrange here is incredibly resolving from Pietus, not to be confused with overly sharp or detailed. Every sound is complete with a pleasing finish and my urge to keep playing tracks definitely overwhelmed. Treble range is a huge improvement with Pietus. It is far more detailed and engaging than the Piety, as well as more even. This is as far as my subjective FR analysis will go, but I will say that Piety is punchier on the top and bottom while Pietus has the far and away more elegant and performant midrange – all while having more cohesive bass/treble capabilities.
My initial approach was going to be comparing the Pietus to other amps in my stable and really digging down deep. This plan quickly faded away upon long listening sessions with the Pietus. All sounds were distinct and had a great follow-through. Like a craft brewed coffee finish on my pallet, Pietus was nimble in how it carved through my music library presenting music in a different way that really won me over. This isn’t your typical measurement focused amp yet doesn’t present itself in a way that is deficient either. I’ve spent a lot of time comparing gear and using music I know as a tool. The Pietus just made me want to listen and enjoy for hours on end, which is what this hobby is supposed to be about. Soundstage isn’t the biggest I’ve heard; however, the mid-sized staging has incredible resolve and cohesion – on top of accurate placement. Nothing is missing or obscured. Incredibly engaging and textured throughout is how I'd characterize the Pietus.
Conclusion:
Simply put Pietus is the best sounding SS amp I’ve ever heard (I've owned the Auralic Taurus MKii, Rag 1.5&2, GS-X Mini and many more) and suits my preferences well. It’s effortless in presentation and I don’t even care to analyze my music while using it. It runs cool and presents my music in a way that wants to be heard and enjoyed. It finds that perfect balance between performance, engagement and a very slight euphonic touch. It’s not flat or panned, wide or claustrophobic. Honestly it brings me back to the roots of what I enjoyed about this hobby in the first place every time I listen to it.
As an aside I was considering giving MJ3 a go using Schiit’s 15-day trial. However the Pietus has left me quite pleased, even surprised. I think I’m good here, and it’s time to get back to listening. Thanks for reading all!
Again, the nice white PCB of the Pietus:
Today I’ll be sharing my experiences with the NITSCH x Schiit Pietus Maximus paired with my headphone and DAC stable. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase this DAC slightly before release and am choosing to share my impressions of my own decision. I’m not being compensated in any way for this review and as always, my viewpoint will be unfiltered. My preferences may be different from yours and I welcome this.
My review chain is as follows: Schiit Modi Multibit 1, Modi Multibit 2, Bifrost 2 OG, Gungnir A1, Modius E. Yes, my DAC collection is pretty Schitty. I’ve also owned the Gustard R26, Yggy A1/2/LIM and several other high performing DS and MB dacs. Headphones are JAR580 OG & HD8XX EQ'd
Pairings:
This is extremely important as synergy is king in the world of audio enjoyment. I found that the Modi Multibit 1 and by similar sonic extension the built in MMB card are an ideal match for my preferences. The BF2 OG sounded good, Gungnir SE wasn’t as great due to the inherent limitations of that DACs SE outputs. MMB2 was serviceable but not as layered as MMB1, MMB2 is a touch energetic in the treble and Pietus revealed this. Modius E was another excellent pairing and, as before by extension the built-in Sabre card will also perform well here.
So, long story short you won’t need an uber-buck DAC to get great sound of the Pietus. A neutral/dark one is a great match. Just get yourself one of the in-built DAC cards from either Nitsch or Schiit and call it a day with an all-in-one solution or get yourself a used MMB1/Modius E for pretty cheap. They are all over and reliable.
For headphones I use primarily the JAR580 OG (which performs similar to the JAR600 available on NITSCH’s website) and an EQ’d HD8XX. The 660S/S2’s were also great from this amp. I don’t currently own any Planars so if this is your primary headphone type I won’t be able to share any impressions, however given the specs of this amp it should perform well enough with everything short of the HE-6. I can certainly say that the Sennheisers I own sounded incredible. The JAR series in particular really did shine on the Pietus.
Features and Operation:
This amp is simple, RCA in and SE out with an RCA out pre section as well. Inside is an Alps RK27 pot which I have absolutely no complaints about. The black knob on the front is a very welcome change from the usual Schiit gray affair. Everything feels smooth and there is no annoying light up front, though the power switch is still in the back per classic Schiit design. In the front there is a three-pole gain selector which is -10db, 0db and +15db. Unlike the original Piety the gain settings are perfect and even high gain allows for some pot movement before ramping up quickly. Power is rated at 4.2w into 32ohms and 600mw into 300 – which is to say plenty. Internal PCB is white and components are very high quality. Add-in cards are supported of course making this a compelling all-in-one solution. The Pietus also runs pretty cool and can be left on 24/7 without worry. This is a big plus in my opinion.
Sound Quality:
Compared to the Piety the Pietus is not as upper mid forward – which is quite the relief. Depending on the headphones (looking at you, 660S) this posed quite the problem with Pietus’s little brother. With the other 6 series I had no qualms. Pietus has a more relaxed and fleshed out low-end as well with a very organic bass presentation. My favorite rendition of the lower registers was from the Modi Multibit DAC (or MMB card) as the heft was very engaging and the high frequencies are smoother as well. Perfect match for the 600 series. Modius E wasn’t far behind trading a bit of euphony for accuracy and speed, which the higher tier headphones took advantage of. Midrange here is incredibly resolving from Pietus, not to be confused with overly sharp or detailed. Every sound is complete with a pleasing finish and my urge to keep playing tracks definitely overwhelmed. Treble range is a huge improvement with Pietus. It is far more detailed and engaging than the Piety, as well as more even. This is as far as my subjective FR analysis will go, but I will say that Piety is punchier on the top and bottom while Pietus has the far and away more elegant and performant midrange – all while having more cohesive bass/treble capabilities.
My initial approach was going to be comparing the Pietus to other amps in my stable and really digging down deep. This plan quickly faded away upon long listening sessions with the Pietus. All sounds were distinct and had a great follow-through. Like a craft brewed coffee finish on my pallet, Pietus was nimble in how it carved through my music library presenting music in a different way that really won me over. This isn’t your typical measurement focused amp yet doesn’t present itself in a way that is deficient either. I’ve spent a lot of time comparing gear and using music I know as a tool. The Pietus just made me want to listen and enjoy for hours on end, which is what this hobby is supposed to be about. Soundstage isn’t the biggest I’ve heard; however, the mid-sized staging has incredible resolve and cohesion – on top of accurate placement. Nothing is missing or obscured. Incredibly engaging and textured throughout is how I'd characterize the Pietus.
Conclusion:
Simply put Pietus is the best sounding SS amp I’ve ever heard (I've owned the Auralic Taurus MKii, Rag 1.5&2, GS-X Mini and many more) and suits my preferences well. It’s effortless in presentation and I don’t even care to analyze my music while using it. It runs cool and presents my music in a way that wants to be heard and enjoyed. It finds that perfect balance between performance, engagement and a very slight euphonic touch. It’s not flat or panned, wide or claustrophobic. Honestly it brings me back to the roots of what I enjoyed about this hobby in the first place every time I listen to it.
As an aside I was considering giving MJ3 a go using Schiit’s 15-day trial. However the Pietus has left me quite pleased, even surprised. I think I’m good here, and it’s time to get back to listening. Thanks for reading all!
Again, the nice white PCB of the Pietus:
tylerindianapolis
Going to get it at some point for sure. Kind of waiting for Schiit to update the cards or was contemplating the Bitcrost.
At the moment I think I leveled up. For years I have used usb to a iOS or android to a DAC and never thought about the coaxial due to most was all in one units. On this ever stream a6 it has a coaxial out and the ef499 has a coax in. Rock is sounding way better now on the PM amp with both the planar and voice coil headphones.
At the moment I think I leveled up. For years I have used usb to a iOS or android to a DAC and never thought about the coaxial due to most was all in one units. On this ever stream a6 it has a coaxial out and the ef499 has a coax in. Rock is sounding way better now on the PM amp with both the planar and voice coil headphones.
OhmsClaw
The Multibit options are superior to the ESS cards. Even the Modi Multibit is a big step more enjoyable than the on board Delta Sigmas. I was actually very surprised at how much better it was than the Jott 2 on board card. I also was very surprised at the Vali 2++
This is at the minimum a 180$ bump and potentially adds to clutter but yeah. My .02 don't mean to shoot down Vox.
This is at the minimum a 180$ bump and potentially adds to clutter but yeah. My .02 don't mean to shoot down Vox.
Voxata
The ESS cards synergy with the PM is superior IMO, thankfully there are plenty of options that work.
