[bitman1001100]

Kicking off the impression thread for our first Central Ohio SchiitMeet!

Mad props to Schiit for making this a reality! Awesome time, awesome equipment. Super glad we were able to do some two channel and also set up the Urd!

Folks also brought some wicked equipment to share; thank you! I definitely learned a bunch and got to try some different equipment!

Added some pics below. If anyone took a picture during the chat with Jason, please post. Unfortunately my phone was ‘busy’ .

 

[Svperstar]

As the date come close I can confirm I will be able to come. I will bring my electrostatic setup this time. So
Stax x9000,
Stax 007,
Amp is Headamp BHSE,
DAC will be prism sound ada 8xr.

So how did the Koss electrostats compare?

 

[Ggmel333]

So how did the Koss electrostats compare?

The Koss were entirely to bright. Anything under 200hz was gone, like -10db drop off.

 

[Svperstar]

The Koss were entirely to bright. Anything under 200hz was gone, like -10db drop off.

I don't recall if I had the EQ profile on or not when you were listening. It for sure helps. My post was directed at Leon995 who brought the Stax X9000. Its his second time hearing the Koss electrostats as far a I know.


Dunno if Leon is even reading this thread tbh. I will have to put down a lot more thoughts later but I am walking out the door. Great meetup glad I went.

 

[mooster1223]

Thanks for putting this together, Ryan. I enjoyed myself while my girlfriend drew and people watched the crowds. I appreciate all your work.

I'll be better prepared if this happens next year by bringing Android connectivity. I'll also bring the LS50's or some Joseph Audio rm7si for 2 channel.

 

[tvrboy]

First of all, I want to say a big thank you to everyone at Schiit for sending out all this equipment and to Jason for doing a Q&A session for us. I can’t imagine another audio company sending their entire product line for a local meet with 16 people, but that’s one of the reasons Schiit has so many fans. And thanks to the organizer as well for finding a great place. The room we were in looked custom made for a headphone meetup and I would love to attend another meet in that space.

I’ll keep my impressions limited to Schiit products since this is a Schiit meet and my purpose in attending was to try their products (although the Stax setup was amazing as always!). Please take my impressions with a grain mine of salt since every amp there was paired with a different DAC, it was really difficult to separate the “sound” of an amp from the sound of the DAC.

Mjolnir 3: I was very excited to try this amp which uses unique technologies and switchable modes. My goal was to see how it compares with my Lyr+ and consider whether it might replace the Lyr+ in my system. I used my own headphones (Auteur Classic) and various DACs which other people were not listening to at the time for this comparison. First, in regards to the size, weight, and heat, I do not think this amplifier is “too hot” or “too heavy” … I wouldn’t want to stick my fingers in the heatsinks but hovering my fingers slightly above them was fine. I was expecting a mass akin to a small neutron star but it’s about the same as my Gungnir. The wiiiiiiiiide boi form factor is a bit odd but overall the product looks beautiful in a purposeful way, at least to my eyes.

I listened mainly in balanced, no feedback, single-ended mode. In this configuration, the sound is very clean and crisp but with great texture to the music. This “texture” is a difficult to describe, music (especially vocals) has a lush and vivid quality that reminds me a little bit of tubes, but is also different from tubes. When I put on some of my favorite tracks with female vocals, I could not stop listening and wanted to take the amp home with me. This special quality of the amp really moved me and drove musical engagement up to 11. Despite this quality, I didn’t feel the amp was obviously colored in a way that something like a Magni Piety is. It still sounded quite neutral to me. The Lyr+ also has a somewhat lush or rich texture in tube mode, but it’s a different sound than the Mjolnir. I would say the Mjolnir 3reminds me more of solid-state amps I’ve listened to than tube amps and is appreciably different from what the Lyr+ has to offer in tube mode.

As far as technicalities go, I can’t make a 100% accurate comparison because it was not practical to A/B test with the Lyr+. I do own the Lyr+ so have a pretty good idea of what it’s capable of and I would say the two amplifiers are pretty even in terms of sound stage and detail retrieval. The Lyr + wins hands down for quantity and quality of bass. On the other hand, I felt that the Mjolnir 3 had a slightly more mid-centric sound signature, at least with my Auteur Classic. That led me to prefer the Mjolnir 3 more with my headphones. The Mjolnir 3 also seemed to have slightly faster transition speed than the Lyr+, which can make the leading edges of notes just a tiny bit rounded in tube mode.

I found a clear difference between feedback and no feedback modes. For me personally, no feedback mode is like lying on a grassy field and feedback mode is like lying on astroturf. The feedback mode removes the special tone / texture that endears me to this amp. It sounds quite clinical and boring. However, no feedback does have the tiniest bit of fuzz or haze which is absent in feedback mode. I am glad they offer the option to switch, but if I owned this amp I would never use feedback. I tried switching between SE and push-pull but could not tell the difference.

Kara preamp: Using my Auteur Classic, I listened to the Kara’s headphone output from a Modi Multibit, and compared to a Jotenheim using its internal DAC. That’s not really an apples to apples comparison, but I didn’t want to go through the awkwardness of switching out amps on the same DAC while other people were listening at the same table. At first listen, the Kara sounded fine to me. Just one of those solid state amps that is pretty close to neutral and difficult to assign a certain sound to. I felt details were a little fuzzy around the edges, but that may be the Modi Multibit or even the unfamiliar recording I listened to. After switching to the Jotenheim, I noticed that the notes lost body and weight. There was much less sense of impact to the music. Some instruments sounded a bit off or not as loud as they should be. Switching back to the Kara, everything in the arrangement sounded much more fleshed-out and instruments were in proportion to each other. I’m fully aware that the less favorable sound of the Jotenheim may be in part or whole due to its internal DAC. Overall, I think this product is a great idea as I’m always suspicious of the headphone jack quality on integrated amplifiers or “all-in-one” boxes. I do think Schiit will have trouble reaching the audience who would benefit the most from the Kara (2-channel enthusiasts who have never dipped their toe in the headphone world) and wonder how they might market towards these people.

Jotenheim on its own: I also listened to the Jotenheim on its own with the Schiit-supplied Focal Clear MG. Taken as a whole, this system presented a neutral sound that was clean and clear across the frequency range. All the sins of this system were omission instead of commission, which I think is the right way to go for an entry-level system. Compared against the Kara + Modi Multibit, I found the Jotenheim a bit lacking. But as a one-box do-it-all system, I would definitely recommend the Jotenheim. I do think the aesthetic appeal is quite low compared to one-box systems such as Topping / SMSL with digital displays.



Looking forward to reading everyone else’s impressions!

 

[Svperstar]

Thanks again for the meetup, I found out about it at the last minute glad I went, I decided at the last minute to have hotel free breakfast since I didn't know when I would get food again, that ended up taking 20 minutes lol. Good times. Glad I got a hotel and didn't drive 6+ hours in one day.

Like many people I have wondered what a Blue Hawaii Amp + Stax x9000s would sound like. Now I don't have to wonder. Great setup. I listened to 10 different test tracks. When I was driving home I was wishing I tried more. I've been on the fence getting into Stax electrostats for years and still haven't pulled the trigger, Leon's setup makes me want too.

I have never owned any ZMF products. I listened to 4-5 different ZMF headphones at the meet but none of them really grabbed me, don't know why. I really need to have some ZMF cans at my apartment for a week or so, not rapid fire cycle them off my head at a meetup. I really like the Focal Clear MG I prefered the Clear MG over the Utopia at my last meetup. I might pick up a used Clear MG just to say I own one. There is a local seller in my town.

I saw a pair of Sennheiser HD800s I was going to hook them up and have them play at the same time as my Sennheiser HD800 (no mods) out of my setup, then when I looked back up they were gone. Oh well. Next time.

Kinda forgot the Monolith by Monoprice M1060 exist but someone brought them to the meetup, they sound good. I didn't feel they were super cheap, was glad I got the chance to let the owner hear the Audeze LCD2 2023 revision since he said he never heard the LCD2 before.

All I can think of for now, thanks again Ryan for putting the meetup together. I offered to help but wasn't much for me to do by the time I got there at 8:50 am.

 

[Svperstar]

Oh yeah I just dropped my Gilmore Lite mk2 + GRPS off at the office. I have the Sennheiser 58X & 6XX but figured there would be so many of those at the meetup to not bother. Didn't see either at the meetup.

Oh yeah I forgot I tried the Sennheiser 660S2. I actually went back and forth between my 580s and the 660S2, very similar still obviously in the same family.

The 580 continues to be a great value and in that line Sennheiser iterated but hasn't made anything in the line that blows it out of the water

 

[CT007]

I listened to 4-5 different ZMF headphones at the meet but none of them really grabbed me

Same feeling here. Just not a house flavor for me. I thought HD660S2 (on HDV820) was great! (Also AEON 2 NOIRE)

 

[leon995]

Great meeting and even greater folks! Sorry been busy for the past two days.
I am glad I made it. I feel exciting to have another Ohio meeting after two years.
Big thanks to Ryan to put this meeting together and Schiit sponsored the meeting and send awesome equipment to the meeting! Appreciate Jason had the chat with us. It is really a fun time. And I feel so lucky to be chosen as the winner for the draw. I am the person with a Syn now LOL, need to work harder to get into the audio heaven *Sigh*

The combo impressed me the most is the modi + Vali 2, can't believe how good they are at entry level. Paired with HD660S2, someone can for sure enjoyed them a long time. Although compare to the higher end models, it lacks the resolution and the technical aspects are lack a bit. But the music really flows and engage. Especially the mids, a bit warmth but not too much. For pops, jazz and blues, it can't be beat unless goes to many times its cost.

The mid-tier stuff was actually not that impressive. They are still good and definitely had more power and technical advance, but left a lot room for you to desire. The Bifrost + Lyr and the Jotunheim 2 falls under this type. It had some advance over the modi+Vali, but not advanced in all the way. Like the Jot not as engage and bifrost + Lyr a bit too warmth and colored to my taste IMO.

Next we got the Mjolnir 3, now we talk business. Paired with modi (Yes, even the modi), the sound evolved every way. It had the power to let the zmf Atrium and Auteur classic show its beauty (Sorry if I messed up the name, ZMF headphone names are really hard for me to remember although I think @tvrboy tried very hard explained to me the name and the difference and I am really appreciate), The bass was extended and punchy, mids are sweet and highs are not harsh or elevated. Overall very good and a big step up.

Last but not least the 2 channel setup. PSB Alpha P3s really surprised me compare to its size. I never been into 2 channels before and reading online always give me the information of you need room to be prepared, very good amp and big ass speaker to make it sound good. But this pair really changed my thoughts. They can be enjoyed pretty easily powered by Rag and Yggy. It gave me the confidence to start try out the two channels.

Looking forward to next meeting and hopefully the folks didn't make it this time can join next time!

 

[leon995]

So how did the Koss electrostats compare?

This is a good question. What do you mean "compare"? Can you be more specific?
This is actually my first time listen to the Koss and only 3 songs so take my thought with a grain of salt.
IMHO, they are very good value compare to the entry level dynamics or planer. As the Koss was sold as a set so just connect to the DAC and you can instantly enjoy music. The build seems good and the lifetime warranty is niubility.
But it sure has its shortages. I did feel it can go down, definitely lower than 200Hz, but just lack the punch.
For the highs, if we define the signature of estate sound is airy, smooth and extended mids and highs, Koss definitely lacks here. But that's more like a different taste.
In the end, it is a good stand alone system. But when compared to the dynamic or planer headphones at similar price there are better choices now a days. My 2 cents

 

[tutetibiimperes]

Same feeling here. Just not a house flavor for me. I thought HD660S2 (on HDV820) was great! (Also AEON 2 NOIRE)

I absolutely love the artistry and craftsmanship of his headphones, but the dip in the 3-5khz range he tunes into them always makes them unfulfilling from the sound side for me. I really prefer headphones with more bite and aggression there.

If he ever releases something that follows the Harman tuning I’d be first in line to buy it. Until then the Fostex TH909 gives me what I want with the craftsmanship and sound signature I like.

 

[HiFive Kerfuffle]

Hey all - Thanks to Ryan for hosting this event - Perfect timing for me I saw this event posted by chance as I am just getting into the headphone game about 2-3 weeks ago. I'm quickly realizing this is an expensive but rewarding hobby for music enthusiasts like myself. And also a great way to listen to my music in great detail without waking up the wife and kiddos unlike my home theater speakers.

I'm Mike - the guy that brought the Focal Clear MG. I'm still digging my Edition XS over the Clear MG and recently just picked up the Arya Organic. It's only been a few hours but I'm definitely liking the Organic but my issues so far is I am having a very hard time noticing the difference between the XS and Arya Organic. I much prefer the build quality, comfort, and looks of the Arya Organic so hopefully some greater detail and soundstage will come through to me after testing multiple genres over the course of the next few weeks.

Also huge thanks to Schiit for sending all of the equipment and sponsoring the event. For my first starter stack, I just got the Modius/Magnius and super impressed with the power over the Topping DX3 Pro which was my initial amp/DAC. I'm mad I had to leave early and had to miss Jason speaking but agree with tvrboy that it's very rare for a company to send an entire product line to have only 16 people check them out freely.

I really enjoyed listening to the different headphones and especially liked the tube amps. The Lyr+ was really unique since it had the ability to go tube or solid state. The 20 second delay when switching between the 2 modes were the only draw back. I think I'm going to look for a pure tube amp now (no hybrid).

Great meeting everyone and will definitely be interested next time.

 

[Svperstar]

So.....you guys remember the Koss 95X electrostats with the broken energizer? Yeah that was me. I finally got around to sending them back to Koss beginning of last week. Just got them in fixed today.

There are people who swear the 95X are the best electrostats, listening to a new Equalizer EPO profile right now. Missed having them. Anyway. Hope everyone is doing ok.