[psy472]

This is a bit of an exaggeration. There were maybe a handful or a dozen cap failures on early production MJ3s, always the same caps. Schiit has sorted this a while ago with a silent revision (new caps). Sure, for a few early adopters sending the amp for a repair/refresh will be inconvenient, but 5 years of warranty is quite generous and offers some peace of mind. Newer MJ3s do not suffer this issue anymore.

The class-A heat question is an interesting one. I have not tried any true class-A amps that do not get hot, so it would be really interesting to know how Flux got around this issue. Better components cannot explain this fully. It is also worth noting, that under the 'class-A' label there might actually be quite a few different designs. It is worth reading Jason's write up about the topic.


Mine too! It is exciting! Right now, UPS says it should be delivered today, but we will see about that. I suspect tomorrow is more likely.

You’ll find that the Schiit MJ3 is the hottest (literally) amp of all class A headphone amps. Though the MJ3 is great I don’t believe it’s the only pure class A amp in all the amp out there. There has never been a report of any of the class A headphone amps anywhere near as hot as the MJ3.

Sure there are amps that can heat up pretty high but those were speakers class A amps and not headphone amps. If anything, the MJ3 is using the same chokes as old school speakers class A if I recall the discussion about it correctly. You don’t see chokes like that in any other headphone amps.

 

[betula]

You’ll find that the Schiit MJ3 is the hottest (literally) amp of all class A headphone amps. Though the MJ3 is great I don’t believe it’s the only pure class A amp in all the amp out there. There has never been a report of any of the class A headphone amps anywhere near as hot as the MJ3.

Sure there are amps that can heat up pretty high but those were speakers class A amps and not headphone amps. If anything, the MJ3 is using the same chokes as old school speakers class A if I recall the discussion about it correctly. You don’t see chokes like that in any other headphone amps.

I am not sure, how much the chokes contribute to heat to be honest. The MJ3 is definitely one of the hottest class-A amps I tried, but it is not a unicorn in that matter. Heat dissipation mostly comes down to the size of the heat sinks and the type of the chassis. Higher-end class-A amps usually have thick machined aluminium bodies, at least 1 cm (half an inch) thick. That contributes massively to better heat dissipation and a lower temperature when touching the chassis. Both the Mentor and MJ3 save a significant amount of money by using cheaper and thinner chassis, so that doesn't explain the heat difference. Would be interesting to know more about the Mentor's design details.

 

[psy472]

I am not sure, how much the chokes contribute to heat to be honest. The MJ3 is definitely one of the hottest class-A amps I tried, but it is not a unicorn in that matter. Heat dissipation mostly comes down to the size of the heat sinks and the type of the chassis. Higher-end class-A amps usually have thick machined aluminium bodies, at least 1 cm (half an inch) thick. That contributes massively to better heat dissipation and a lower temperature when touching the chassis. Both the Mentor and MJ3 save a significant amount of money by using cheaper and thinner chassis, so that doesn't explain the heat difference. Would be interesting to know more about the Mentor's design details.

Indeed. As I understood it, the MJ3 uses mainly chokes instead of capacitors to regulate and filter their current compared to other amplifiers. Chokes are also very very inefficient so the amount of current going through the MJ3 is ridiculous but the output is a small amount. That lost power is converted into heat, thus the tempt. Capacitors do the same but more efficiently so the Mentor has a sea of capacitors and MJ3 only has a few.

 

[betula]

Well, my Mentor has arrived. Can't wait to open the box later tonight.

 

[quawn0418]

Indeed. As I understood it, the MJ3 uses mainly chokes instead of capacitors to regulate and filter their current compared to other amplifiers. Chokes are also very very inefficient so the amount of current going through the MJ3 is ridiculous but the output is a small amount. That lost power is converted into heat, thus the tempt. Capacitors do the same but more efficiently so the Mentor has a sea of capacitors and MJ3 only has a few.

i don’t know, on top of having chokes, i see the MJ3 having more capacitance than the mentor as well. I think power supply was Schiits initial focus with the MJ3. This is why all watts aren’t created equal. I’m not saying that the MJ’s 2 watts are better than the mentors 11, but they are definitely created differently. Also, Schiit’s design is a lot less spacious than flux’s and i can certainly see that playing a role as far as heat goes. Both company’s strive to keep cost low, they both cut corners (in different ways from what i can see) to achieve this. There’s no way around it. Luckily, they know what corners to cut lol

 

[skhan007]

Well, my Mentor has arrived. Can't wait to open the box later tonight.

This is great news! Did you order yours last week (Weds. 4/24)? If so, that's amazingly quick to arrive to you. I ordered on the same day and don't even have any tracking information or confirmation that it's been shipped. Clearly, there's something much more favorable about being a UK customer than a US customer!

 

[betula]

This is great news! Did you order yours last week (Weds. 4/24)? If so, that's amazingly quick to arrive to you. I ordered on the same day and don't even have any tracking information or confirmation that it's been shipped. Clearly, there's something much more favorable about being a UK customer than a US customer!

Yes, I have ordered mine last week on the 24th. Delivery time is indeed super impressive, especially considering the circumstances.
I guess, USA is just a bit further away than UK, but you should have your Mentor soon enough!

 

[quawn0418]

Yes, I have ordered mine last week on the 24th. Delivery time is indeed super impressive, especially considering the circumstances.
I guess, USA is just a bit further away than UK, but you should have your Mentor soon enough!

Really curious to see which amp you end up keeping. Can’t wait for it.

 

[betula]

Really curious to see which amp you end up keeping. Can’t wait for it.

Haha! Exciting times indeed.
Well, I might not keep any of them and dive deeper into tubes in the end, but I certainly can't justify two SS amps.
The MJ3 is fantastic, but I think I still prefer my tubes. Curious to hear how the Mentor performs.

 

[Smoothstereo]

Haha! Exciting times indeed.
Well, I might not keep any of them and dive deeper into tubes in the end, but I certainly can't justify two SS amps.
The MJ3 is fantastic, but I think I still prefer my tubes. Curious to hear how the Mentor performs.

Hence I use a tube preamp/tube buffer between my DAC and MJ3. I can see folks can do the same with Mentor to have the best of both worlds with the SS amp and tubes.

 

[RobWilde]

Haha! Exciting times indeed.
Well, I might not keep any of them and dive deeper into tubes in the end, but I certainly can't justify two SS amps.
The MJ3 is fantastic, but I think I still prefer my tubes. Curious to hear how the Mentor performs.

Mine's arrived and I am also doing a shootout between the Mentor and the MJ3.

 

[quawn0418]

Mine's arrived and I am also doing a shootout between the Mentor and the MJ3.

Can’t wait to hear what you think as well, it’s a good week for audio lol

 

[Slackaveli]

Hence I use a tube preamp/tube buffer between my DAC and MJ3. I can see folks can do the same with Mentor to have the best of both worlds with the SS amp and tubes.

Im honestly at a loss as to how it could possible sound better than Yggy Og :> Mentor without spending $10k.

 

[Slackaveli]

Mine's arrived and I am also doing a shootout between the Mentor and the MJ3.

Can't wait for the results although I have my prediction lol.

 

[quawn0418]

Can't wait for the results although I have my prediction lol.

attempting to influence a judge is a federal offense slack! lol