[Mattyjm]

to ignore the online talk about the sound being altered by the gain setting, it won’t.

you also can't ignore the fact that at higher gain there possibly could be more/less distortion which it turn would sound different. From my experience, i much preferred the high gain; low gain sounded very normal

 

[inscythe]

Not the Piety specifically but I had a private message conversation with the designer of a well known somewhat portable DAC/amp during which he said to ignore the online talk about the sound being altered by the gain setting, it won’t.

I somewhat agree with the statement that for the most part, gain settings often didn't change sound quality, as I had experienced with various Topping, Fiio, Burson, and more amps. I personally run most things on low gain to avoid clipping, distortion, and allow for greater headroom usually.

However, considering Piety is somewhat a prototype product that went into a limited production and probably has a unique implementation, plus recommendation by the designer himself, I'm open to the possibility that there might be differences.

 

[Sinister Whisperz]

I tried both settings and found that I prefer the high gain. On both my Grados and my AKG the bass seemed fuller and the overall experience seemed more musical to my ears.

 

[Rattle]

With HD600 I seem to sense a collapse of stage in high gain. Other than that it sounds the same to me, low gain sounds more open. Could be placebo though. Even on low gain I never go over 12 o'clock, but yeah I can't really hear a difference otherwise and its slight.

Depending on the amp the gain setting effect how much feedback is maybe used or negative feedback is used. This could possibly affect the sound in ways. Of course this is my minimal understanding which could be totally incorrect.

 

[tamleo]

I have used many Schiit amps and always feel the low gain sounding soft, lackluster. The same for my recent Piety. The high gain sounds more detailed, impactful and real. On same headphones a soft and uncontrolled sounding may create a more open and musical listening experience actually

 

[raindownthunda]

I've been comparing the Piety with the Jot 2 and thought I would share impressions here (cross-posted in the ZMF amp thread):

For my preferences/chain, I'm ranking the following: Jot2 Bal > Piety SE > Jot2 SE

Piety vs Jot 2 (Bifrost 2/64 & Verite Closed):

• Jot 2 a clear winner in clarity and detail (both SE and Bal). Piety is more veiled - especially in the treble.
• Piety wins out compared to Jot 2 SE with tone and mids. Vocals/mids are just lovely on the Piety. The overall presentation and staging is sounds more spacious / 3D. There is a very enjoyable sense of decay and warmth. Better sense of macrodynamics vs Jot 2 SE. Definitely some tube-like qualities here.
• Jot 2 in Bal improves on the macrodynamics, staging, and tone, making it more enjoyable (to me) than the Piety. The Piety's clarity and detail (especially in the treble) becomes obviously lacking in comparison. The Jot 2 Bal sounds just as open and spacious as the Piety (if not more), but with more distance between sounds. Piety sounds like a wall of sound in comparison.
• Product design: Piety wins, no comparison. All Schiit gear should look like this - the Jot 2 looks dated in comparison.
• Overall I would say Jot 2 is subjectively better than the Piety - but only if you're using balanced. If you're using SE, it's much closer. In that case, I think it comes down to the qualities that matter to you (and cost).
• Given that that the Jot 2 is over twice the price, I hesitated on doing this comparison. The fact that it stands up SO well from an enjoyment POV is an incredible feat (esp. since Jot 2 is marketed as the "best $2400 amp"). There is a clear value proposition for what the Piety has to offer, especially if you need the compact form factor. I would likely replace the Jot 2 with the Piety if I wasn't using balanced with all of my headphones and/or didn't have my tube amp bases covered.
• P.S. I preferred Low gain with the VC on both amps and High gain on both amps with the Aeolus.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

To my ears, the high gain setting sounds better. Considering the designer / builder of the amplifier himself states that the gain setting will affect the sound quality gives me reason to believe that is true it is probable the gain setting is a feedback switch, and I can tell you from my personal experiments that the degree of negative feedback injected into an audio circuit can have large implications in the subjective sound, some positive some negative, that go beyond the measurements. I've found there is usually a sweet spot. I recently prototyped a OTL headamp with a choke-loaded EL84 output stage and a feedback loop that could be adjusted with a potentiometer from 2dB to 12dB. While 12dB had the best measurements in terms of output impedance and distortion, the best subjective sound I found was around 4-5dB of feedback.

Also, no one has to worry about clipping / headroom using a high gain setting in a headphone amp unless you are using an especially wimpy amp with an especially power hungry headphone. Most headphones only need tens of milliwatts at normal listening volumes, whereas a typical headphone amp can provide hundreds to thousands at the point of clipping.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

I have used many Schiit amps and always feel the low gain sounding soft, lackluster. The same for my recent Piety. The high gain sounds more detailed, impactful and real. On same headphones a soft and uncontrolled sounding may create a more open and musical listening experience actually

Same experience here. I have a Nitsch Piety, Schiit Jotunheim 1, Asgard 3, a few Asgard 2's and IMHO they all sound better using high gain.

I remember reading that the ideal output impedance for a headphone amplifier should be about 1/8 of the impedance of the headphone you are using. With that in mind a headphone amplifier with an output impedance of 20 ohms on low gain should be ideal with a headphone whose impedance is 160 ohms. Now if this headphone amplifier produced 40 ohms in high gain that would make it more suitable for a headphone such as the Sennheiser HD600 which has a 300 ohm impedance.

Of course with the lower impedance, highly efficient IEMs that have become so popular today, the lower a headphone amplifier's output impedance the better, in order to maintain the lowest noise floor possible.

 

[blackdragon87]

Just ordered one after reading good things with ZMF dynamics

Interested in trying it with my incoming cocobolo atrium especially

 

[BS5711]

Same experience here. I have a Nitsch Piety, Schiit Jotunheim 1, Asgard 3, a few Asgard 2's and IMHO they all sound better using high gain.

I remember reading that the ideal output impedance for a headphone amplifier should be about 1/8 of the impedance of the headphone you are using. With that in mind a headphone amplifier with an output impedance of 20 ohms on low gain should be ideal with a headphone whose impedance is 160 ohms. Now if this headphone amplifier produced 40 ohms in high gain that would make it more suitable for a headphone such as the Sennheiser HD600 which has a 300 ohm impedance.

Of course with the lower impedance, highly efficient IEMs that have become so popular today, the lower a headphone amplifier's output impedance the better, in order to maintain the lowest noise floor possible.

Except that the Piety’s output impedance is stated at less than 0.6 ohm in low and high gain so no perceived difference in sound can be attributed to a change in output impedance.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Except that the Piety’s output impedance is stated at less than 0.6 ohm in low and high gain so no perceived difference in sound can be attributed to a change in output impedance.

The output impedance in low gain makes the Piety ideal for IEM's. As for perception, that's subjective.

 

[BS5711]

The output impedance in low gain makes the Piety ideal for IEM's. As for perception, that's subjective.

Yes I use my Piety with IEM and it works great, no noise floor issues either. What I don’t like is the scratching/scraping sound though the IEM from the crappy volume pot but that only happens when adjusting the volume so I can live with that.

Yes perception is subjective, problem is there are so many other things that can influence the listeners perception that it is quite easy to hear a change that literally doesn’t exist so it makes discussion and solid comparisons very difficult.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Except that the Piety’s output impedance is stated at less than 0.6 ohm in low and high gain so no perceived difference in sound can be attributed to a change in output impedance.

If that's the case then the gain isn't implemented by means of global feedback, which is Schiit's usual method of setting gain.

JC

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Yes I use my Piety with IEM and it works great, no noise floor issues either. What I don’t like is the scratching/scraping sound though the IEM from the crappy volume pot but that only happens when adjusting the volume so I can live with that

IMHO, there are so many quirks with hifi gear, and the cheaper the equipment the more quirks there seem to be.
What intrigues me about the Piety is that in spite of its being a cheap product, I find that it sounds quite good.
In particular, its lack of glare, and the ability to listen to it for hours on end without fatigue. I can't really say that about
my original Schiit Magni 3 or JDS Labs Atom. The Atom in particular has excellent objective performance, yet I find that
I prefer listening to the Piety by a wide margin. Of course this is a purely subjective observation on my part and other
enthusiasts may find otherwise.

Yes perception is subjective, problem is there are so many other things that can influence the listeners perception that it is quite easy to hear a change that literally doesn’t exist so it makes discussion and solid comparisons very difficult

I could not agree more!

 

[BS5711]

If that's the case then the gain isn't implemented by means of global feedback, which is Schiit's usual method of setting gain.

JC

That is the stated spec on page 1 of this thread.