[Jimmyblues1959]

Good review but I actually prefer the Piety over the Asgard 3 with my 300 ohm HD600s.

Piety sitting atop an NVA AP10 and Heed Canalot/Q-PSU. These are two excellent sounding headphone amp's,
and after some extensive listening, IMHO, the Piety does give them a run for the money. Approximately $750 US
and $1500 US respectively, vs $149. Thanks again Jason and Cee Tee!

I also uploaded a photo of one of my favorite headphone amplifiers, a Mapletree Audio Octal Duo 300 SET.
These are very rare (only 10 ever built) and almost impossible to find on the used market. The OD300 is a very versatile amp that can run everything from 16 - 600 ohm headphones with ease. It sounds great with planars and even better with high impedance dynamics. Took me two years to find one but it was worth the wait.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

Piety sitting atop an NVA AP10 and Heed Canalot/Q-PSU. These are two excellent sounding headphone amp's,
and after some extensive listening, IMHO, the Piety does give them a run for the money. Approximately $750 US
and $1500 US respectively, vs $149. Thanks again Jason and Cee Tee!

I missed out on the first run so I paid $165 for mine and I'm not complaining. The Rupert Neve headphone amp was the most that I had paid for a headphone amp and that was $500. Cool looking but I never really cared for it. I have a Vahalla 2 and the Piety is perfect if I want to listen to something and don't want to warm the tubes up.

 

[Rattle]

I missed out on the first run so I paid $165 for mine and I'm not complaining. The Rupert Neve headphone amp was the most that I had paid for a headphone amp and that was $500. Cool looking but I never really cared for it. I have a Vahalla 2 and the Piety is perfect if I want to listen to something and don't want to warm the tubes up.

You should trade that amp you paid $500 for a used Jot 2. It's all the SS amp you'll need until you pass $1k used market. still love mine since launch last week of December 2020 bought new.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

I missed out on the first run so I paid $165 for mine and I'm not complaining. The Rupert Neve headphone amp was the most that I had paid for a headphone amp and that was $500. Cool looking but I never really cared for it. I have a Vahalla 2 and the Piety is perfect if I want to listen to something and don't want to warm the tubes up.

I never heard the Rupert Neve headphone amp, but I know that Rupert (RIP) was well respected for his pro recording equipment. The Valhalla 2 was an instant classic. It's been around for about 13 years and continues to be a popular item, which Schiit appears to have no intention of upgrading or replacing. Why mess with a great design?

IMO, the Piety is well on its way to classic status as a benchmark product in the sub $200 headphone market.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

You should trade that amp you paid $500 for a used Jot 2. It's all the SS amp you'll need until you pass $1k used market. still love mine since launch last week of December 2020 bought new.

I've heard good things about the Jot 2 but I'm very happy with the Vahalla 2. With the Piety and the Vahalla 2 I'm good to go.

 

[dstarr3]

A quick aside: I'm a bit confused. Is the Jotunheim 2 the current version that's available from Schiit right now, or is it something else?

https://www.schiit.com/products/jotunheim-1
The item on that page is simply described as "Jotunheim," and the description refers to it as Jotumheim 2, but the URL says jotunheim-1

The Jot2 is on my radar because I never hear a bad thing said about it, so I just want to make sure I'm looking at the right product.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

A quick aside: I'm a bit confused. Is the Jotunheim 2 the current version that's available from Schiit right now, or is it something else?

https://www.schiit.com/products/jotunheim-1
The item on that page is simply described as "Jotunheim," and the description refers to it as Jotumheim 2, but the URL says jotunheim-1

The Jot2 is on my radar because I never hear a bad thing said about it, so I just want to make sure I'm looking at the right product.

Yes, the Jotunheim 2 is the current version.

 

[dstarr3]

Yes, the Jotunheim 2 is the current version.

Thanks! My Singxer SA-1 is my main amp and it's been good to me, except there are two headphones that I found it synergized best with, the T50 Argon and Senn HD6XX. I've since sold my Argon and since built a Bottlehead Crack and that's all I ever connect my 6XX to anymore. The Jot2 seems like it would be a good SA-1 replacement for me, in terms of synergy with my headphone collection.

Anyway, it's been a busy week for me. I haven't set up my Piety yet. Gotta get on that!

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Thanks! My Singxer SA-1 is my main amp and it's been good to me, except there are two headphones that I found it synergized best with, the T50 Argon and Senn HD6XX. I've since sold my Argon and since built a Bottlehead Crack and that's all I ever connect my 6XX to anymore. The Jot2 seems like it would be a good SA-1 replacement for me, in terms of synergy with my headphone collection.

Anyway, it's been a busy week for me. I haven't set up my Piety yet. Gotta get on that!

The Bottlehead crack is one of the better amps for higher impedance dynamics. I have been using my Mapletree
OD300 SET more frequently with my HD6XX and HD600 because of the synergy. Really nice sounding
combination. Enjoy your Piety!!

 

[dstarr3]

The Bottlehead crack is one of the better amps for higher impedance dynamics. I have been using my Mapletree
OD300 SET more frequently with my HD6XX and HD600 because of the synergy. Really nice sounding
combination.

Yeah, I use it with my 6XX, my AKG Sextett, and my Beyer 880/600, sounds phenomenal with all three. I mean, don't get me wrong, the Singxer SA-1 & HD6XX combo is S-Tier, it's just that the BHC & 6XX combo is SSS-Tier. No reason to connect my 6XX to anything else anymore.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Yeah, I use it with my 6XX, my AKG Sextett, and my Beyer 880/600, sounds phenomenal with all three. I mean, don't get me wrong, the Singxer SA-1 & HD6XX combo is S-Tier, it's just that the BHC & 6XX combo is SSS-Tier. No reason to connect my 6XX to anything else anymore.

The Sextett is great if you can find a nice one, given that they're over 40 years old now. Great midrange! I prefer using the Sextetts with the Mapletree OD300, NVA AP10, and Eufonika H4 OTL headphone amps. Nice synergy with all three.

 

[Sinister Whisperz]

I went a week listening to my Schiit Fulla E while my wife was making a kydex shelf to mount my Piety under the table. It took all week for my ears to stop telling me something was wrong, just as I got used to the Fulla and it didn't seem to be lacking something I got my Piety back. My ears are ecstatic to say the least. If you want to really test your gear take it out of rotation for a week. The Fulla is usally my DAC in the chain, I was blown away how much I missed the Piety.

 

[mystaiced]

I went a week listening to my Schiit Fulla E while my wife was making a kydex shelf to mount my Piety under the table. It took all week for my ears to stop telling me something was wrong, just as I got used to the Fulla and it didn't seem to be lacking something I got my Piety back. My ears are ecstatic to say the least. If you want to really test your gear take it out of rotation for a week. The Fulla is usally my DAC in the chain, I was blown away how much I missed the Piety.

I’m doing the same right now. Switched out piety for the Heresy for a week or so.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

I’m doing the same right now. Switched out piety for the Heresy for a week or so.

I'd be interested to know your thoughts after you switch back to the Piety.

 

[BS5711]

I did the opposite.

I had the Piety in semi regular rotation with other gear but today took delivery of a Magni +

I bought the Magni + because I wanted the three step gain for better use with IEM and hoped the volume ramp was more linear than the Piety so in conjunction with the negative low gain option I would have more range on the pot with IEM. That proved to be the case and Magni + is definitely more IEM friendly, further assisted by the silent volume pot and slightly lower noise floor.

I have spent the last two hours back and forth between the two amps connected to a Modi + and using HD600 with both amps on high gain with a number of different songs streamed from Qobuz highlighting different vocals, instruments etc and to my ear the difference is quite slight. Slight enough where my faith in my auditory memory is significantly brought into question with the 10 seconds or so needed to swap amplifiers.

To my ear the Magni + is perhaps just a little dry by comparison, a little cleaner if you will. I noticed no glaring relative deficiency with the Magni + and just listening without thinking about the amplifier the Magni + is still very enjoyable to my ear, just marginally different.

I think perhaps the edge in detail goes to the Magni + it seems like that cleanliness comes off as a tad dry but enjoyable nonetheless.


EDITED TO ADD: The following day I listened with my DCA Aeon Noire. If anything the difference is even less pronounced, possibly due to the Magni + being fundamentally better suited to the higher current requirements of the low impedance and somewhat low sensitivity planars. The Magni + can drive the Aeon Noire to unsafe volume levels with no apparent distortion even on bass heavy tracks, the Piety would go into shut down protection long before a level that the Magni + can manage with apparent ease.

I still think the Piety is a great little amplifier but it isn't magic and for the moment it has lost its spot on my desk. It is in a cupboard nearby and is a 10 second swap so it will probably come out of retirement now and then.