[shyamelge]

mwindham08: I just noticed in your profile that you had previously used Schiit Mjolnir. May I ask you your opinion on it in comparison with E1 (both basic and upgrade versions) - purely in terms of sound quality? 

 

[mwindham08]

It is a bit harder for me to compare the mjolnir and the E1 as I went from the E1 to the Decware Taboo MK III.
I received the Mjolnir after I had been using the Taboo for a few months and had already sold the E1 so the only direct comparion I had was between the Mjolnir and the Taboo.
 
Having said that I did get to compare the Taboo and the E1. The Taboo had a vastly improved soundstage and imaging.
It had increased detail and dynamics. It was pretty much better in every regard to be honest. Of course the Taboo
is 3 times the price of the stock E1 so that is to be expected.
 
When I compared the Mjolnir to the Taboo they had simliar attributes. It probably had a little more bass slam however the biggest
difference was the reduced soundstage of the Mjolnir. Instruments to the left and right were much closer and after listening to the Taboo
it made the presentation sound a little collapsed. I actually ended up sending the Mjolnir back, it's still a really great amp, other than the soundstage it was really close to the Taboo, at least with the stock tubes installed. If I'm going to have 2 amps I would prefer them to sound less alike the Mjolnir and Taboo.
 
So I guess in comparison to the E1 the Mjolnir will have greater detail and dynamics. Slightly better bass (if using the Muses opamps, if stock opamps drastically improved bass). It will have more extended highs and greater control over headphones such as orthodynamics ect. Not sure what headphones you are using though so that point might not be relevant. 

 

[shyamelge]

Your comparative analysis of these relatively hi-end DACs is very useful for newbies like me who are slowly getting into this world.  Thanks for taking time to respond to my request. 

 

[shyamelge]

Quote:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Set-of-10pcs-8Pin-8-Pin-DIP-IC-Socket-Adapter-2-54-mm-Pitch-High-Quality-/190836814734?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c6ec2b38e

 
Do I need to solder LME49720HAs on these adapters or they have a hole and can be put easily in the holes?

 

[mwindham08]

I think they have to be soldered. I bought mine already attached to the adapter through eBay

 

[Aural1]

I have the Asus Essence One Muses Edition and the Mjolnir and I was curious as well how the Gungnir would be as a DAC opposed to the Asus. Right now, it sounds good, but I'm wondering if it could be a lot better.

When I was at a meet one time, I tried the Lyr/Bifrost on the HD650 and it was a lot better than the Muses. The Muses is actually very good with the 650 but not so much with my LCD-3.
I then connected the Lyr to the Muses DAC and it wasn't anything like the Bifrost/Lyr combo on the 650. In fact, it wasn't that much different from my standard Muses edition.

That's why I have such a curiosity for how the Gungnir/Mjolnir sound as opposed to the Muses/Mjolnir sound.

Because the mojo is powerful, there is quite a dynamic, lively difference with the Muses DAC as well as it working it really hot. The bass is there but not as much slam as I was hoping for. Perhaps that is LCD-3's fault.

I live in the DC area and if there is a meet here and someone has this combo, I'll check it out and see if I should just get the Gungnir and use that exclusively with the mojo. I'll never get rid of the Muses though, it is so versatile and sweet sounding with the 650.

 

[mwindham08]

So are you saying you like the MJ + E1 but wonder if the MJ+Gungnir might sound better?
 
There is definitely a good possibility it might, especially since Schiit voiced both of those products to be used together. 
I don't think it would necessarily be that the E1 was "worse", but that there would be more synergy with the two Schiit products.
 
Do you think that the Lyr might have been holding the E1 back? Considering that the E1 Muses Edition is substantially more expensive
than the Lyr, and that the E1 sounds well with the MJ. 
 
I completely agree about the E1 not being able to run Audeze cans. It runs out of gas pretty quickly and definitely seems to prefer
higher impedance cans. 

 

[Aural1]

I'm sure the MJ & Gungnir would sound better than the E1 & MJ due to the fact that it's a separate DAC & Amp. I think when it's combined, it limits the potential of both parts. Atleast that's the idea that Schiit stands by and I would probably agree.

I don't think price has anything to do with the quality of the products due to the fact that Schiit makes outstanding products affordably. E1 is very affordable for what it does. Muses only cost that much due to the 6 muses opamps inside.

My question is how much better is MJ & Gungnir than the Muses/MJ combo.

Both the Lyr and MJ has a lot of power, way more than the E1. 4 & 5 watts into 50 ohms as opposed to the E1's 610mW into 50 ohms. With orthos, E1 won't cut it but with dynamics, especially Sennheiser, it provides a very clean and tight sound without much noise. It synergizes really well with Senns and it has so much more functions than other amp/dacs on the market.