Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up
Dec 14, 2019 at 5:11 PM Post #54,708 of 145,662
It is really not about the cars.:smile_phones:

Of course it's about the cars. It's always about the cars. Wait....I mean the tubes. Sorry. My bust. It's about the tubes, as it should be. But hang on. It's not about the tubes either, is it? Nevermind then.

:relaxed:
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 5:20 PM Post #54,709 of 145,662
Does that mean I get an upgrade to this? I drive way too fast for anyone to ever hit me from the rear... :smile:



A father's words of wisdom to his 16 year old son: "Son, you'll kill yourself in the '72 LeMans convertible. That two-tone Pinto looks pretty nice."

Yep. That was my dad and my first car was the Pinto.

I stood a far greater chance of being killed in a fiery crash while stopped at a light in the Pinto than I would have racing around town in that convertible Carolina Blue Le Mans with white leather interior, Cragar wheels, Hurst shifter, Edelbrock intake, Holley double-pumper and high-lift cam.:unamused:
 
Last edited:
Dec 14, 2019 at 5:29 PM Post #54,711 of 145,662
A father's words of wisdom to his 16 year old son: "Son, you'll kill yourself in the '72 LeMans convertible. That two-tone Pinto looks pretty nice."

Yep. That was my dad and my first car was a Pinto.

I stood a far greater chance of being killed in a fiery crash while stopped at a light in the Pinto than I would have racing around town in that convertible Carolina Blue Le Mans with white leather interior, Cragar wheels, Hurst shifter, Edelbrock intake, Holley double-pumper and high-lift cam.:unamused:


I thought this was your first car. Or had they not come out yet? :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

upload_2019-12-14_17-28-11.png
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 5:30 PM Post #54,712 of 145,662
That's right. Kick a man while he's down thinking about his life's missed opportunities and what might have been. :unamused:
 
Last edited:
Dec 14, 2019 at 5:32 PM Post #54,713 of 145,662
When I spied the two new Magnis, and the ability to get both in a trial setup, I decided for no particular reason to buy both. I had and have no intention of sending one back. Why bother? It's always better to just have one or two or five extra headphone amps lying around just in case.

I originally planned on doing an extensive survey of a dozen or so works, including longer ones, but it actually became immediately clear which I preferred after letting both units warm up for about sixty minutes - the Heresy, and it ain't even close. So I trimmed the number of comps.

Why the Heresy? It's cleaner, lighter, more precise, and better sorted. I've read the last term from various British audio reviewers, and typically it means nothing to me, but here it is the best way to describe what's going on. No matter what piece of music I listen to, the Heresy presents all instruments and voices in a more clearly defined space and with greater precision. Four strings sound like four strings. Two voices, even when singing in harmony, sound like two voices. While apparent stereo depth seems limited - maybe - stereo lateral spread is supremely fine. Also, another audiophile term I typically dismiss becomes useful here: backgrounds are black with the Heresy on low gain. For me, that refers to perceptible noise. There's none on low gain. There is on high gain, and noise is evident through the 3+ at both settings, less on low, more on high. The absolute lack of noise with the Heresy means that some recordings sound almost off; there's supposed to be something there between notes. One adjusts. And it's less of a "problem" with recordings of acoustic instruments in properly recorded spaces. Indeed, the room sound (or the wonderful German word Raumklang if you prefer) is more evident through the Heresy. And though the distortion numbers are low enough such that I shouldn't be able to detect any difference between the units, when I use the 3+ it took longer to get to a volume I liked, with me always having to turn down the volume. There were and are no such concerns with the Heresy. The 3+ sounds, at times, harsher, edgier, and while beefier and darker, comparatively unorganized. Is it the less vanishingly low IMD of the 3+? I can't say for sure.

For the comps, I made the amps the weak links in the chain. For the DAC, I used one of my Yggys. For headphones, for the serious listening, I used my high end cans: Beyerdynamic Tesla T1, Audeze LCD 2.2, and Focal Elear. It is worth noting that while the power ratings seem adequate to run the Beyers, on low gain one has to use near maximum volume for some selections. I used the Beyer DT880 600 Ohm cans a bit, too, but one must use high gain when using the Heresy, so I left the 880s out of the comps. Both amps were set to the much preferred low gain setting throughout.

Here goes:

PART 1

51lFWxT58tL._SX300_.jpg


Vampire Weekend, Unbelievers from Modern Vampires of the City:

Magni 3 +
Focal Elear - Quite the pairing. The upper treble dip is offset somewhat. Everything is in correct proportion, and if some fine details go missing or are understated (the doubling whispering), the presentation is most engaging.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - Perhaps too weighty. Finer details are less evident. Not especially engaging.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Weighty and groovy, the sound is also comparatively congested.


Magni 3 Heresy
Focal Elear
- Strangely, the combination sounds harsher, rougher than with the 3+. No real presentation differences otherwise.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - The Heresy keeps the sound nimbler and lighter than normal for these cans. Rolled highs and superb detail presentation throughout.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Ridiculously good sound. Bass is leaner and cleaner than with the other cans, the whisper doublings throughout are clear, the combination of the pseudo (Irish?) folk tune over deep synth bass is separated perfectly, and well sorted.

81dp5g3JTwL._SS300_.jpg


Lana Del Rey, Norman ****ing Rockwell from Norman ****ing Rockwell!

Magni 3 +
Focal Elear
- The 3+ and the Elear prove to be something of a magic pairing. The presentation is dynamically wide ranging and the duo sounds nearly as well organized and sorted as the Heresy/T1 combo, but with less evident detail.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - Bottom heavy and rolled off, per the headphone's signature, the mids seem a bit congested and compressed. Grant's voice sounds just fine, but the music around her is not quite ideally crisp 'n' clear.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - The weightier, heavier, congested sound pervades. Individual instruments emerge out of a more undifferentiated sound. Vocal sibilance seems more prominent than through the Heresy.


Magni Heresy
Focal Elear
- The superior dynamic performance of the Elear is strikingly evident, but the clarity and instrumental detail is less evident than through the other cans.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - Bass is less prominent, and sound is more orderly. Grant's voice is a bit less full and a bit cooler.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Smooth and clear, Ms Grant's vocal lines are insanely clean and pop out of the mix. The song sounds lighter than through speakers and almost seems sped up. The ending sounds purposely flattened and frequency limited; the studio trickery is more obvious. Groovy.

61dwX5iH0IL._SX300_.jpg


Arcadi Volodos, Franz Schubert Minuet D334

(Selected for the almost superhuman, nuanced to the Nth degree pianissimo playing)

Magni 3 +
Focal Elear
- The Elear upper treble dip is unacceptably evident, as on all piano recordings, and the upper registers are congested and not properly defined in some of the best defined piano playing of the century. One gets to hear the pedaling clearly, though. The ultrafine dynamic gradations are plain as day.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - The slightly rolled very top end is evident, and the congestion manifests itself as glare. The glare sort of leads to the playing sound more legato than it is, which almost compensates.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Easily the best overall presentation of the lot, with Volodos' tone unfailingly even and beautiful, and his absolute control over every aspect of every note evident. The sound is a bit closed in compared to normal with these cans, but it works well.


Magni Heresy
Focal Elear
- The upper treble dip is ameliorated a bit, though still evident. The sound is less congested and even more finely nuanced, with the ultrafine dynamic gradations even more evident. There's something of a haze over the recording, though.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - A step up from the Elear in every way, though the very top treble is rolled. But that is far less damaging. Superb, with the dynamic gradation even more finely realized.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Nearly perfect. The sound opens up a bit more than with the 3+, and Volodos' playing sounds even more beautiful. It is this type of presentation that makes one wonder how he does it.


81h3GgxSPIL._SX300_.jpg


Esa Pekka Salonen, Silvestre Revueltas Sensemaya

(Selected because this was one of the tracks that immediately demonstrated what the Yggy can do that lesser DACs cannot in direct A/B/C comparisons.)

Magni 3 +
Focal Elear
- The dynamic presentation excites, but it sounds imprecise and sort of unruly, which suits the music but not the conductor. The tuba overtones smear, though the higher brass have lots of bite. Too uneven overall.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - Probably the best overall presentation for the 3+ in these works with these phones. Tiny hints of congestion and glare remain, but rhythm, dynamics, and weight are all most impressive. Nice, but not as nice as the Heresy.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - The tuba sounds good and the brass have bite, but also sound a bit dark. Detail is obvious, but it's harder to follow individual sections when compared to the Heresy. The tuttis sound less well controlled than through the Heresy.


Magni Heresy
Focal Elear
- The 3+ performance is tightened up in all regards and sounds much more to my liking. The upper treble dip still renders sound that seems less clear than with the other cans.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - The missing top frequencies is the only downside. Weight, scale, rhythm, detail, overtones, everything else sounds just swell.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - The tuba has them overtones, and the brass have plenty of blat. The lateral placement of instruments is super-precise, the ability to pull out the strings or the individual brass or wind sections from the cacophony most impressive - like when one can follow out the violins as the coda approaches. Only the comparatively light bass can be counted as a minus, but then, is the bass weight in other presentations excessive? Best of the lot overall sound.

After determining the winner from the new Magnis, I decided to comp the 3+ to the original Magni 3 in a quick shootout using the Beyers and involving just one track, the opener to this little known album:

819dKz8GfWL._SX300_.jpg


(What, like I wasn't gonna buy the anniversary reissue?) The 3+ is as clearly superior to the Magni 3 as the Heresy is to the 3+. The 3+ sounds bigger, more open, cleaner, and better sorted. It's obvious and immediate. To be sure, I'm not describing fundamental differences, but rather small improvements in every single area, all at once.


PART 2

Since the Heresy emerged the clear winner, it needed to face tougher competition in the form of the Jotunheim.

Starting with the same Beatles track, it's clear that the Jotunheim is better, and it's better in every way, though only by a little. The biggest relative difference is in scale: the Jotunheim presents a larger scale sound, spreading to outside the headphones, while the Heresy is more confined. The bass line sounds exceedingly close between the two units, but the guitar work has more edge, but just as much as it should, through the Jotunheim, and the chorus of voices sounds ever so more distinct. The Jotunheim actually sounds more sorted, too, though just a smidge. Instruments have a bit more body; the sound is fuller while retaining full extension in the treble. Nice.

51Tcv04QhLL._SX300_.jpg


Next up is one of my favorite piano recordings, one I know well and have listened to dozens or hundreds of times, and it was the one that was playing when I had an amp fail and almost take a speaker with it, Chopin's B Minor Scherzo played by Ivo Pogorelich. The differences between the two amps are minor, but they are there. The Jotunheim does an even better job of presenting the recorded venue. The upper registers of the piano sound simultaneously brighter and smoother and sweeter and cleaner. The lower registers have more heft, though both are equally clean and clear. In the fastest passages of the opening section, the Heresy actually sounds fleeter than the Jotunheim, but in the lullaby section, the delicate and tender melody sounds more moving and nearly funereal through the Jotunheim. (I've always thought that Pogorelich was playing the music as a sorrowful contemplation of his then ailing wife.) The stark dynamic contrasts sound starker through the Jotunheim as well; when Pogorelich wacks out sforzandi, you know it. Still, the Heresy does extremely well, and in the absence of the Jotunheim, would offer near terminal performance in its own right.

415-fytfGWL.jpg


For about two decades since I first bought this record it has served as a test recording for all stereo gear I buy. With lower end gear, the ensemble's wiry sound comes off as too bright and sharp, but with better gear the edge is removed and the supremely fine execution and musicianship remain. The first night I got the two new Magnis I spun this, and after about the first twenty seconds I realized I preferred the Heresy. Comparing the Heresy and the Jotunheim was more interesting yet. Taking just the vibrant, quick, dynamic Presto con fuoco opening movement, the Jotunheim offers more room sound, a more relaxed (in relative terms!) and fuller sound, and more bow on string sound, while the Heresy is more upfront and makes the dynamic contrasts more obvious. The Jotunheim has the slight overall edge, but the Heresy really ought not to be this comparatively good.

91UrlxLWXXL._SX300_.jpg


For the final Heresy-Jotunheim comp I went with the greatest of all symphonies, though just the Allegro con brio. The Jotunheim offers the listener the ability to appreciate how great the Pittsburgh band is under Honeck, with tight string playing and great brass playing. The piece moves forward swiftly, energetically, heroically through the Jotunheim. The tuttis and the timp thwacks all emerge as well as in any recording ever (seriously, no one, not even Toscanini or Klemperer or Giulini or Schuricht or Karajan or <insert other stick waving giant> has one up on Honeck). It's tip top. Through the Heresy, again space goes missing a bit, and though the sound is a bit more upfront, the scale is reduced; it sounds like a scaled down orchestra, closer to Paavo Jarvi's reduced forces than to the full PSO playing the music. The effect is not unpleasant; it may actually punch things up a bit!

So, the Jotunheim emerges the winner, but not by as much as one might think. While it's impossible to quantify performance differential, for 25% of the price, the listener gets 85/90/95% the performance. That's a bargain. The Heresy will be moving to its new long-term home in my bedroom system where it will be used more for watching movies and television in the evening than anything else, replacing my old Magni 3. Now, what to do with two lesser Magnis?

The results do make me wonder if it's possible to up the ante in op amp based headphone amps. Add a bigger, linear power supply, tweak this, that, and the other thing, and who knows. Maybe Jason could build a Jotunheim price point op amp product to see what can be done. I'd buy one without a moment's hesitation.


PART 3

71hsOk9aSPL._SX300_.jpg


I wanted another set of ears on the amps, so I enlisted my college aged son to do some quick comps. Physical Graffiti got the nod, with the focus on Ten Years Gone. His impressions were:

1.) Immediate and obvious soundstage difference.
2.) Immediate and obvious difference in precision and clarity - the Heresy is superior.
3.) The Yggy is too good; it reveals too much information and ruins the recording by allowing one to hear the flaws without effort.

Really nice review. Thanks!
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 5:37 PM Post #54,714 of 145,662
When I spied the two new Magnis, and the ability to get both in a trial setup, I decided for no particular reason to buy both. I had and have no intention of sending one back. Why bother? It's always better to just have one or two or five extra headphone amps lying around just in case.

I originally planned on doing an extensive survey of a dozen or so works, including longer ones, but it actually became immediately clear which I preferred after letting both units warm up for about sixty minutes - the Heresy, and it ain't even close. So I trimmed the number of comps.

Why the Heresy? It's cleaner, lighter, more precise, and better sorted. I've read the last term from various British audio reviewers, and typically it means nothing to me, but here it is the best way to describe what's going on. No matter what piece of music I listen to, the Heresy presents all instruments and voices in a more clearly defined space and with greater precision. Four strings sound like four strings. Two voices, even when singing in harmony, sound like two voices. While apparent stereo depth seems limited - maybe - stereo lateral spread is supremely fine. Also, another audiophile term I typically dismiss becomes useful here: backgrounds are black with the Heresy on low gain. For me, that refers to perceptible noise. There's none on low gain. There is on high gain, and noise is evident through the 3+ at both settings, less on low, more on high. The absolute lack of noise with the Heresy means that some recordings sound almost off; there's supposed to be something there between notes. One adjusts. And it's less of a "problem" with recordings of acoustic instruments in properly recorded spaces. Indeed, the room sound (or the wonderful German word Raumklang if you prefer) is more evident through the Heresy. And though the distortion numbers are low enough such that I shouldn't be able to detect any difference between the units, when I use the 3+ it took longer to get to a volume I liked, with me always having to turn down the volume. There were and are no such concerns with the Heresy. The 3+ sounds, at times, harsher, edgier, and while beefier and darker, comparatively unorganized. Is it the less vanishingly low IMD of the 3+? I can't say for sure.

For the comps, I made the amps the weak links in the chain. For the DAC, I used one of my Yggys. For headphones, for the serious listening, I used my high end cans: Beyerdynamic Tesla T1, Audeze LCD 2.2, and Focal Elear. It is worth noting that while the power ratings seem adequate to run the Beyers, on low gain one has to use near maximum volume for some selections. I used the Beyer DT880 600 Ohm cans a bit, too, but one must use high gain when using the Heresy, so I left the 880s out of the comps. Both amps were set to the much preferred low gain setting throughout.

Here goes:

PART 1

51lFWxT58tL._SX300_.jpg


Vampire Weekend, Unbelievers from Modern Vampires of the City:

Magni 3 +
Focal Elear - Quite the pairing. The upper treble dip is offset somewhat. Everything is in correct proportion, and if some fine details go missing or are understated (the doubling whispering), the presentation is most engaging.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - Perhaps too weighty. Finer details are less evident. Not especially engaging.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Weighty and groovy, the sound is also comparatively congested.


Magni 3 Heresy
Focal Elear
- Strangely, the combination sounds harsher, rougher than with the 3+. No real presentation differences otherwise.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - The Heresy keeps the sound nimbler and lighter than normal for these cans. Rolled highs and superb detail presentation throughout.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Ridiculously good sound. Bass is leaner and cleaner than with the other cans, the whisper doublings throughout are clear, the combination of the pseudo (Irish?) folk tune over deep synth bass is separated perfectly, and well sorted.

81dp5g3JTwL._SS300_.jpg


Lana Del Rey, Norman ****ing Rockwell from Norman ****ing Rockwell!

Magni 3 +
Focal Elear
- The 3+ and the Elear prove to be something of a magic pairing. The presentation is dynamically wide ranging and the duo sounds nearly as well organized and sorted as the Heresy/T1 combo, but with less evident detail.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - Bottom heavy and rolled off, per the headphone's signature, the mids seem a bit congested and compressed. Grant's voice sounds just fine, but the music around her is not quite ideally crisp 'n' clear.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - The weightier, heavier, congested sound pervades. Individual instruments emerge out of a more undifferentiated sound. Vocal sibilance seems more prominent than through the Heresy.


Magni Heresy
Focal Elear
- The superior dynamic performance of the Elear is strikingly evident, but the clarity and instrumental detail is less evident than through the other cans.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - Bass is less prominent, and sound is more orderly. Grant's voice is a bit less full and a bit cooler.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Smooth and clear, Ms Grant's vocal lines are insanely clean and pop out of the mix. The song sounds lighter than through speakers and almost seems sped up. The ending sounds purposely flattened and frequency limited; the studio trickery is more obvious. Groovy.

61dwX5iH0IL._SX300_.jpg


Arcadi Volodos, Franz Schubert Minuet D334

(Selected for the almost superhuman, nuanced to the Nth degree pianissimo playing)

Magni 3 +
Focal Elear
- The Elear upper treble dip is unacceptably evident, as on all piano recordings, and the upper registers are congested and not properly defined in some of the best defined piano playing of the century. One gets to hear the pedaling clearly, though. The ultrafine dynamic gradations are plain as day.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - The slightly rolled very top end is evident, and the congestion manifests itself as glare. The glare sort of leads to the playing sound more legato than it is, which almost compensates.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Easily the best overall presentation of the lot, with Volodos' tone unfailingly even and beautiful, and his absolute control over every aspect of every note evident. The sound is a bit closed in compared to normal with these cans, but it works well.


Magni Heresy
Focal Elear
- The upper treble dip is ameliorated a bit, though still evident. The sound is less congested and even more finely nuanced, with the ultrafine dynamic gradations even more evident. There's something of a haze over the recording, though.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - A step up from the Elear in every way, though the very top treble is rolled. But that is far less damaging. Superb, with the dynamic gradation even more finely realized.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - Nearly perfect. The sound opens up a bit more than with the 3+, and Volodos' playing sounds even more beautiful. It is this type of presentation that makes one wonder how he does it.


81h3GgxSPIL._SX300_.jpg


Esa Pekka Salonen, Silvestre Revueltas Sensemaya

(Selected because this was one of the tracks that immediately demonstrated what the Yggy can do that lesser DACs cannot in direct A/B/C comparisons.)

Magni 3 +
Focal Elear
- The dynamic presentation excites, but it sounds imprecise and sort of unruly, which suits the music but not the conductor. The tuba overtones smear, though the higher brass have lots of bite. Too uneven overall.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - Probably the best overall presentation for the 3+ in these works with these phones. Tiny hints of congestion and glare remain, but rhythm, dynamics, and weight are all most impressive. Nice, but not as nice as the Heresy.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - The tuba sounds good and the brass have bite, but also sound a bit dark. Detail is obvious, but it's harder to follow individual sections when compared to the Heresy. The tuttis sound less well controlled than through the Heresy.


Magni Heresy
Focal Elear
- The 3+ performance is tightened up in all regards and sounds much more to my liking. The upper treble dip still renders sound that seems less clear than with the other cans.

Audeze LCD 2.2 - The missing top frequencies is the only downside. Weight, scale, rhythm, detail, overtones, everything else sounds just swell.

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 - The tuba has them overtones, and the brass have plenty of blat. The lateral placement of instruments is super-precise, the ability to pull out the strings or the individual brass or wind sections from the cacophony most impressive - like when one can follow out the violins as the coda approaches. Only the comparatively light bass can be counted as a minus, but then, is the bass weight in other presentations excessive? Best of the lot overall sound.

After determining the winner from the new Magnis, I decided to comp the 3+ to the original Magni 3 in a quick shootout using the Beyers and involving just one track, the opener to this little known album:

819dKz8GfWL._SX300_.jpg


(What, like I wasn't gonna buy the anniversary reissue?) The 3+ is as clearly superior to the Magni 3 as the Heresy is to the 3+. The 3+ sounds bigger, more open, cleaner, and better sorted. It's obvious and immediate. To be sure, I'm not describing fundamental differences, but rather small improvements in every single area, all at once.


PART 2

Since the Heresy emerged the clear winner, it needed to face tougher competition in the form of the Jotunheim.

Starting with the same Beatles track, it's clear that the Jotunheim is better, and it's better in every way, though only by a little. The biggest relative difference is in scale: the Jotunheim presents a larger scale sound, spreading to outside the headphones, while the Heresy is more confined. The bass line sounds exceedingly close between the two units, but the guitar work has more edge, but just as much as it should, through the Jotunheim, and the chorus of voices sounds ever so more distinct. The Jotunheim actually sounds more sorted, too, though just a smidge. Instruments have a bit more body; the sound is fuller while retaining full extension in the treble. Nice.

51Tcv04QhLL._SX300_.jpg


Next up is one of my favorite piano recordings, one I know well and have listened to dozens or hundreds of times, and it was the one that was playing when I had an amp fail and almost take a speaker with it, Chopin's B Minor Scherzo played by Ivo Pogorelich. The differences between the two amps are minor, but they are there. The Jotunheim does an even better job of presenting the recorded venue. The upper registers of the piano sound simultaneously brighter and smoother and sweeter and cleaner. The lower registers have more heft, though both are equally clean and clear. In the fastest passages of the opening section, the Heresy actually sounds fleeter than the Jotunheim, but in the lullaby section, the delicate and tender melody sounds more moving and nearly funereal through the Jotunheim. (I've always thought that Pogorelich was playing the music as a sorrowful contemplation of his then ailing wife.) The stark dynamic contrasts sound starker through the Jotunheim as well; when Pogorelich wacks out sforzandi, you know it. Still, the Heresy does extremely well, and in the absence of the Jotunheim, would offer near terminal performance in its own right.

415-fytfGWL.jpg


For about two decades since I first bought this record it has served as a test recording for all stereo gear I buy. With lower end gear, the ensemble's wiry sound comes off as too bright and sharp, but with better gear the edge is removed and the supremely fine execution and musicianship remain. The first night I got the two new Magnis I spun this, and after about the first twenty seconds I realized I preferred the Heresy. Comparing the Heresy and the Jotunheim was more interesting yet. Taking just the vibrant, quick, dynamic Presto con fuoco opening movement, the Jotunheim offers more room sound, a more relaxed (in relative terms!) and fuller sound, and more bow on string sound, while the Heresy is more upfront and makes the dynamic contrasts more obvious. The Jotunheim has the slight overall edge, but the Heresy really ought not to be this comparatively good.

91UrlxLWXXL._SX300_.jpg


For the final Heresy-Jotunheim comp I went with the greatest of all symphonies, though just the Allegro con brio. The Jotunheim offers the listener the ability to appreciate how great the Pittsburgh band is under Honeck, with tight string playing and great brass playing. The piece moves forward swiftly, energetically, heroically through the Jotunheim. The tuttis and the timp thwacks all emerge as well as in any recording ever (seriously, no one, not even Toscanini or Klemperer or Giulini or Schuricht or Karajan or <insert other stick waving giant> has one up on Honeck). It's tip top. Through the Heresy, again space goes missing a bit, and though the sound is a bit more upfront, the scale is reduced; it sounds like a scaled down orchestra, closer to Paavo Jarvi's reduced forces than to the full PSO playing the music. The effect is not unpleasant; it may actually punch things up a bit!

So, the Jotunheim emerges the winner, but not by as much as one might think. While it's impossible to quantify performance differential, for 25% of the price, the listener gets 85/90/95% the performance. That's a bargain. The Heresy will be moving to its new long-term home in my bedroom system where it will be used more for watching movies and television in the evening than anything else, replacing my old Magni 3. Now, what to do with two lesser Magnis?

The results do make me wonder if it's possible to up the ante in op amp based headphone amps. Add a bigger, linear power supply, tweak this, that, and the other thing, and who knows. Maybe Jason could build a Jotunheim price point op amp product to see what can be done. I'd buy one without a moment's hesitation.


PART 3

71hsOk9aSPL._SX300_.jpg


I wanted another set of ears on the amps, so I enlisted my college aged son to do some quick comps. Physical Graffiti got the nod, with the focus on Ten Years Gone. His impressions were:

1.) Immediate and obvious soundstage difference.
2.) Immediate and obvious difference in precision and clarity - the Heresy is superior.
3.) The Yggy is too good; it reveals too much information and ruins the recording by allowing one to hear the flaws without effort.

Wow!! Excellent review. Thank you for the time and effort in writing this and sharing.
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 5:39 PM Post #54,716 of 145,662
Please don't encourage @bcowen and his ill-behaved antics.
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 6:03 PM Post #54,717 of 145,662
Jotunheim high gain is better. Low gain is flatter and less compelling. Noise is not a discernible issue in my system. I did A/Bs when I first got the Jotunheim and have left it on high gain since.

Thanks for your perspective; for me the high gain has more punch but it's not always what I like better. Sometimes it's a bit too pronounced. High gain on the Jotuheim changes the sound-signature for me, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse depending on what I'm listening to or the headphones I use so I'm always curious about someone else's perspective. :)
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 6:09 PM Post #54,718 of 145,662
Drat, now I can hardly use GE tubes in your amp. I may even use some rare stepped pots that I have in my shop. I need to rebalance the scales a bit, right now your favors greatly outweigh mine.:triportsad:
Since you abhor GE tubes, please send me all of the GE6550A valves that you have no use for.
 
Dec 14, 2019 at 6:09 PM Post #54,719 of 145,662
Thanks for your perspective; for me the high gain has more punch but it's not always what I like better. Sometimes it's a bit too pronounced. High gain on the Jotuheim changes the sound-signature for me, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse depending on what I'm listening to or the headphones I use so I'm always curious about someone else's perspective. :)

Jason actually posted somewhere that he felt that hi-gain had a more energetic sound and that the loss of that "energy" in low gain mode was likely due to the additional feedback used in the circuit to lower the gain for low gain mode. His suggestion was use high gain unless one had an issue with high sensitivity HP and noise or unless high-gain resulted in such a low volume control pot setting that it created a channel imbalance. Of course, it's a YMMV situation and having the switch makes it a user preference thing..
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top