[exdmd]

I have not heard the recent Magnis but I do have a Magni 3 and a Vali 2. Using the HD800S the Magni 3 presents a wide headstage but with little depth. In contrast, the Vali 2 stage is not only wide but deeper, and improves when you switch out the stock 6BZ7 for a vintage ECC88.

You don't have to go crazy tube rolling a Vali 2, I use a 1960's NOS Brimar Ediswan ECC88 I picked up for $40 and there are other choices for about $50, keeping total cost under $200.

The Kenzie bests the Vali 2 as it should at over 10X the price but can't be used with my IEMs as the output impedance is 32 Ohms. I would love to see Schiit make an uber Valhalla 2 that provides the liquid sound and holographic soundstage the best tube amps do. Not sure if a statement OTL tube amp is even on Schiit's "maybe we will make this" list.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

A late congrats to @Ableza and @tincanear for their engineering challenge wins

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Think wayyyyyyyy higher. Mani is great as-is. Nothing at the price competes in terms of performance and flexibility. You should be asking: what can we do for 10x the price? Could we redefine what you expect from a phono preamp? Can we compete with cost-no-object designs?

Sounds good to me, just ensure that it provides 66 dB gain with 100 ohm input impedance. Any predictions on just when such an amp may be released for sale?

JC

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Sounds good to me, just ensure that it provides 66 dB gain with 100 ohm input impedance. Any predictions on just when such an amp may be released for sale?

JC

Maybe never. Just starting on it. We'll see.

I just wanted to make a point: don't sit on your hands waiting for a Mani 2. There's no need for one.

Expect this to become a more common strategy: make sure the products don't sit on top of each other. There's no need for a $199 phono preamp from us, not in such a niche market. Seeing how wacky we can get in a cost-no-object design (for us, we don't make stuff that's priced like cars or houses) is a whole different ball game.

 

[TylersEclectic]

Finally home, and listening to the Jotunheim R and SR1A again...I am going to cut and edit/copy a post from one of my posts from another forum as I think it is appropriate to my previous post here:

Brain burn-in and gear burn-in are things in my opinion… I recently made this mistake in a post on Head-fi about the Jotunheim R and SR1a…I’d gotten used to my daily listening norm of ZMF Verite Closed and my random amps/DAPs to power it… and to my “brain” when I threw my first solid listen impression of the Jotunheim R felt “lite” and under-powered… I’m beginning to think it was more the acclimation of the richness of the Verite C and my other chains that my brain had gotten accustomed to, and my quick blerb was against what I usually do for these things as I was heading out of town for a week and wanted to put something out before I left…it bit me in the butt, and had me wracking my brain why it was so off.

Now that being said, I like the idea of a first impression post like what @ProfFalkin has stated in a different thread, as it would be interesting to go back and see if anything changed =). I am now listening to the SR1A with the Jot-R and I can easily say it has plenty of power… I haven’t listened to my Verite C in over a week so starting with the SR1A and Jot-R combo and sticking with it for the next couple days =)

The other "problem" with the SR1A is that it defies what your brain is expecting from headphones…it is really more of a near-field speaker experience than a headphone experience. For one it is a detail monster with laser accuracy… it can be off-putting if you are acclimated to something else, or have assumptions of what you are about to hear. Honestly one of my rare “Wow” moments in listening to audio gear.

Now, as far as the enjoyment of this combo... I still stand by it being my preferred sound combo with the SR1A. Easy to use and takes up so little space for how good it is. I'm now worried I'm going to be causing my own problem of not being able to pick one up upon release if all the comments in the SR1A thread are anything to go by lol...damn it. But, for a product like this, I can be okay waiting a bit. I am not an engineer, or professional audio-anything, just a guy that likes good audio and tech...and the Jotunheim R is really something I find very cool, and surprising, as it packs such a punch in such a small form factor... makes me wonder what other products will come about due to it. I think, that as @Torq has stated elsewhere...the SR1A is a disruptor/destroyer of "worlds" (headphone collections lol) and with the Jotunheim R paired with it...I think it really is a force to be reckoned with, both in audio enjoyment and new very cool ways of applying the technologies, both new and old. I'm still blown away that I'm looking at the Jotunheim R sitting on my desk, then turning around to my audio shelf and looking at my two Vidars that were powering the SR1A before it... just amazing, disruptive, and very, very cool!

Well back to listening while the daughter naps =)

 

[yonson]

Think wayyyyyyyy higher. Mani is great as-is. Nothing at the price competes in terms of performance and flexibility. You should be asking: what can we do for 10x the price? Could we redefine what you expect from a phono preamp? Can we compete with cost-no-object designs?

Can you? Absolutely! Will you? Guess we'll have to stay tuned...

 

[Currawong]

Brain burn-in and gear burn-in are things in my opinion…

This is a problem I've been having with a borrowed pair of Ether 2s in trying to define how they sound. Sometimes they seem excellent, better than other headphones, yet sometimes they don't. What I listen to first or second can really affect my impressions of them.

 

[EELawson]

I don't know why you guys want a remote control so bad with a Yggdrasil. It's not like it would see as much use as a preamp or volume control. I'd rather see Schiit spend more of their R&D on things like improving the analog boards or DSP or whatever. Stuff that has an audible improvement.

YES. Absolutely. With all of the great possibilities in 2020 (LOKI MAX, The Gadget, Unison, Gungnir2, J-R, Jason's 4 items he listed, etc) the last thing we need is for Schiit to get distracted by something with zero sonic value.

 

[The Life]

Think wayyyyyyyy higher. Mani is great as-is. Nothing at the price competes in terms of performance and flexibility. You should be asking: what can we do for 10x the price? Could we redefine what you expect from a phono preamp? Can we compete with cost-no-object designs?

I had to open a window and start fanning myself while reading that post. I can’t wait to see what you guys can cook up.

 

[TylersEclectic]

This is a problem I've been having with a borrowed pair of Ether 2s in trying to define how they sound. Sometimes they seem excellent, better than other headphones, yet sometimes they don't. What I listen to first or second can really affect my impressions of them.

It can be very detracting... usually I do an immersion type deal initially, usually for a couple of days before going back to my daily use headphones/gear, or doing comparisons. But even then it can be hard to get my brain in the right frame to write down what I'm hearing. It's why I like doing stream of conscious posts over full reviews, it allows me to show my train of thought and how it changes or not over a period of time.

 

[hearditontheX]

Think wayyyyyyyy higher. Mani is great as-is. Nothing at the price competes in terms of performance and flexibility. You should be asking: what can we do for 10x the price? Could we redefine what you expect from a phono preamp? Can we compete with cost-no-object designs?

This makes the WAF argument much more difficult, nuts. Still excited to see what Schiit stirs up.

 

[bcowen]

Boy -- I wish I had your gear, your ears, or your imagination!!

Your favorite album probably doesn't have enough bass to hear phase differences. Just guessing though -- I've never, um, heard it.

 

[Ripper2860]

Just guessing though -- I've never, um, heard it.

Wow!! You are really missing out.

 

[tincanear]

This is a problem I've been having with a borrowed pair of Ether 2s in trying to define how they sound. Sometimes they seem excellent, better than other headphones, yet sometimes they don't. What I listen to first or second can really affect my impressions of them.

Is your perception of the Ether 2's vs other phones dependent on the source material (and the inherent quality of the recording/ mic placement / etc) ? Do you find them at times worse than the references or are the Ethers always at least as good if not better?

 

[tincanear]

happy new year!!!