[Zojokkeli]

I have very little interest in going balanced, but FWIW, if the pentaconn adapter takes wind under its wings, it is to my eyes the most attractive option of the balanced connector types.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Also when you say that the Pentaconn is sturdier, that may be true compared to a 2.5mm or 3.5mm but clearly isn't when compared to 6.3mm or XLR, so there goes another way suggested reason fit switching on desktop products.

Bingo.

Plus, take a look at the impact on production. There are exactly ZERO pentaconn connectors available through our normal distribution channels. This does not give me warm and fuzzies with respect to their availability. Single-source parts have the potential to shut down our lines right quick.

Also, look at impact on price. A quick search at Octopart shows exactly ONE product that doesn't even appear to be a PCB-mount product, at $6.71 each in $10K quantities. This is about 10X what a Neutrik XLR costs (the best XLRs in the business, and the ones we use).

Adding to the confusion about this connector, there are ALSO 4.4mm mono and stereo connectors available through distribution, so the possibility of getting the wrong connector is clear and present, just like with every other phone connector.

Pentaconn discussion is dead. Move on.

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

This was Constanza at 6 weeks (13 years ago). Looks intelligent no?
If I change something around her for change only she gets really irritated.
I guess we shouldn't do it either.

 

[captkirk]

Anyone else eager to see what @Jason Stoddard could do with the pivot-point topology?

I recently picked up an A&S Kenzie, and while it is a phenomenal amp, the Jot continues to amaze with its price and performance. Great bass, stunningly silent, and paired with a Gungnir MB, scales beautifully. Micro dynamics and plankton near the level of my tube amp with slightly more slam on the low end. Incredibly versatile and flexible little amp.

If you have an HD6X0, you need to audition the pairing. Seriously.

So, I want more of this please. Please...

 

[madwolfa]

Really? Schiit Audio said that? Surely there would be a solution to this problem that would have been worked out years ago, otherwise stacked contact designed plugs would have been thrown out a long time ago and any TRRS or TRRRS type plugs would never exist. Some big players in the audio industry are starting to take on board the new Pentaconn design and I was secretly hoping that Schiit Audio would be one of these leading the way or at the very least thinking of taking up the new format. It seems to be getting a lot of praise.

Because jumping on the "big players'" bandwagon is something Schiit's been known doing, right?

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Plug discussion aside, I've always found the priorities of high end mobile a bit perplexing. It seems to me that the focus should be on better isolation/ANC, lossless wireless data transfer, and general ease of use (e.g., N90Q and KSE1500). The Mrs. Armitage on Wheels-ification of the hobby, with someone rubber-banding their WA8 to their chord mojo to listen to HD800 while they mow the grass or take the subway has never struck me as a rational use of funds. Jason counsels transducers first, and if you can't hear your transducers because of outside noise, what's the point? The differences between balanced and single ended are subtle even in desktop settings. On the go, it's silliness.

 

[Delirious Lab]

Plug discussion aside, I've always found the priorities of high end mobile a bit perplexing. It seems to me that the focus should be on better isolation/ANC, lossless wireless data transfer, and general ease of use (e.g., N90Q and KSE1500). The Mrs. Armitage on Wheels-ification of the hobby, with someone rubber-banding their WA8 to their chord mojo to listen to HD800 while they mow the grass or take the subway has never struck me as a rational use of funds. Jason counsels transducers first, and if you can't hear your transducers because of outside noise, what's the point? The differences between balanced and single ended are subtle even in desktop settings. On the go, it's silliness.

This! And I do listen to music when I mow the lawn.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Anyone else eager to see what @Jason Stoddard could do with the pivot-point topology?

Actually, I've been spending a lot of time lately evaluating different variations of this topology (as well as one more important new analog approach that will be announced next year). There are some interesting variants, including fully complementary and double-differential versions, which bear more investigation. Both use a lot more parts, so they're not directly applicable to Jotunheim (they might not fit). But, hey, in the future, who knows?

 

[KoshNaranek]

Actually, I've been spending a lot of time lately evaluating different variations of this topology (as well as one more important new analog approach that will be announced next year). There are some interesting variants, including fully complementary and double-differential versions, which bear more investigation. Both use a lot more parts, so they're not directly applicable to Jotunheim (they might not fit). But, hey, in the future, who knows?

What a tease!

 

[MWSVette]

Actually, I've been spending a lot of time lately evaluating different variations of this topology (as well as one more important new analog approach that will be announced next year). There are some interesting variants, including fully complementary and double-differential versions, which bear more investigation. Both use a lot more parts, so they're not directly applicable to Jotunheim (they might not fit). But, hey, in the future, who knows?

What a tease!

Always a fan of a big tease...

 

[captkirk]

I'd love to see a smaller speaker amp (somewhere in the 20-30 watt range) with a complimentary tonality to the Vidar. I've got dreams of a bi-amping a set of moderately sized monitors with a Saga and the upcoming Sol.

 

[SeaWo|f]

Bingo.

Plus, take a look at the impact on production. There are exactly ZERO pentaconn connectors available through our normal distribution channels. This does not give me warm and fuzzies with respect to their availability. Single-source parts have the potential to shut down our lines right quick.

Also, look at impact on price. A quick search at Octopart shows exactly ONE product that doesn't even appear to be a PCB-mount product, at $6.71 each in $10K quantities. This is about 10X what a Neutrik XLR costs (the best XLRs in the business, and the ones we use).

Adding to the confusion about this connector, there are ALSO 4.4mm mono and stereo connectors available through distribution, so the possibility of getting the wrong connector is clear and present, just like with every other phone connector.

Pentaconn discussion is dead. Move on.

I am assuming that this also means an 8 band EQ using rk50s is out of the question?

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Yeah, actually sorry to be a tease, but I'm intent on creating an analog IP portfolio similar to Mike's digital IP portfolio. You can see how we've progressed from fairly conventional topologies (Asgard, Valhalla) to unique ones (Jotunheim, Vali 2--I never really named the combobulated tube/transistor current-mode/current-feedback stage), and also combined microprocessor management with analog amplifiers (Ragnarok, Vidar.) There's at least one more piece, though--one that addresses an idiosyncracy common to most amplifiers. When I announce it, I'll do a chapter on analog IP, I expect.

 

[Ableza]

I hear you. Balanced connectors are the bomb. But why not look at what this connector can do first before we start trashing it. It could offer something that the large XLR connector doesn’t. I just thought it would be cool to first see what this new connector can bring to the table. Jude (our beloved leader and headphone God) likes it. Perhaps we shouldn’t be so dismissive and flippant on something just because it’s new and different.

REMINDER : This new connector was developed by Nippon Dics Co.

Nippon Dics Co Ltd. is primarily a wholesale distributor. If they designed a proprietary connector it was because they were hired to do so.

 

[rlow]

Yeah, actually sorry to be a tease, but I'm intent on creating an analog IP portfolio similar to Mike's digital IP portfolio. You can see how we've progressed from fairly conventional topologies (Asgard, Valhalla) to unique ones (Jotunheim, Vali 2--I never really named the combobulated tube/transistor current-mode/current-feedback stage), and also combined microprocessor management with analog amplifiers (Ragnarok, Vidar.) There's at least one more piece, though--one that addresses an idiosyncracy common to most amplifiers. When I announce it, I'll do a chapter on analog IP, I expect.

Cool. Are you expecting any more big announcements before the end of the year (analog or digital?)