[Plautus001]

I'm partial to a No. 8 finish stainless steel myself.

Not cardboard?

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

Mjolnir 3 is probably my most anticipated release since it was announced. The question that sits on my mind is will it be a limited units run (like folkvangr) or if it will be limited time? The FOMO is brutal after I got the chance to hear a Folkvangr but can't buy one

Just wait until you actually hear a Mjolnir 3. I had the chance to spend half an hour of quality time with a prototype* of one at the Schiitr back in February. (Or was it October?)

Set to push-pull, high gain, and no feedback? Glorious!

* a prototype that was of course in an unfinished, but somewhat near-final state: it had no case, the board was screwed to the base plate of a Mjolnir 2, you had to unplug your headphones before you switched any of the settings to avoid blowing them up, a few more smaller changes were planned for the board's layout (and maybe also the amp's topology, if I remember correctly, but I don't know if either one has actually since been implemented), and it had smaller chokes than the final version will have

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Mjolnir 3 is probably my most anticipated release since it was announced. The question that sits on my mind is will it be a limited units run (like folkvangr) or if it will be limited time? The FOMO is brutal after I got the chance to hear a Folkvangr but can't buy one

It's currently planned for a limited run. We'll see what happens. I don't think many people really want a Mjolnir-sized amp, based on experience with the previous generations. I'm open to the idea that it's worth keeping in the line. The probability is slim. Best to base it on a limited, single run.That said, it won't go that fast. It's expensive. I think $1299. I'd rather do a less expensive amp, but dual mono (two transformers) and choke input (2 chokes) and Class A (2 heatsinks) adds up fast.

Question for @Jason Stoddard:

Which USB-C cables are recommended for the URD? Apple branded or Apple MFI ok?

I seem to recall seeing white (Apple like) USB cables in @Jason Stoddard URD photos.

Any good, actually-made-to-USB-specs cable is fine. Fretting over cables is silly, in my opinion. Especially USB cables. Get something USB-C to C or C to whatever from any reputable manufacturer who's not claiming hand-assembled, yak-hair-insulation, zero-point-energy technology, or any other craziness. You're fine.

Just wait until you actually hear a Mjolnir 3. I had the chance to spend half an hour of quality time with a prototype* of one at the Schiitr back in February. (Or was it October?)

Set to push-pull, high gain, and no feedback? Glorious!

* that was of course unfinished, but in a somewhat near-final state: it had no case, the board was screwed to the base plate of a Mjolnir 2, you had to unplug your headphones before you switched any of the settings to avoid blowing up your headphones, a few more smaller changes were planned for the board's layout (and maybe also the amp's topology, if I remember correctly, but I don't know if either one has actually since been implemented), and it had smaller chokes than the final version will have

That was close, but no cigar. Production chokes are 8x the inductance of those chokes. Plus a bunch of tweaky stuff. Ha ha!

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

That was close, but no cigar. Production chokes are 8x the inductance of those chokes. Plus a bunch of tweaky stuff. Ha ha!

What, only 8x? Pah. In that case I think I'll pass. I was hoping for something bigger anyway. Freya-sized is waaaay too small for my desk, it would look so forlorn sitting on top of my Yggdrasil with its gloriously chunky original case.

An Yggy on your desk: The audiophile's equivalent to truck nuts.

In my defense: My desk is where I do 80% of my listening, so why not use for that the best that this household has to offer?!

 

[MoveStonks]

Guess I won't take my chances like I did with the Folkvanger

Urd is expected to stick around a bit right?

 

[MoveStonks]

What, only 8x? Pah. In that case I think I'll pass. I was hoping for something bigger anyway. Freya-sized is waaaay too small for my desk, it would look so forlorn sitting on top of my Yggdrasil in its original case.

An Yggy on your desk: The audiophile's equivalent to truck nuts.

In my defense: My desk is where I do 80% of my listening, so why not use for that the best that this household has to offer?!

Yggy -> Mjolnir -> Tyr's - > Sony SS-CS5s?

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

Yggy -> Mjolnir -> Tyr's - > Sony SS-CS5s?

Is that what you're having on your desk?

Or are you asking what I've got sitting on mine? In which case, that would be:
M1 Mac mini -> Yggy OG -> Lokius -> an eclectic, ever rotating collection of my most enjoyable headphone amps -> usually a set of DCA Æon Noire, but sometimes a set of Focal Elex

That eclectic, ever rotating collection of my most enjoyable headphone amps contains—but is by no means limited to—the following, listed in no particular order:
- Folkvangr (preferably with a pair of Gold Lions, impedance multiplier enabled to accommodate the DCAs)
- Mjolnir 2 (preferably with a pair of Gold Lions)
- Whammy (preferably with a Burson V6 Vivid or an NJM4580DD)
- Piety
- Asgard OG

There's also a PC sitting on the same desk, connected to which is a Hel 2E.

And there's also a somewhat sizable cardboard cat bed thing on that very same desk.

Yes. It's a pretty big desk.

 

[Orange5o]

Life's decisions...

eyes open

If I'm not mistaken, there's an FV currently in the classifieds...

 

[Melineous]

Yes. It's a pretty big desk.

Kind of sounds like you're using a kitchen countertop
I like to game at my desk so room for the mouse is the top priority. I've decided it's best to keep a writing desk adjacent to my main desk for my audio gear. Id like to upgrade to a rack style shelf at some point, but I'm too picky to decide on one.

 

[US Blues]

It's no secret around here that I prefer my Schiit in silver. Heck, I've been so annoying outspoken about this entire metal finish thing in the past that I consider myself lucky that Jason hasn't blocked me from the thread altogether.

But when I look at my "silver" Rekkr (or my "silver" Magni+, for that matter), I have to admit: It doesn't look bad, but … well … it doesn't exactly look great, either.

With the exception of Mani 2 and Modi Multibit 2, all recently released or refreshed 5" Schiit comes with an updated case design that replaces the old aluminum top shell with one made out of steel. That change in case design was necessitated in part by the sharply rising cost for aluminum, but also to simplify manufacturing as the new design is considerably easier and faster to put together. The new case addresses this, and it goes a long way towards keeping the 5" products affordable.

So even if you bought your Rekkr in "silver" it wouldn't actually look anything like your previously purchased 5" Schiit gear, simply because the "silver" top shell would no longer be anodized aluminum, but powder coated steel.

Yes, even the "silver" one.

And I keep typing "silver" in quotes because due to the very nature of powder coating, the top shell doesn't look like anodized, shiny bare-metal aluminum, but more like a light gray that has an eeeeeeeeeever so slight touch of blue to it to make it look a tad more metal-y, and it of course has the same rough surface finish to it that the black powder coated tops have.

So, to be brutally honest with you: As much as I like my Schiit in silver, I'm not exactly sad that the "silver" Rekkr didn't survive. There's no way around the fact that the change in case design was a necessity. And with those new steel tops, "true" silver just isn't possible anymore.

Which means that we're left with tops that are either powder coated, or painted.

Oh, and by the way: Painting them isn't really an option, either, because that's (apparently) really hard to get right. Nitsch's Piety has a top that is painted in a pretty sexy dark gray. I have two of them, and while they look nothing short of great at first glance (and while I vastly prefer how the paint's smooth surface finish feels to the touch over the rough powder coated one) both my Pieties have some slight issues with paint drips along the edges of the metal. Nothing bad enough to ever complain about, of course, but it's not perfect. Certainly not up to the standard that we've become used to from our Schiit purchases.

Paint also tends to chip more easily than powder coating if you accidentally bump your Schiit into something hard.

With anodized aluminum and painted steel out of the picture, we're left with powder coated steel. And with powder coated steel, black is actually the sexiest looking option. At least as far as I'm aware of.

So, while I'm not exactly thrilled about this myself, I'd say that you should maybe find a way to open your mind up a bit towards black Schiit. Some insist that it sounds the same, and it still looks pretty darn good. Drastically better than all the plastic cases you otherwise find all over this price bracket, that's for sure.

PS: And bare steel doesn't look great, either. Trust me.
PPS: Hot pink powder coating is where it's at, of course, but I can't quite shake this feeling that it'll be a few more years until Schiit and I see eye to eye on this, I'm afraid.

 

[streaml1ne]

An Yggy on your desk: The audiophile's equivalent to truck nuts.

lol, epic.

I may have to buy some furniture along with the MJ3 purchase. Trying to figure out how to shoehorn that, Folkvangr and my CD and MD players into the space I have is giving me a headache.

 

[jsabini1]

What, only 8x? Pah. In that case I think I'll pass. I was hoping for something bigger anyway. Freya-sized is waaaay too small for my desk, it would look so forlorn sitting on top of my Yggdrasil with its gloriously chunky original case.

An Yggy on your desk: The audiophile's equivalent to truck nuts.

In my defense: My desk is where I do 80% of my listening, so why not use for that the best that this household has to offer?!

My Yggy is on a cabinet next to my desk, so it doesn't count.

I don't know where the hell I would put an MJ3, my desk is full!

 

[XMarsX]

I don't know where the hell I would put an MJ3, my desk is full!

My MJ3 will have plenty of room sitting on top of the MJ2 with some spacers.

 

[Randolf711]

Does Urd have a price tag yet?

 

[OldRoadToad]

Listening to this tonight. On an original vinyl copy I found in a antique store in Oregon.

"Sigh"...Say g'nite ORT.

G'nite ORT.