[cinemakinoeye]

Any review on the new ES0928 DAC card? Seems really great with much better measurements and Unison USB. I'm torn between ordering with new DAC card or get a used Mojo from my friend for about 200$ and use it as desktop DAC.

I am curious about the pros and cons of choosing the ES9028 vs. the Multibit DAC card on the Jotunheim 2, what do folks who have chosen one over the other have to say?

 

[Arghavan]

I am curious about the pros and cons of choosing the ES9028 vs. the Multibit DAC card on the Jotunheim 2, what do folks who have chosen one over the other have to say?

Objectivists go for sigma delta DACs because it measures better. But some swear by multibit DACs. I am somewhere in between, a DAC should measure at least good enough and sound good too.

 

[cinemakinoeye]

Objectivists go for sigma delta DACs because it measures better. But some swear by multibit DACs. I am somewhere in between, a DAC should measure at least good enough and sound good too.

That makes sense, however, in the specific case of the ES9028 card vs. the Multibit DAC card on the Jotunheim 2, what do the measurements reveal? It was tempting to purchase two Jotunheim 2 amps and do a side-by-side comparison. In the end, I chose to purchase the Jotunheim 2 with the Multibit DAC on a whim, but remain curious what the differences are supposed to be.

 

[Arghavan]

That makes sense, however, in the specific case of the ES9028 card vs. the Multibit DAC card on the Jotunheim 2, what do the measurements reveal? It was tempting to purchase two Jotunheim 2 amps and do a side-by-side comparison. In the end, I chose to purchase the Jotunheim 2 with the Multibit DAC on a whim, but remain curious what the differences are supposed to be.

ASR haven't reviewed or measures newer DAC card AFAIK. But generally Multi-Bit DACs don't perform nearly as good as delta/sigma ones in measurements. The measurements reveal that there are quite a bit of distortion and noise in multibit DACs, are they audible though?
I decided to go for the ES9028 and since there's a convenient switch on the front, I can somehow A/B the ES9028 vs Mojo.

 

[Luckyleo]

Objectivists go for sigma delta DACs because it measures better. But some swear by multibit DACs. I am somewhere in between, a DAC should measure at least good enough and sound good too.

I would think that sound trump’s everything. If it measures great but sounds like garbage

 

[jonathan c]

I would think that sound trump’s everything. If it measures great but sounds like garbage

It’s worth noting the old audio adage: “if a component sounds good but measures poorly, the wrong thing is being measured”.

 

[Arghavan]

TBF some measurements are greatly useful like the amount of power before clipping at different loads or 50mv SINAD for hiss issues with sensitive IEMs. No Amp manufacturer provides such measurements.

 

[PopZeus]

I think the Jot 2 is good enough for a separate DAC, if you want to get the most from the amp. BF2 or Ares 2, imho.

 

[tylercarrRTR]

I think the Jot 2 is good enough for a separate DAC, if you want to get the most from the amp. BF2 or Ares 2, imho.

Agreed. The BF2 in particular is well worth it

 

[cinemakinoeye]

Agreed. The BF2 in particular is well worth it

What is it that makes the Bifrost 2 “particularly well worth it” over, let’s say, the Modius?

 

[tylercarrRTR]

What is it that makes the Bifrost 2 “particularly well worth it” over, let’s say, the Modius?

I actually came from the Modius. The clarity and soundstage are night and day for me. For someone like me who was under the impression that a dac is a dac (to a degree) I feel like the difference justifies the price. The only draw back is I hear more imperfections in not so great recordings now lol

 

[SirIppo]

Just got my topping E50 for balanced to go with jot 2, I've been using the e30 in rca. Both are really good, gonna need some time to see if there are any real differences besides volume.

 

[cgb3]

I actually came from the Modius. The clarity and soundstage are night and day for me. For someone like me who was under the impression that a dac is a dac (to a degree) I feel like the difference justifies the price. The only draw back is I hear more imperfections in not so great recordings now lol

I keep the Modius/Asgard as backups.

Love the Bifrost 2/Jot 2. Call it night and day, or anything you determine. Much better acoustics to me.

 

[SLC1966]

I have searched for the answer but not searched well enough so I thought I would ask here.

How do you remove the case on the Jot 2?

Jot 1 was easy since there was a screw on the volume knob that started the process.

I am not seeing a screw on the volume knob on the Jot 2. I am took the Mulitbit card out of my Jot 1 and now want to put it in my Jot 2 (Jot 1 will now stack with a Bifrost 1 that I already have).

Thank you

 

[SLC1966]

I found the info. I just needed to pull harder on the knob to pull it off.