[portalheadd]

since the source and many of your headphones are SE,. look at Asgard 3 instead-- has a much nicer volume control pot (27mm alps blue velvet) . A3 has good separation and open midrange and top end.

thanks for suggestion. that's right A3 is A better option for SE only. but I just bought an XLR cable and new pair of pads for 600 and frankly I may do further mods to make my other cans balanced. and who knows Maybe I bought a Focal or Audeze in the future. so mentally I'm more comfortable having Balance an option

 

[In1unison]

I currently use jot 1 with modi multibit. I can sell my jot1 and buy brand new thx 789 for a similar price without paying more or I can get jot 2 for 40 percent more money. my cans are DT1990, HD600, K712, SR325e, ath-w100 and mdr-1A and maybe get an M570 in the future. I will use XLR output for my 600s only and the rest of my cans will be run unbalanced. so SE performance is crucial for me. now what you suggest? is getting a 789 without paying more money a good upgrade over old jot1 or I better get the jot2 instead if upgrade is worth extra 40 percent money? imo jot1 really suffers from poor treble performance. kinda congested and busy in top end with mediocre at best separation. I want a little more effortless presentation a touch more space and of course less glare. I don't need preamp and obviously I'm gonna feed them via RCA. so any help would be appreciated. thanks in advance

I have no experience with Jot1 but did a comparison of Jot2 with THX 789 (also A90 and CMA 12). My headphones, Arya, LCD-2, LCD-XC, and T1 2nd. It was a no brainer. First, performance from SE and XLR are indistinguishable, and plenty of power from both. As for direct comparison, Jot2 sounded more like real music compared to the hospital room like presentation of the THX 789 (I am not saying this is a bad thing, but definitely not to my taste). I did not miss any details from Jot2, just the notes in the treble are more rounded without losing any air around them. Bass is full-bodied and less edgy but some might perceive that as less detailed. The biggest difference to my ears is midrange. THX 789 is nice and detailed but without life or emotion comparing to Jot2. The soundstage is deeper, retaining the same width as THX 789, perfectly complementing Arya and T1 2nd for example. My hospital room comment regarding THX 789 means it is very, very clean, detailed which for some might be attractive (it is for me too, but not for longer listening). In order to provide the context, it is important to mention the music I love and listen to. For the most part, Classical Choral, Contemporary and Chamber Jazz and Downtempo Electronica.

 

[tincanear]

thanks for suggestion. that's right A3 is A better option for SE only. but I just bought an XLR cable and new pair of pads for 600 and frankly I may do further mods to make my other cans balanced. and who knows Maybe I bought a Focal or Audeze in the future. so mentally I'm more comfortable having Balance an option

I
With an SE source and balanced headphones, the Jot 2 with Nexus is the way to go, since the amplifier is strongly differential as Jason describes it (in other words the SE to balanced conversion has near ideal characteristics).

 

[Soundmancan]

I currently use jot 1 with modi multibit. I can sell my jot1 and buy brand new thx 789 for a similar price without paying more or I can get jot 2 for 40 percent more money. my cans are DT1990, HD600, K712, SR325e, ath-w100 and mdr-1A and maybe get an M570 in the future. I will use XLR output for my 600s only and the rest of my cans will be run unbalanced. so SE performance is crucial for me. now what you suggest? is getting a 789 without paying more money a good upgrade over old jot1 or I better get the jot2 instead if upgrade is worth extra 40 percent money? imo jot1 really suffers from poor treble performance. kinda congested and busy in top end with mediocre at best separation. I want a little more effortless presentation a touch more space and of course less glare. I don't need preamp and obviously I'm gonna feed them via RCA. so any help would be appreciated. thanks in advance

IMHO, as you stated single ended performance is paramount, the THX amp would be the most transparent of the bunch. Mated to the Modi Multibit should give you some pretty good sound. As far as balanced performance goes, the Jot 2 is the hands down winner here and IMHO, I would prefer the single ended performance of the Jot 2 over the THX just because to me it is more enjoyable to listen to. The THX amp is transparent but a little sharp and souless IMO according to my tastes. I had two THX 789's awhile back before I moved on to the Topping A90 which I just sold in favor of the Jotunheim 2. The Jotunheim 2 is also a true balanced amp where the THX is not. I prefer amps that are detailed but also land slightly on the warm side of neutral for extra character in the sound, ofcourse you have to balance your whole chain appropriately. Also, the Modi Multibit is single ended output only so you are only going to get the 2v output single ended gives you not the 4v output of a truly balanced dac. In this case, the Jotunheim 2 would be perfect for you because it is input agnostic, in other words, it converts single ended to balanced and balanced to single ended (nexus) so you would be able to enjoy your HD600's truly balanced.

 

[In1unison]

IMHO, as you stated single ended performance is paramount, the THX amp would be the most transparent of the bunch. Mated to the Modi Multibit should give you some pretty good sound. As far as balanced performance goes, the Jot 2 is the hands down winner here and IMHO, I would prefer the single ended performance of the Jot 2 over the THX just because to me it is more enjoyable to listen to. The THX amp is transparent but a little sharp and souless IMO according to my tastes. I had two THX 789's awhile back before I moved on to the Topping A90 which I just sold in favor of the Jotunheim 2. The Jotunheim 2 is also a true balanced amp where the THX is not. I prefer amps that are detailed but also land slightly on the warm side of neutral for extra character in the sound, ofcourse you have to balance your whole chain appropriately.

My experience exactly matches yours

 

[portalheadd]

I have no experience with Jot1 but did a comparison of Jot2 with THX 789 (also A90 and CMA 12). My headphones, Arya, LCD-2, LCD-XC, and T1 2nd. It was a no brainer. First, performance from SE and XLR are indistinguishable, and plenty of power from both. As for direct comparison, Jot2 sounded more like real music compared to the hospital room like presentation of the THX 789 (I am not saying this is a bad thing, but definitely not to my taste). I did not miss any details from Jot2, just the notes in the treble are more rounded without losing any air around them. Bass is full-bodied and less edgy but some might perceive that as less detailed. The biggest difference to my ears is midrange. THX 789 is nice and detailed but without life or emotion comparing to Jot2. The soundstage is deeper, retaining the same width as THX 789, perfectly complementing Arya and T1 2nd for example. My hospital room comment regarding THX 789 means it is very, very clean, detailed which for some might be attractive (it is for me too, but not for longer listening). In order to provide the context, it is important to mention the music I love and listen to. For the most part, Classical Choral, Contemporary and Chamber Jazz and Downtempo Electronica.

I
With an SE source and balanced headphones, the Jot 2 with Nexus is the way to go, since the amplifier is strongly differential as Jason describes it (in other words the SE to balanced conversion has near ideal characteristics).

IMHO, as you stated single ended performance is paramount, the THX amp would be the most transparent of the bunch. Mated to the Modi Multibit should give you some pretty good sound. As far as balanced performance goes, the Jot 2 is the hands down winner here and IMHO, I would prefer the single ended performance of the Jot 2 over the THX just because to me it is more enjoyable to listen to. The THX amp is transparent but a little sharp and souless IMO according to my tastes. I had two THX 789's awhile back before I moved on to the Topping A90 which I just sold in favor of the Jotunheim 2. The Jotunheim 2 is also a true balanced amp where the THX is not. I prefer amps that are detailed but also land slightly on the warm side of neutral for extra character in the sound, ofcourse you have to balance your whole chain appropriately. Also, the Modi Multibit is single ended output only so you are only going to get the 2v output single ended gives you not the 4v output of a truly balanced dac. In this case, the Jotunheim 2 would be perfect for you because it is input agnostic, in other words, it converts single ended to balanced and balanced to single ended (nexus) so you would be able to enjoy your HD600's truly balanced.

My experience exactly matches yours

thanks a lot guys very helpful insights indeed. so I guess I'm going to pay that extra cash for jot 2. especially that Nexus thing sounds very useful for my situation. and from what you guys described, i guess jot 2 is the opposite pole of jot1. jot1 sometime is just brutal and underwhelming and you know... unenjoyable.

 

[maskrider]

30+ hours on my JOT2, it is better than my old and trusted JOT1 in details and separation, a bit better sound stage, not night and day for sure, but noticeable.

I think the punches are tighter on JOT2, but like it or not depends heavily on the kind of music you are listening to and how the music is mastered.

And BTW, for those who might want to know, my JOT2 is silver, 230V, no module, ordered on Jan/12, shipped on Jan/13 (Hongkong date/time).

 

[In1unison]

thanks a lot guys very helpful insights indeed. so I guess I'm going to pay that extra cash for jot 2. especially that Nexus thing sounds very useful for my situation. and from what you guys described, i guess jot 2 is the opposite pole of jot1. jot1 sometime is just brutal and underwhelming and you know... unenjoyable.

Most importantly, trust your ears and you can always return it for a small fee. At least my take on Jot2 is subjective, but I like it so much that I can say that if I ever want to upgrade the amplifier it will be in the range of $2,000+ (and I don't particularly like Schiit products in general). Just one more thing, Jot2 during the first 24-48 hours was very harsh sounding in the treble regions, with Arya in particular. Made some of the hi-res cello recordings I have, unlistenable. Thereafter it smoothed out quite nicely and it is now a pleasure to listen to. Feeding Jot2 good quality and quiet signal with return and reward with great performance.

 

[In1unison]

30+ hours on my JOT2, it is better than my old and trusted JOT1 in details and separation, a bit better sound stage, not night and day for sure, but noticeable.

I think the punches are tighter on JOT2, but like it or not depends heavily on the kind of music you are listening to and how the music is mastered.

And BTW, for those who might want to know, my JOT2 is silver, 230V, no module, ordered on Jan/12, shipped on Jan/13 (Hongkong date/time).

Give it another 20 or so hours. It opens up quite nicely.

 

[portalheadd]

Most importantly, trust your ears and you can always return it for a small fee. At least my take on Jot2 is subjective, but I like it so much that I can say that if I ever want to upgrade the amplifier it will be in the range of $2,000+ (and I don't particularly like Schiit products in general). Just one more thing, Jot2 during the first 24-48 hours was very harsh sounding in the treble regions, with Arya in particular. Made some of the hi-res cello recordings I have, unlistenable. Thereafter it smoothed out quite nicely and it is now a pleasure to listen to. Feeding Jot2 good quality and quiet signal with return and reward with great performance.

the problem is I live in Iran. actually I am going to pay something like 650 usd for jot and should wait for like 2 months to get it delivered and of course I can't return it even if it's defective. that is the principle of my problems. otherwise it wouldn't be an issue to test it myself and in the worst scenario just pay the small fee for return. I have zero customer support. not that it's Schiit's fault but it is what it is. just some random guy will buy it for me from schiit and deliver it to me. that's it. we are banned from every where. but tnx again for pointing that out. I got 1990 for the price of HD800 and etc. what a country. right? ;D

 

[In1unison]

the problem is I live in Iran. actually I am going to pay something like 650 usd for jot and should wait for like 2 months to get it delivered and of course I can't return it even if it's defective. that is the principle of my problems. otherwise it wouldn't be an issue to test it myself and in the worst scenario just pay the small fee for return. I have zero customer support. not that it's Schiit's fault but it is what it is. just some random guy will buy it for me from schiit and deliver it to me. that's it. we are banned from every where. but tnx again for pointing that out. I got 1990 for the price of HD800 and etc. what a country. right? ;D

Sorry, wasn't aware. Sometimes we underestimate how valuable reviews of the equipment are. For the same reason I loath those who get paid to say only good things about a particular brand or product.

 

[portalheadd]

Sorry, wasn't aware. Sometimes we underestimate how valuable reviews of the equipment are. For the same reason I loath those who get paid to say only good things about a particular brand or product.

Exactly. Maybe someone like me will buy A product just based of that review because of lack of show rooms or any specific way to test equipments. Because of this fact, I mostly ignore hypes around a specific product or take them with a huge amount of grain of salt.

 

[Lolito]

Huge amount of grain of salt.

Best thing I have ever read in this forum.

 

[In1unison]

Huge amount of grain of salt.

Best thing I have ever read in this forum.

Truckloads!

 

[portalheadd]

Huge amount of grain of salt.

Best thing I have ever read in this forum.

Eng is not my native language. Sorry for poor english. I just tried to express mysel