[jnak00]

One nice thing about the Jot 2 is that the volume pot is much better than on the smaller Schiit amps. I believe there is far less channel imbalance at the bottom of the pot. For reference, I usually listen around 8:00-8:30 on balanced out with my ZMF headphones and there is no discernable imbalance.

 

[TomM71]

Have to agree, I use the Jot2 my MDR Z1R and even on those sensitive headphones the channel balance is on such a tiny range of the pot that i find it hard to get into it even if I try.

 

[Neweymatt]

Hi guys. I'm looking at upgrading from Vali 2 to Jot 2, mainly to try and build a balanced chain for Empyrean.
One doubt I have is if Jot will be too powerful out of balanced even on low gain.
I currently listen at around 9AM on the Vali2's volume knob on low gain with 100% digital volume (TIdal exclusive mode or foobar+WASAPI).
Any thoughts?

I love my Jot2 with my Empyrean, highly recommended.

I use a Mac, set the output volume around 60-70% using SoundSource, and with the Jot2 on high gain I range from 9-11 or so depending.

Another thing you can do is use the Vali2 as a pre-amp for the Jot2, this is my preferred chain actually. Depending where you set the volume of the Vali2, you’ll get more or less range on the Jot’s volume.

 

[ST33L]

I’m pairing a Jot2 w/RME ADI-2 DAC and think it sounds great.

 

[eswng679]

I’m pairing a Jot2 w/RME ADI-2 DAC and think it sounds great.

Nice stack! I have the exact same set up...minus the Lokius. Curious as to why you don't use the PEQ in the RME vs. Lokius?

 

[ST33L]

Nice stack! I have the exact same set up...minus the Lokius. Curious as to why you don't use the PEQ in the RME vs. Lokius?

Thanks. I don’t have the Lokius anymore. It narrowed the sound stage. I actually liked the Loki better. Yeah, I love the EQ on the RME

 

[chaotic_angel]

I am using a Jotunheim 2 to power LCD-XC 2021. Give the amp 250 hours or so and it will open up more.

schweet!! I found XC 2021 bass is relatively slim (using WHAMMY AMP) how do you find it with Jot 2 ?

 

[cdacosta]

schweet!! I found XC 2021 bass is relatively slim (using WHAMMY AMP) how do you find it with Jot 2 ?

Stock the LCD-XC 2021 has no bass. Almost reference neutral with a few bumps (in the wrong) frequencies. To me sounded absolutely horrible/unlistenable.

After EQ, absolutely stunning. If I am listening to fast EDM like 135+bpm techno the bass can be felt in the spine and face bones. The LCD-XC can be literally tuned to sound any way you want. Bass from 25hz up is awesome. Extremely EQ friendly. I am running fully balanced in high gain. The LCD-XC 2021 can be powered by anything, even a smart phone. But to open it up it will need power. I will include a pic of the EQ settings I use, look at the pre-amp it is set at -21db to prevent clipping. Jot 2 Vol knob usually between 10-11.5 depending on source material.

 

[cgb3]

One nice thing about the Jot 2 is that the volume pot is much better than on the smaller Schiit amps. I believe there is far less channel imbalance at the bottom of the pot. For reference, I usually listen around 8:00-8:30 on balanced out with my ZMF headphones and there is no discernable imbalance.

Reduce the output from your source (to ~80%, assuming you're using a computer), or program an EQ filter. I use Peace (free, but only works only on windows). Mac has it's own EQ options. One can have a filter with no filtering, but with a negative pre-amp value.

Unless I'm using my Jot 2 as a preamp to my desk speakers, my pot is usually at the 12 position. I suggest you experiment, and determine what's best for you. Personally, the only reason I keep my Lyr 3 is as a preamp to my Jot 2.

 

[chaotic_angel]

Stock the LCD-XC 2021 has no bass. Almost reference neutral with a few bumps (in the wrong) frequencies. To me sounded absolutely horrible/unlistenable.

After EQ, absolutely stunning. If I am listening to fast EDM like 135+bpm techno the bass can be felt in the spine and face bones. The LCD-XC can be literally tuned to sound any way you want. Bass from 25hz up is awesome. Extremely EQ friendly. I am running fully balanced in high gain. The LCD-XC 2021 can be powered by anything, even a smart phone. But to open it up it will need power. I will include a pic of the EQ settings I use, look at the pre-amp it is set at -21db to prevent clipping. Jot 2 Vol knob usually between 10-11.5 depending on source material.

Thanks, What software is this please?

 

[oldmate]

I’m pairing a Jot2 w/RME ADI-2 DAC and think it sounds great.

Same here, My endgame. Headphones are TR-X00 Ebony and with Melodic Death Metal it's a great combo. Enjoy.

 

[cdacosta]

Thanks, What software is this please?

Equalizer APO, with Peter plug-in. Look at the top of the pic will tell the full name of the plug-in. This is a free, fully programmable Parametric EQ for Windows.

Here is a tip, you can email Audeze customer support with your LCD-XC serial number and request frequency graph. They will email you the graph for your headphones when they made it.

The graph settings you see is how I like the overall presentation for my gear and setup. Listening to any genre or source (Tidal, YouTube, movies, etc.) I use. If you still have a pair of LCD-XC 2021 and want to try Equalizer APO (which I would highly recommend), start by copying my settings and save it. Then just tone/tune down the bass settings and tune until you get to exactly how you like it. You can save as many profiles settings you want. There are many tutorials on YouTube on how to use and install Equalizer APO, super easy to use.

On my system, with the settings I showed you, the LCD-XC 2021, to me sounds stunning! Just play with it and feel free to to reach out with any questions.

 

[szore]

Just realized you can play out of both outputs at once on the Jot...burning in 2 pairs of earphones at once

 

[cdacosta]

Wanted to throw this out there because I never really considered this before. I do not use any up sampling or hi-rez recordings. My chain was this:
Windows 10 PC (source) ---> ifi SPDIF iPurifier2 ---> Schiit Modius ---> balanced to Jotunheim 2 ---> balanced to Audeze LCD-XC 2021

Well I have two older R2R dacs, Proceed DAP and a Mark Levinson 360 that was being used in my main system which is in storage until I move into a new home. I went to storage, replaced the Modius with the Proceed DAP and holy crap. Now the down side are these units are full sized so you will need to have the space on your desk or somewhere to put it. Also if your source does not have a SPDIF output and only use USB you will need a converter or DDC. The older dacs do not support USB.

Point of the post is if you do not need hi-rez and have a older R2R dac lying around try it. The sonic reproduction difference is stunning. The Modius is a good dac, especially for $200. But the Proceed DAP or whatever older R2R dacs that costed $2500 like Proceed are in a totally different league. The harmonic information that these older high end dacs are capable of, compared to the Modius or $1000 and under Delta Sigma dacs is surprising.

 

[iFi audio]

Mark Levinson 360

That's a cool DAC and most likely still relevant today