[XERO1]

One benefit of having at least one pair of bright sounding headphones (like the T90, HD 800, etc) is that they can be like a microscope for revealing differences/improvements in whatever upstream gear changes you make.  A warmer sounding headphone may be pleasant for everyday listening, but it isn't really going to have the resolving power that's needed to tell you exactly what is going on whenever you switch to a new piece of gear.
 
This is why most studio monitors tend to be on the brighter side of neutral, not because it necessarily sounds better that way, but because it allows the engineer to easily hear and correct for any imperfections as they pop up while recording, mixing or mastering.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Has anyone plugged the Jodie into a kil-a-watt to determine actual electricity usage, both idle and playing?

 

[Vigrith]

  Haha that has me more interested in this now. If you could could you elaborate what the difference between the two are? Was the O2 more sterile and less natural sounding? Also can you use iems with this, was wondering if I'll run into channel imbalance issues cause my knob is only slightly turned on the 02 and its already loud. Ty.

 
The Jotunheim is meant to handle all sorts of IEMs very well - I cannot personally attest for this just yet as I'm waiting for Empire Ears to release their ADEL tech line up further down the line before I invest into proper in ears.
 
As a small disclaimer I will say my hearing is very sensitive, sharp sounds, nasty treble and general loud listening cause me physical discomfort/pain, plus I sold the O2 ages ago so it's all from memory of course. I disliked the O2/ODAC because I felt all it did was make the sound of my headphones louder, it was just as digital, piercing and fatiguing as listening straight from the headphone jack on my computer, just had a volume knob and that's about it. Everything felt shouty, forced and sterile.
 
The Jotunheim is neutral but it is not pushy and annoying. The sound it produces is effortless despite being ridiculously powerful, it's just clean - I agree it is slightly brighter tilted as with most Schiit gear objectively speaking to my ears but it does not bother me at all even though most my headphones are darker tilted (LCD-2, HD650s, NightHawks, etc because of the problem I mentioned earlier). I'd say it is more characterless than bright/in your face, if it doesn't bother me I doubt it would bother anyone.
 
 

 
Ah good, so you liked it in the end, after all that discussion?  

 

 
Yes, I do like it very much. As you know my preference lies with warmer/relaxing musical sound, ergo I've always had trouble finding solid state amplification I enjoy just as much/more than my valves - this is definitely an exception, it's completely different from my Pathos Aurium for example whose sound is beautiful, intimate and romantic but it still remains pleasant and versatile; if the song calls for it it'll punch you in the face, if the song is laid back then it won't ruin the mood. It's super versatile, not just far as inputs/outputs/headphone/iem/speaker compatibility but also in terms of being able to perform as it should with all kinds of music without imposing character.
 

  One benefit of having at least one pair of bight sounding headphones (like the T90, HD 800, etc) is that they can be like a microscope for revealing differences/improvements in whatever upstream gear changes you make.  A warmer sounding headphone may be pleasant for everyday listening, but it isn't really going to have the resolving power that's needed to tell you exactly what is going on whenever you switch to a new piece of gear.

 
This is the exact reason I still keep my HD800s (plus they're sort of a collector's item as per their legendary status, of course).

 

[Tuneslover]

For those of you who own a Jotunheim just a quick question...does it also make a popping sound on initial startup? My Magni2U and Vali2 do.

One more thing, I recall reading somewhere earlier in this thread that while headphones are plugged in the preamp outs (mine are connected to powered speakers) don't mute like other Schiit amps do. Is this true or did I misinterpret something?

 

[Ancipital]

  Haha that has me more interested in this now. If you could could you elaborate what the difference between the two are? Was the O2 more sterile and less natural sounding? Also can you use iems with this, was wondering if I'll run into channel imbalance issues cause my knob is only slightly turned on the 02 and its already loud. Ty.

 
Well, it works with all my IEMs, without imbalance issues or noise- just switched to low impedance on the front. I didn't like how my SE535s sounded through it, they were thin and weird (I must try again to see if I did something wrong), but my SE215 and MEE Pinnacle P1 seemed pretty happy.
 
(Yes, I know, but expensive IEMs still make me nervous, on the hoof.)
 
 
Quote:

 
 
Yes, I do like it very much. As you know my preference lies with warmer/relaxing musical sound, ergo I've always had trouble finding solid state amplification I enjoy just as much/more than my valves - this is definitely an exception, it's completely different from my Pathos Aurium for example whose sound is beautiful, intimate and romantic but it still remains pleasant and versatile; if the song calls for it it'll punch you in the face, if the song is laid back then it won't ruin the mood. It's super versatile, not just far as inputs/outputs/headphone/iem/speaker compatibility but also in terms of being able to perform as it should with all kinds of music without imposing character.
 
 

 
I'm so glad to hear that- you were putting a lot of careful thought into it. I like your characterisation a lot- it does seem to manage not to offend, being rather neutral, clear and quick without being harsh, sibilant and shouty. Also, good grief, finding an amp at this price that can exploit the fabled scaling of the HD650 without having to pray for a used bargain on something exotic is an unexpected bonus.

 

[Alchemist007]

Finally got mine, this thing is a heater!

 

[grrorr76]

  Finally got mine, this thing is a heater!

Mine doesnt run hot at all. very strange

 

[nedifer]

  Finally got mine, this thing is a heater!

 
 

 
Mine doesnt run hot at all. very strange

 
Could the temperature of the Jotunheim depend on whether using balanced or SE cables?  I've also seen conflicting reports (though I can't yet afford one, so can't comment personally).

 

[Alchemist007]

I'm using balanced, but it's like this just powered on and not in active use. And by hot I don't mean too hot to touch, just pretty warm, like a laptop while not doing anything but having been on a while.

 

[murphythecat]

Jotunheim has been on for almost 24 hours. It is a lot warmer than it was just after being turned on the first time. I am actually very surprised. It is very nuetral but has a warm signature to me.

I just put the HD650 up for sale here, did not like them at all. They had some nice qualities but didn't care for the treble roll off and dark sound.

The Jot with my T90 is a brillaint pairing. Enjoying it very much. My next can is going to be the HD800.

let the hd650 + jotunheim play for about 100 hours and then come back to it. you should spend bit more time. you have a system that will reveal its beauty in a couple of days.
 
must admit I really think the 650 needs modding to truly shine though. anyhow, I believe in break in and wouldnt make any decision before making sure the headphone and amp have been running for at least 100 hour

 

[Youth]

let the hd650 + jotunheim play for about 100 hours and then come back to it. you should spend bit more time. you have a system that will reveal its beauty in a couple of days.

must admit I really think the 650 needs modding to truly shine though. anyhow, I believe in break in and wouldnt make any decision before making sure the headphone and amp have been running for at least 100 hour

Why not make it a 1000 hours? Just to be sure.

 

[Night01]

   
The Jotunheim is meant to handle all sorts of IEMs very well - I cannot personally attest for this just yet as I'm waiting for Empire Ears to release their ADEL tech line up further down the line before I invest into proper in ears.
 
As a small disclaimer I will say my hearing is very sensitive, sharp sounds, nasty treble and general loud listening cause me physical discomfort/pain, plus I sold the O2 ages ago so it's all from memory of course. I disliked the O2/ODAC because I felt all it did was make the sound of my headphones louder, it was just as digital, piercing and fatiguing as listening straight from the headphone jack on my computer, just had a volume knob and that's about it. Everything felt shouty, forced and sterile.
 
The Jotunheim is neutral but it is not pushy and annoying. The sound it produces is effortless despite being ridiculously powerful, it's just clean - I agree it is slightly brighter tilted as with most Schiit gear objectively speaking to my ears but it does not bother me at all even though most my headphones are darker tilted (LCD-2, HD650s, NightHawks, etc because of the problem I mentioned earlier). I'd say it is more characterless than bright/in your face, if it doesn't bother me I doubt it would bother anyone.
 

 
Awesome that sounds similar to what I find the O2 to sound like. Good to hear that the sound shouldn't be annoying as I heard some people saying that the Jotunheim is aggressive, wasn't too sure what that meant. I'm also looking forward to pairing this amp with the new empire ears lineup .

   
Well, it works with all my IEMs, without imbalance issues or noise- just switched to low impedance on the front. I didn't like how my SE535s sounded through it, they were thin and weird (I must try again to see if I did something wrong), but my SE215 and MEE Pinnacle P1 seemed pretty happy.
 
(Yes, I know, but expensive IEMs still make me nervous, on the hoof.)
 

 
Haha that's great ty 

.

 

[Jiggybutt]

   
It would measure a teeny-tiny bit better. It would be a marginal improvement, not easy to hear.
 
Having said that, if they released a balanced multibit DAC that stacked neatly with the Jotenheim and was similarly priced, I probably wouldn't be able to resist tearing their arms off for it. It's a bit shameful 

 

That's how they get you to upgrade!

 

[Dephezz]

For those of you who own a Jotunheim just a quick question...does it also make a popping sound on initial startup? My Magni2U and Vali2 do.

One more thing, I recall reading somewhere earlier in this thread that while headphones are plugged in the preamp outs (mine are connected to powered speakers) don't mute like other Schiit amps do. Is this true or did I misinterpret something?

1) Yes it makes popping sound on startup and also 3-4 seconds after you connect built-in dac with usb cable to your source.
2) Yes. It forces you to turn off your speakers before using HPs and vice versa.  

 

[Mediahound]

To my knowledge, all Schiit amps are like that, same on my Mjolnir 2. I would advise before power it up, unplug any headphones. Then power it on and wait like 30 seconds to plug in headphones. You can however power it off with headphones plugged in.