[tekkster]

I am curious between JOT with DAc And MOJO - what sounds better as a complete package. I read comparisons as a DAC but not as a complete package. Will the amp of the jot offset the better DAc of Mojo. I know I could buy both but If I had to live with only one which one would you choose to drive Alpha Primes.

Deleted....Mis-read the question.

You were asking about the Jot DAC vs. the Mojo DAC.
For that....I can't tell much difference.  My ears are nowhere near as sensitive compared to most folks here.

 

[KLJTech]

If any amp you own pops or makes any sort of noise when turned on why not simply wait until it's on until you plug in your headphones? With speaker based system you have to turn on your source gear and preamp and then wait a few seconds before turning on your amp so that no turn on transient hits your speakers. None of this is a big deal, it's been this way for as long as I can remember. 

 

[ToTo Man]

  If any amp you own pops or makes any sort of noise when turned on why not simply wait until it's on until you plug in your headphones? With speaker based system you have to turn on your source gear and preamp and then wait a few seconds before turning on your amp so that no turn on transient hits your speakers. None of this is a big deal, it's been this way for as long as I can remember. 

Whatever happened to muting relays?, a really important feature of a well-designed amp IMO.  Amplifiers that don't have these drive me nuts!  This is not a dig at Schiit in particular, but at amplifier manufacturers in general.  e.g. my Quad 909 power amp 'thumps' when switched on and switched off.  What am I supposed to do, crawl around the back of my speakers and disconnect them every time I want to switch the amp on or off??!!

 

[rsnblmn]

  Whatever happened to muting relays?, a really important feature of a well-designed amp IMO.  Amplifiers that don't have these drive me nuts!  This is not a dig at Schiit in particular, but at amplifier manufacturers in general.

 
Agreed.  That's why Schiit amps have them.
 

 

[KLJTech]

I've owned a few speaker amps over the years that would cause a thump to hit my speakers and while I didn't like it I ended up just leaving them on all the time. It would scare you a bit if you were using ribbon speakers like my old Apogee Stages. My only point is that it's nothing new and at times you have to work around what gear you're using. It's not a big deal (IMO) with headphones as they can be so easily unplugged. 

 

[tekkster]

Finally got OS X Yosemite (10.10.5) working.
 
That same laptop was running El Capitan, and was having the same problems as my iMac.  But now it's all cleared up.

The Jot DAC works now.  no popping, no static every few seconds, and the background noise when compared to using just the Jot amp without the DAC is basically gone (really, it's louder, so I turn the volume lower, closer to 10pm when using balanced HD800, or 11pm when using SE T1).

At least for me, the Jot DAC problems I was having previously are now confirmed as OS X El Capitan (10.11) and Sierra (10.12) doing something funky to the USB Audio ports.  I purchased the Wyrd, looks like it shipped today.  Still don't know if the Wyrd will fix things for El Capitan and Sierra.  A lot of folks are saying it won't, so not holding out too much hope.  I guess I'll need to buy another DAC at some point with optical audio in, but one step at a time.


----
EDIT....Hmmmm....nope.  Something is still wrong.  Now there is some strange grating that happens in sync with higher notes.  Is that what is called distortion?  Because it happens only when in sync with higher notes, and not independently of the music playing (like the static with El Capitan and Sierra), would it be possible that it is a DAC issue?  I dunno....for now, guess I'm stuck with optical audio to Mojo and SE to Jot again.....back to the drawing board, as they say....

 

[tamleo]

  Well, the Mojo is said to be tuned to be a bit laid back and uses the same 4490 as the Jot, however Jot is fully balanced. Downside is USB only.. To be honest, I'd just get yourself a Mimby for the Jot. My 4490 Bifrost didn't pair as well with Jot, however it was a match made in heaven with the Asgard 2. 

Hi,
Can you tell me why the Bifrost 4490 does not suit the Jot but pair very well with the Asgard 2? Thanks

 

[murphythecat]

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

cause after 100 hours, very little change in sound is to be expected.
but they need break in.

 

[StanD]

  Hi,
Can you tell me why the Bifrost 4490 does not suit the Jot but pair very well with the Asgard 2? Thanks

Anecdotes.

 

[pdferguson]

----
EDIT....Hmmmm....nope.  Something is still wrong.  Now there is some strange grating that happens in sync with higher notes.  Is that what is called distortion?  Because it happens only when in sync with higher notes, and not independently of the music playing (like the static with El Capitan and Sierra), would it be possible that it is a DAC issue?  I dunno....for now, guess I'm stuck with optical audio to Mojo and SE to Jot again.....back to the drawing board, as they say....

 
Is the bitrate/depth of your USB connection set to match the source file? Are you listening to 44.1/16 music, or higher fidelity (e.g. 192/24) files? If there is a mismatch, I could see how you might experience distortion like you describe.
 
I'm also curious whether people who are experiencing USB pops on macOS are listening to 44.1/16 files or something higher.

 

[tekkster]

   
Is the bitrate/depth of your USB connection set to match the source file? Are you listening to 44.1/16 music, or higher fidelity (e.g. 192/24) files? If there is a mismatch, I could see how you might experience distortion like you describe.
 
I'm also curious whether people who are experiencing USB pops on macOS are listening to 44.1/16 files or something higher.

Good question.  Not sure.  The majority of my files are 44.1/16, though I have a bunch at 96/24, and a fair number at 2.82MHz/1.  Bitrates are all over the place, from 16kbps - 5650kpbs.  The high note distortions are noticeable at both 44.1/16 and 96/24.  Mostly Keiko Matsui, Charles Parker, Yamanaka, some Yanni, Uehara.

I have no idea how to set the USB to match the source file.  

It's okay, I can deal with optical audio.  My ears aren't good enough to tell much of a difference anyway.  It's only a bummer because I want to leave the Mojo out of the chain.  Though...really...I'm okay with going iMac SE out to Jot SE in, in a pinch.

 

[pdferguson]

  I have no idea how to set the USB to match the source file.

 
You can view/change this using the Audio MIDI Setup utility in macOS. If you are using iTunes, it does not automatically adjust this based on the source file, so it is worth knowing about this utility. If the USB port is set to one setting, and the source file is different, iTunes will up/down sample to match the USB port, which can result in distortion (this is one of my pet peeves with iTunes.)
 

It's okay, I can deal with optical audio.  My ears aren't good enough to tell much of a difference anyway.

 
I strongly prefer optical, not because it has any audible difference (in theory it shouldn't), but because of the electrical isolation it provides between the Mac and a DAC. If Schiit were to release an optical card for the Jotunheim, I would buy one tomorrow.

 

[JLoud]

 

----
EDIT....Hmmmm....nope.  Something is still wrong.  Now there is some strange grating that happens in sync with higher notes.  Is that what is called distortion?  Because it happens only when in sync with higher notes, and not independently of the music playing (like the static with El Capitan and Sierra), would it be possible that it is a DAC issue?  I dunno....for now, guess I'm stuck with optical audio to Mojo and SE to Jot again.....back to the drawing board, as they say....

 
Is the bitrate/depth of your USB connection set to match the source file? Are you listening to 44.1/16 music, or higher fidelity (e.g. 192/24) files? If there is a mismatch, I could see how you might experience distortion like you describe.
 
I'm also curious whether people who are experiencing USB pops on macOS are listening to 44.1/16 files or something higher.

I'm using latest OS on a new iMac and haven't experienced any issues.  16/44.1 up to 24/192.  Jot with on board dac.

 

[Tuneslover]

  Whatever happened to muting relays?, a really important feature of a well-designed amp IMO.  Amplifiers that don't have these drive me nuts!  This is not a dig at Schiit in particular, but at amplifier manufacturers in general.  e.g. my Quad 909 power amp 'thumps' when switched on and switched off.  What am I supposed to do, crawl around the back of my speakers and disconnect them every time I want to switch the amp on or off??!!

Exactly!
 
Yes of course I could reach around and make sure that each powered speaker is off and after the amp has turned on reach around each speaker again to turn it on.  The headphones themselves, sure I can ensure that they are unplugged beforehand too and then plug them in when the amp is ready, oh and then remember to unplug them after I'm finished listening.
 
And then there's my wife who confuses easily with anything to do with audio.
 
It's 2016, hello!

 

[tekkster]

   
You can view/change this using the Audio MIDI Setup utility in macOS. If you are using iTunes, it does not automatically adjust this based on the source file, so it is worth knowing about this utility. If the USB port is set to one setting, and the source file is different, iTunes will up/down sample to match the USB port, which can result in distortion (this is one of my pet peeves with iTunes.)
 
 
I strongly prefer optical, not because it has any audible difference (in theory it shouldn't), but because of the electrical isolation it provides between the Mac and a DAC. If Schiit were to release an optical card for the Jotunheim, I would buy one tomorrow.

Sweet.  Will check it out.  Thanks.