[Vigrith]

  With a new stock 650 and the Mimby/Joti combo I am in heaven. I think to get a better pairing for the 650 you'd need to spend over a grand for a serious tube amp. TO have a SS amp that pairs this well with the 650 and also can power almost any other headphone or IEM you can think of is a huge achievement.

 
I completely agree, my 650s are the latest stock version too (inept and too lazy to mod, not keen) - Mimby's my main source as of right now and I find they sound even better with the Jotunheim than they do out of my BW, WA7tp and MJ2. Might be new toy syndrome, I haven't A/B'd because again I'm too lazy and I don't analyse music really, I just love listening to it but still, the sheer power on the Jotunheim really pushes the 650 scaling to incredible levels I'd not previously experienced. Out of the gear I have the only one that competes is my Pathos Aurium ($1500~), I won't even bother comparing using the 650s with it vs the Jotunheim because they are about as different as they come but I will say in terms of enjoyment they're very, very close.
 
It's a Herculean task to achieve what Schiit have with the Jotunheim in my eyes, as you said the fact it works this well with IEMs as well as making pretty much any headphone sound as they should (eg. lets their character seep through and has the power any of them may need, aside the HE-6 I suppose, don't own it) - alongside the BW which doesn't really count as an SS amplifier in my opinion, this is the only one I've found is good enough to warrant being kept as a tube fanatic. It just does so much right.

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

I absolutely agree. For my money, I'd rather have a Jotunheim over almost any amp under $1k. I would kill for a tricked out Torpedo III or an Eddie Current but right now those are out of my reach as I'm investing my money in a speaker rig instead. So for my purposes the Jotunheim is perfect.

 

[murphythecat]

have yet to read Torpedo vs jot. 
but yeah it seems for hd650, the jot is the best amp for under almost 1300$

 

[comzee]

  I would kill for a tricked out Torpedo III or an Eddie Current.....

I have a fully tricked out Torpedo III with latest CCS mods, and five star tubes.
To say that amp is a quantum leap past the Jot is an understatement. 

 

[murphythecat]

  I have a fully tricked out Torpedo III with latest CCS mods, and five star tubes.
To say that amp is a quantum leap past the Jot is an understatement. 

oh... so the torpedo is much better then the jot?????

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

The TIII is an exceptional amp. The Jotunheim is of course far more versatile, but if you have headphones that synergize well with the TIII you should seriously consider owning one. I already would if I had a spare $1,300 lying around.

 

[earnmyturns]

  Cables are like religion 

 

In more ways than one. Cables are a seemingly accessible "explanation" for otherwise mysterious digital audio misbehavior. Sufficiently advanced technology being undistinguishable from magic and all that. The non-magic version from someone who has seen plenty high-speed and realtime computation bugs since the days when 6 microseconds were a fast cycle time (core memory FTW!) is simply: all software and digital logic has bugs, especially timing bugs. You mean, you thought your super-duper DAC was bug-free? And the sad possibility is that changing a cable or adding a decrapifier might change timing just enough to avoid ticking the bug for some of your source material. If you don't believe me, search for "side channel attacks" on your favorite search engine. There are so much subtle time-dependent couplings between different activities and components in digital logic/software that just contemplating them gives me a headache. Why would we assume that digital audio would be less prone to those than server computing systems that have 10^6-10^9 more $ spent in their design and testing? Trust me, I know plenty about amazing [non-Schiit REDACTED] and yet needs to be tickled with all due respect lest it decides 2 + 2 = -17. Just sayin'... Update: Yes, I know it's strictly speaking off-topic, but I wanted to put some perspective on why discussions of cables wrt digital audio are a total lost cause.

 

[comzee]

  oh... so the torpedo is much better then the jot?????

Yes, that is what I was trying to convey.
 
Apart from that, I think the Jot is waaay over hyped. I've said it before and got people ganging up on me, but whatever.
People constantly saying you need $1k more to get better than Jot. No you do not! It's peoples lack of hearing what's out there.
 
You'll get people coming at you like Colt saying Jot on par with Ragnarok.
It's hard to talk candidly in a thread for the Jot, you're going to get group think, and buyers wanting to like what they bought bias.
 
I bought the Jot purely as an experience. I said it was exception at $400, but bested by many other amps at higher price ranges, and I stand by that.
I'm objective in the sense I didn't need to like it, I wasn't trying to justify the purchase. I sold it on the used section and moved on, ymmv. 
 
Btw, a huge hype vain is coming form sbaf, one particular user that highly reviewed it, Marv.
I think he's way off, but people love to slob on his knob.

 

[StanD]

  In more ways than one. Cables are a seemingly accessible "explanation" for otherwise mysterious digital audio misbehavior. Sufficiently advanced technology being undistinguishable from magic and all that. The non-magic version from someone who has seen plenty high-speed and realtime computation bugs since the days when 6 microseconds were a fast cycle time (core memory FTW!) is simply: all software and digital logic has bugs, especially timing bugs. You mean, you thought your super-duper DAC was bug-free? And the sad possibility is that changing a cable or adding a decrapifier might change timing just enough to avoid ticking the bug for some of your source material. If you don't believe me, search for "side channel attacks" on your favorite search engine. There are so much subtle time-dependent couplings between different activities and components in digital logic/software that just contemplating them gives me a headache. Why would we assume that digital audio would be less prone to those than server computing systems that have 10^6-10^-9 more $ spent in their design and testing? Trust me, I know plenty about amazing [non-Schiit REDACTED] and yet needs to be tickled with all due respect lest it decides 2 + 2 = -17. Just sayin'...

Magnetic core memory, nice story, not relevant to the topic, gee. Just say'in.

 

[Allanmarcus]

 
oh... so the torpedo is much better then the jot?????

Yes, that is what I was trying to convey.

Apart from that, I think the Jot is waaay over hyped. I've said it before and got people ganging up on me, but whatever.
People constantly saying you need $1k more to get better than Jot. No you do not! It's peoples lack of hearing what's out there.

You'll get people coming at you like Colt saying Jot on par with Ragnarok.
It's hard to talk candidly in a thread for the Jot, you're going to get group think, and buyers wanting to like what they bought bias.

I bought the Jot purely as an experience. I said it was exception at $400, but bested by many other amps at higher price ranges, and I stand by that.
I'm objective in the sense I didn't need to like it, I wasn't trying to justify the purchase. I sold it on the used section and moved on, ymmv. 

Btw, a huge hype vain is coming form sbaf, one particular user that highly reviewed it, Marv.
I think he's way off, but people love to slob on his knob.

So what is better under $1000, or even under $500

 

[comzee]

So what is better under $1000, or even under $500

I personally like the nfb11 $350 over Jot, but that's down to preference, they're both mid-fi sounding. 
 
Audio GD NFB-28 @ $750 is hands down better.
Better Dac, better amp, same functionality. 
 
Moving up to a bit higher prices, my Lehman BCL $1k, Taurus Mkii $1.8k, Torpedo III $1k, Fire-Bottle $1.3k, are all better.
 
Things that are not better, Matrix Mini-I $350, WA7 $1100, Gustard H10 + U12 stack $550. 
 
That's just the stuff I've heard a lot, and own. There's soo many more amp/dac combos, dac/amp stacks, in the same price range as Jot, that I have not heard.
It seems people just read the hype, have listened to one other mid-fi amp, and proclaim the Jot is a giant killer.
 
I've listened to a fraction of what's out there, listed stuff that is better / worse, much more to consider.
I don't think Jot is a giant killer, I think it's a super solid $500 mid-fi combo. 
 
Edit:
I'll add, while the NFB-28 bests it, the Torpedo III utterly destroys the Jot amp section. 
The ceiling is high, and if anybody thinks the Jot gets you close, whelp ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ can't change the color of the sky. 

 

[Maelob]

What is Mid fi? what is the cut off for HIFI? 

 

[theveterans]

  What is Mid fi? what is the cut off for HIFI? 

 
Any audio gear that's below TOTL or entry level.

 

[nedifer]

  What is Mid fi?

 
Halfway between <- here and there -> ?
 
The difference between being able to put the kids through college vs. moving the family into a room in a flop house with a shared bathroom down the hall and having them eat cat food until they can move out and forage on their own?
 
Purgatory?  (midway between heaven and hell...)
 
The midpoint between lurking and swaggering in these fora?

 

[bavinck]

  What is Mid fi? what is the cut off for HIFI? 

Reasonably affordable. Otherwise known as reasonable.