[Allanmarcus]

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. 

Very interesting. I was actually thinking of the JoMimby combo for 650 new. I plan on listening to it at RMAF, as well as a lot of other stuff. I always forget about audio-gd. Thanks for the down to earth comments.

 

[oldschool]

Very interesting. I was actually thinking of the JoMimby combo for 650 new. I plan on listening to it at RMAF, as well as a lot of other stuff. I always forget about audio-gd. Thanks for the down to earth comments.

 
Would be interesting to hear a comparison of JoMimby vs NFB 28.
 
Also, next year Audio GD will be upgrading to the new ES9038, which is expected to be a killer DAC.

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

  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.

 
A lot of assumptions here. Lots of people have heard many amps and consider the Joti a great bargain. Of course you don't have to agree but not everyone is speaking from a place of ignorance.
 
Additionally, not needing the amp doesn't make you any more objective than someone else, as Schiit has a return policy that anyone can take advantage of if they don't like the amp, or they could sell it for close to full price given the hype for it at the moment. You just have a different set of biases. Which again is fine but please stop saying you're being objective and no one else is. It's not correct.

 

[zeissiez]

I haven't heard all the DAC/amp combos, but I have experiences with top end sound, having heard/owned Eddie Current BA, WA5, Alo Studio Six in the past 5 years. So far one DAC/amp, to my ears, stood head and shoulders above the rest, the Master 11. It sounded on par and better than many higher end dedicated amp + dedicated DAC. It's more pricey than the Jot. But Jot has a lot of proof if it were to claim the top spot.

 

[Starcruncher]

I have a question regarding a piece of gear I've owned for a few months. Does that qualify me to post?
 
Ok. I have Chord 2Qute. It has 3V out, RCA only. How does 3V work with Jot? I want to avoid the situation where fine-volume control is difficult, i.e., where volume pot stays below 8 pm because there is too much power from the source. Will the gain switch be my friend here?
 
I will mainly be using HD600 and Grado PS1000. Both SE.

 

[rovopio]

Will it still be a bargain if a Jotunheim cost $580? That's how much I need to pay in total should I get them, and I'm wondering if it's a bargain because it's priced at $400 or it's just that good even at around ~$600?
 
For context, headphone will be hd650...

 

[ToddRaymond]

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

Wow. Judging by the responses to your question (jab), it's obvious that some folks take themselves rather seriously. "Oh, well, allow me to explain...."

"I sold it [...] and moved on"

And yet, here you are. On one hand, thank-you for sharing your so-called "objective" viewpoint. Hype trains are certainly a thing. On the other hand, in my subjective opinion, it seems a little strange trying to suggest that those who are happy with their Jotunheims are somewhat deluded, and in fact, could not possibly be actually be enjoying the music that's coming out of their amp.

As always, your mileage may vary.

EDIT: What Merrick said.

 

[Lorspeaker]

Midfi is usd500

High5 is when u get tat midfi at 300

LoFi is after getting the high5 , u still mystified y ppl like tat midfi

 

[ColtMrFire]

A lot of assumptions here. Lots of people have heard many amps and consider the Joti a great bargain. Of course you don't have to agree but not everyone is speaking from a place of ignorance.

Additionally, not needing the amp doesn't make you any more objective than someone else, as Schiit has a return policy that anyone can take advantage of if they don't like the amp, or they could sell it for close to full price given the hype for it at the moment. You just have a different set of biases. Which again is fine but please stop saying you're being objective and no one else is. It's not correct.

It's definitely all subjective. I directly compared Jot to Black Widow and Ragnarok (all fed by Yggdrasil). Overall I preferred the Jotunheim for both its technical prowess and transparency. But I will say Black Widow was extremely impressive for its euphonic nature. Ragnrok was also impressive in terms of dynamics and coherency but fell a bit short in the treble (a bit uncontrolled). So IMO Jotunheim absolutely competes with two TOTL SS amps from schiit and Eddie Current. The guy who owned the equipment also agreed. The great thing about Jot is it seems to scale to whatever source is feeding it and doesnt really add any "personality" to it like BW and Rag. So if you have a very good source, you are probably very close to end game if not there already, depending on your preferences.

 

[sheldaze]

  I have a question regarding a piece of gear I've owned for a few months. Does that qualify me to post?
 
Ok. I have Chord 2Qute. It has 3V out, RCA only. How does 3V work with Jot? I want to avoid the situation where fine-volume control is difficult, i.e., where volume pot stays below 8 pm because there is too much power from the source. Will the gain switch be my friend here?
 
I will mainly be using HD600 and Grado PS1000. Both SE.

I've used the comparable HD650 and PS1000e. And I know of what you speak, having used the Mojo as a source - Mojo does allow me to lower the volume, but I know of what you speak in that it defaults to the same 3 volts of output. Also I tend to listen to headphones at low volume.
 
You should not have any issues with usable volume on either headphone. Yes, the position of the volume knob may be below 8 pm for the Grado, but it is still quite usable in this range. The only issue I would ask you - are you okay with a solid state amplifier connected to your Grado? There are a limited few solid state amplifiers that I like the sound of with my Grado. Jotunheim is not one of these few solid state amplifiers.
 
Usable volume - yes, it might be a small range for the Grado, but it should still be usable. However I do question the synergy with the Grado, which is a personal question.

 

[Tuneslover]

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. 

I was planning on upgrading my Magni2Ü with the Jot, liking the balanced option too. Just amp, I have DACs to connect to it.

 

[Starcruncher]

I've used the comparable HD650 and PS1000e. And I know of what you speak, having used the Mojo as a source - Mojo does allow me to lower the volume, but I know of what you speak in that it defaults to the same 3 volts of output. Also I tend to listen to headphones at low volume.

You should not have any issues with usable volume on either headphone. Yes, the position of the volume knob may be below 8 pm for the Grado, but it is still quite usable in this range. The only issue I would ask you - are you okay with a solid state amplifier connected to your Grado? There are a limited few solid state amplifiers that I like the sound of with my Grado. Jotunheim is not one of these few solid state amplifiers.

Usable volume - yes, it might be a small range for the Grado, but it should still be usable. However I do question the synergy with the Grado, which is a personal question.

Thanks for this. Solid state is indeed a question mark. TBH, I have not even heard the PS1000's that I purchased a while ago. Long story, but I don't live where they shipped to. Plus, I don't live in a place with any opportunities to audition gear. So I read a lot of head-fi.

I only want one amp and like the Jot's price and its versatility. Probably not a perfect match for the Grado's, but I don't mind EQing. Whatever I go for, there will be compromises. The other (very) appealing all-arounder is the iFi Pro iCan. 4X the price though.

 

[acguitar84]

I've used the comparable HD650 and PS1000e. And I know of what you speak, having used the Mojo as a source - Mojo does allow me to lower the volume, but I know of what you speak in that it defaults to the same 3 volts of output. Also I tend to listen to headphones at low volume.

You should not have any issues with usable volume on either headphone. Yes, the position of the volume knob may be below 8 pm for the Grado, but it is still quite usable in this range. The only issue I would ask you - are you okay with a solid state amplifier connected to your Grado? There are a limited few solid state amplifiers that I like the sound of with my Grado. Jotunheim is not one of these few solid state amplifiers.

Usable volume - yes, it might be a small range for the Grado, but it should still be usable. However I do question the synergy with the Grado, which is a personal question.

I agree with you on the PS1000e. I've enjoyed them a lot over the last year or two that I've owned them. I ran them with a Wa7 and concero HD and it was fun. However, with the Jot/mimby setup, I wasn't enjoying them as much, hence, this early weeks purchase of the 650's.

And, the music has never sounded better. The jot/mimby/hd650 so far anyway, has been great. I'm also using a balanced cord with the 650. Last night, for the last song, I listened to magnet and steel, a tune from the 70's. The detail was fantastic, the vocals, everything really was just fun to listen to.

The part that trips me out, is how the PS1000e don't work as well with the jot/mimby. I reached for them first last night, than after one tune they went back to the dugout so to speak and the 650's took over for the rest of a very enjoyable listening session. I bought the PS1000e on the strength of a review saying the were good with detail, but in my experience, the 650's have better detail, at least with Mimby/Jot. It's crazy this hobby. To me it's a conundrum of sorts. Logic would seem to dictate the PS1000e would be great with the detailed Mimby/Jot, but it isn't, then the 650 is fantastic, addicting even.

I'm wondering if I should look into balancing the PS1000e to make them a player with the jot/mimby, or should I just set the wa7 and concero HD back up and use them for the PS1000e or just sell them.

For me the 650/mimby/jot just rules the roost. I want to listen a lot, heck even though it's early morning, I want to fire things up and listen, the "old" setup with the PS1000e never made me want to do that.

I see you also have the 800s. How do those work alongside the HD650? Do you grab those sometimes with your Jot?

 

[sheldaze]

I am kind of getting to the point where I know, quite firmly, what I like and what I dislike. But I don't yet understand the underlying, engineer terms for the why.
I have no intent of ever selling PS1000e or HD800S, but for me these require a different amplifier (not Jot) to play well. Still I don't know why?
 
And I really like the Jot. Jot for me displaced my Ragnarok, due to the intimate details of how close Jot lets me get to the sound. Like you mentioned, HD650 has good clarity - at least the way I hear it. But I also liked the HE1000, HE6, Utopia, etc. If you can, I would recommend you trying the HD650 single-ended. Not recommending this way to listen, but just so you get a sense of the delta between balanced and single-ended out of the Jot. My guess is there will be only a slight difference you hear. So no, I would not recommend going the route of getting balanced cables put onto the PS1000e. I have no science or engineering to back it up, but suspect it just will not do well for you - it did not do well for me.

 

[comzee]

@Turdski
@Merrick
 
I already did about 50 pages back, so I'm not going to dig up my posts.
 
I have said nothing but good about the Jot.
Paraphrasing myself.
 
"The jot is exceptional amp @ $400"
"The jot is a rock solid $500 combo" 
 
and I've said many other good things about it.
Regarding Merricks response directly, he obviously has an axe to grind, and completely ignored what I was trying to say.
 
"Lots of people have heard many amps and consider the Joti a great bargain."
Suggesting I don't believe that, is admitting you didn't read what I've been posting to this thread.
I agree the Jot is a great bargain, I even suggested it to a few people over PM, based on budget. 
 
 
Here's the two things I'm trying to talk on.
 
#1 No you don't need to spend $1k to get a better amp
#2 The Jot is not a giant killer, it cannot compete with well designed $1k+ amps. 
 
What I'm agreeing with:
Yes the Jot is am amazing bargain at $400 amp only, $500 combo, specific to ones budget. 
But go ahead and dismiss me to parrot your own narrative.
 
 
EDIT:
Just to save myself from another attack that garners mass thumbs up. 
Yes I am subjective, I do agree with you there Merrick. Using Objective was the wrong choice of word. 
There is also people like Colt that will continually state Jot stacks up with TOTL amps, I can't talk on that, it's his thing.
 
I'm also not posting here to bash the Jot, as I've stated, I have good things to say about it. I'm posting here to be counterweight to people like Colt.
If the only stream of consciousness in this entire thread is Jot #1 amp TOTL best ever....... Ya, ok I'll leave you guys to it.