[Redcarmoose]

 

[BLacklWf]

  Right off the bat I'm noticing something quite odd. I wanted to test Jude's claim of zero IEM noise.
 
 
I have a Dunu Titan 3 (32ohm) and Dunu dn1000 (10ohm).
 
 
The results I'm getting, persist with both XLR or SE input, both low and high gain settings.
The gain noise is zero up until 2/3 into the volume knob, but if you go the last 15%, gain noise goes away!! I'm not sure how that even works.....
 
Here's an image that kinda illustrates what I mean (black = zero noise) (red = gain noise):
 

Looking forward for your updates with your testing!

 

[MonoOno]

For those receiving their units please leave some impressions, especially on the DAC and or if you have upgraded from an O2+ODAC.

 

[vhsownsbeta]

  Right off the bat I'm noticing something quite odd. I wanted to test Jude's claim of zero IEM noise.
 
 
I have a Dunu Titan 3 (32ohm) and Dunu dn1000 (10ohm).
 
 
The results I'm getting, persist with both XLR or SE input, both low and high gain settings.
The gain noise is zero up until 2/3 into the volume knob, but if you go the last 15%, gain noise goes away!! I'm not sure how that even works.....
 
Here's an image that kinda illustrates what I mean (black = zero noise) (red = gain noise):
 

Odd. Does your listening range IEMs fall within the band of gain noise? Do you experience the same phenomena with your full sized headphones?

 

[acguitar84]

I ordered a Jotunheim, I figured it would make a dandy preamp for my desktop computer(s) being fully balanced and all. I'll finally be able to run a fully balanced system, which will be nice. I got the onboard DAC as well, I'm going to use it as the main DAC at work for now, at least for a month or two, until the gumbys or even yggys are being sold again. I would imagine either one of those balanced DAC's would sound great through the Jotunheim. I also figure the onboard DAC will be a "pinch hitter" in case something goes wrong with the bigger DAC's.  Looking forward to testing out the Jotunheim. I'm going to test it in all 3 systems, and see how it does. My second Schiit product now!! I'm becoming quite the Schiitster (or however it's spelled) here.

 

[comzee]

 
Odd. Does your listening range IEMs fall within the band of gain noise? Do you experience the same phenomena with your full sized headphones?

Yea the iems would give me hearing damage at 2/3 volume, so the answer to the first question is no. 
300ohm hd800 / 50ohm lcd3 do not experience the issue.

 

[DKMTech]

I'd suggest you actually give DSD a go before calling people dummies for wanting this feature. The difference between a 16/44.1 and a 24/192 digital file is remarkably indistinguishable yet just about every dac out there offers 24/192. There is a greater difference in SQ between 24 bit files and DSD. It sounds more analogue but obviously some can't tell any difference, hell, some people can't tell the difference between an iTunes MP3 and a flac file. This doesn't mean the difference isn't there. And with hdd space getting cheaper the file sizes aren't really of much concern. Before you pass judgement I suggest listening to something like Hotel California in DSD with a pair of proper headphones like the HD800.

 
Response by FlySweep
 
I've given DSD plenty of spin.. on plenty of nice gear.. it's just not worth. the. hassle, IME.  I can tell the difference between lossy & lossless rips.  I've owned the HD800 three times.. and heard it off plenty of great rigs.. so I know what it's capable of resolving.
 
Also.. Schiit's made their very well-reasoned position on DSD very very clear.. why are DSD fanboys still asking?
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
DSD does sound better. But if there's not many titles available to listen to, what's the point? Ripping a CD to WAV or FLAC is easy and CD's are readily accessible for all of our favorite titles and artists. If the music industry made all of my favorite music available in DSD128 or DSD64, I'd get on board immediately. DSD is better but there's only a handful of titles available for me... That pretty much makes my decision easy. I do own a DSD DAC but I feed it PCM files and DSD only on a rare occasion.

 

[mike138]

Man this product looks awesome. I never really thought I'd be tempted to upgrade my Magni/Modi 2U stack. I wonder if the Jotunheim would be overkill for my He-400i. 

 

[Mudshark]

Check this Schiit out:
 
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/first-listen-schiit-audios-new-jotunheim/
 
FIRST LISTEN – SCHIIT AUDIO’S NEW JOTUNHEIM
Schock & Awe at a Sensible Price

 

[comzee]

  Check this Schiit out:
 
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/first-listen-schiit-audios-new-jotunheim/

Just finished reading that. I would generally agree with his impressions. It's a really great < $1k amp. Although, there's a greater breadth of upgrades than this review implies. There are many $1-2k amps that would destroy it. There are $2-4k amps from there that would destroy those in turn. 
 
Right off the bat, from super early impressions, Lehmann BCL ($1250 msrp) is a step above it, amp only. My Taurus mkii ($1900 msrp) is a step above that.
It hits the price point exceptionally, but there's no reason to over hype it. $400 is $400, and I would say it could compete with anything < $1k (apart from a few standouts). 
 
 
EDIT:
It's going to be interesting when other Schiit amp owners start showing up.
As everyone knows, Schiit offers stepping stone amps at every price. (This is the only Schiit amp I've heard.)
 
 
I can understand why they made it, they jump from Asgard2 $250 to Ragnarok $1700 for SS offerings.
 
All their mid-tier is tube. If someone doesn't like tube, you're dunked when it comes to Schiit.
 
This just fills a gap, and they decided to include a built in (optional) dac/phono, that would be my take on it.

 

[Pete Schiller]

 
I can understand why they made it, they jump from Asgard2 $250 to Ragnarok $1700 for SS offerings.

They did have the original SS Mjolnir, which I'm not sure what it originally sold for, but was selling for $499 on closeout. At $499, it took some time for Schiit to deplete their stock, but it was a bargain for people who already had balanced headphone cables. It would be interesting to hear Jason compare the Mjolnir with the Jotunheim. The Jotunheim clearly beats the Mjolnir in terms of flexibility, but I suspect it also closely matches or beats the Mjolnir in terms of performance and specs, at $100 less than the Mjolnir closeout price. The Jotunheim sounds like a darn good value. I have no need for one at the moment. I'm waiting for stuff to drive my Salk speakers that I have on order.

 

[KG Jag]

 

 
I can understand why they made it, they jump from Asgard2 $250 to Ragnarok $1700 for SS offerings.

They did have the original SS Mjolnir, which I'm not sure what it originally sold for, but was selling for $499 on closeout. At $499, it took some time for Schiit to deplete their stock, but it was a bargain for people who already had balanced headphone cables. It would be interesting to hear Jason compare the Mjolnir with the Jotunheim. The Jotunheim clearly beats the Mjolnir in terms of flexibility, but I suspect it also closely matches or beats the Mjolnir in terms of performance and specs, at $100 less than the Mjolnir closeout price. The Jotunheim sounds like a darn good value. I have no need for one at the moment. I'm waiting for stuff to drive my Salk speakers that I have on order.

 
If memory serves, the Mjolnir 2 replaced the 1 at the same price point ($849)--consistent with their practice with regard to replacement of other 1's with 2's.

 

[BLacklWf]

  Just finished reading that. I would generally agree with his impressions. It's a really great < $1k amp. Although, there's a greater breadth of upgrades than this review implies. There are many $1-2k amps that would destroy it. There are $2-4k amps from there that would destroy those in turn. 
 
Right off the bat, from super early impressions, Lehmann BCL ($1250 msrp) is a step above it, amp only. My Taurus mkii ($1900 msrp) is a step above that.
It hits the price point exceptionally, but there's no reason to over hype it. $400 is $400, and I would say it could compete with anything < $1k (apart from a few standouts). 
 
 
EDIT:
It's going to be interesting when other Schiit amp owners start showing up.
As everyone knows, Schiit offers stepping stone amps at every price. (This is the only Schiit amp I've heard.)
 
 
I can understand why they made it, they jump from Asgard2 $250 to Ragnarok $1700 for SS offerings.
 
All their mid-tier is tube. If someone doesn't like tube, you're dunked when it comes to Schiit.
 
This just fills a gap, and they decided to include a built in (optional) dac/phono, that would be my take on it.

How's the DAC part of it?  I would very appreciate if you can share some insight when you get a chance.

 

[bclark8923]

Hm debating selling my Bifrost 4490 and getting the DAC/Amp version or stacking just the Amp version. Thoughts from anyone who's listened?

 

[comzee]

  How's the DAC part of it?  I would very appreciate if you can share some insight when you get a chance.

It's probably really close to the Modi 2 Uber (it uses the same akm4490 chip). From my brief listening experience, I didn't not like it.
I don't really want to give impressions of the dac, because I don't own dacs of similar performance to compare. 
 
People don't want to hear how my Yggdrasil and Master 7 crush it, that's just a given.
 
EDIT: I'll add one thing, if you want an amp/dac combo solution, and you don't already have a standalone dac, the akm4490 module will not disappoint.
It meshes well with the performance of the amp. If I was someone like @bclark8923 I would get the amp only version, at $399.
 
I see three reasons to get the dac module.
#1 You don't own a standalone dac.
#2 You want a smaller footprint on your desk.
#3 Secondary audio chain. 
 
For me it's #3. 
I bought it for work/travel, I got the dac module for convenience.
This is the type of product you could take on road trips using an inverter, hifi on the road!
Easily fits in any carry on luggage. Compact for work desks. Great range (10ohm IEM to 300ohm hd800 and beyond) 
 
This is really an all-in-one "good enough" hifi product for people that want to buy something, and just enjoy music.
If you have "upgraditis" this is the type of product that will quickly shuffle its way into the closet.