[jcdreamer]

I personally prefer the balanced mode and used it almost exclusively with the HE1000. However, since I'm still waiting for my balanced cable to be delivered, I can only listen to my Utopia in SE mode and have been enjoying every second of it. Of course the Utopia's are known to be easily driven.
 
The Jot is truly a fantastic performer.

 

[Cecil88]

Well I've read about as much of this thread that I could stand and I'm almost convinced that this can be my endgame DAC/Amp for my desktop. 

Right now, I'm using an Apogee Groove to drive my LCD-XC and I'm quite happy with it.  It drives my XCs quite easily, but it seems like the Jotunheim with the DAC module could give me a little extra oomph.  I know this is a weird comparison, but is there anyone out there that has listened to both? Obviously the Jotenheim has more power than the Groove, but does the DAC module sound better than the Groove?

I'd also be curious to read people's thoughts on this.

 

[alota]

I personally prefer the balanced mode and used it almost exclusively with the HE1000. However, since I'm still waiting for my balanced cable to be delivered, I can only listen to my Utopia in SE mode and have been enjoying every second of it. Of course the Utopia's are known to be easily driven.

The Jot is truly a fantastic performer.

Wow really thanks. If you say that the expensive utopia sounds good with jotunheim, it's a really good news

 

[MarkF786]

I received my Jot today and am really enjoying it, though I've only been able to spent a little time with it so far.  It drives but my HD650 and Amiron very nicely, and the DAC does sound very good.  I look forward to comparing it to my Chord Mojo.
 
One minor issue I noticed is on the volume knob there is a line of scratches down the shaft, near the ident showing the volume position.  Is this typical?  Maybe I could ask Schiit to send me a new knob.

 

[Tom Blake]

I am looking at the Jotunheim as a possible DAC/amp for LCD-2's and to provide balanced pre-outs to a pair of Genelec M040 active monitors. However, I also need coax and optical digital inputs besides USB. Anyone have any thoughts on which is the better USB DAC - the Jot USB balanced DAC add-in board or the Modi 2 Multibit? Price would be same for Jot w/DAC + Modi 2 Uber or Jot w/o DAC + Modi 2 Multibit. The USB DAC quality is much more important than the coax and optical, which are not critical listening sources. Thanks!

 

[MarkF786]

Any thoughts from the Schiit team on the design choice of passive summing and passive filtering?  What are the pros & cons of this approach?

 

[X-Calibar]

I didn't see anyone post a pic of the limited black chassis Jotunheim which I ordered early December:
https://s30.postimg.org/4afe6fnip/jotblack.jpg
 
While I like how most Schiit looks... Schiit it looks great in black too!
 
My setup: 
FLAC -> Foobar2k ASIO -> USB* -> Modi 2 Multibit -> PYST RCA -> Jotunheim (w/o DAC) -> SE -> HD 650
*USB instead of Optical because ASIO should be sending the same format as the audio file to the Modi 2 Multi, without fiddling with Windows settings every other file or upsampling.  I assume that's the best choice?
 
And I am hoping to upgrade to a balanced DAC in the future (Black Yggy?!), but would it be worth getting a balanced cable ahead of time?
Would there be any improvement in my current non-balanced setup besides volume?
 
This was my first foray into the audiophile world btw.  Thanks to all the opinions in this thread, it contributed to my decision to go with the Jot.
Hopefully I made a good starting choice for someone who uses these headphones everyday for everything

 

[earnmyturns]

  I didn't see anyone post a pic of the limited black chassis Jotunheim which I ordered early December:
https://s30.postimg.org/4afe6fnip/jotblack.jpg
[...]
My setup: 
FLAC -> Foobar2k ASIO -> USB* -> Modi 2 Multibit -> PYST RCA -> Jotunheim (w/o DAC) -> SE -> HD 650
*USB instead of Optical because ASIO should be sending the same format as the audio file to the Modi 2 Multi, without fiddling with Windows settings every other file or upsampling.  I assume that's the best choice?

The black Jot is very stylish! On USB vs S/PDIF, there are lots of opinions around, but in my experience with Schiit Multibit DACs, a decent USB>S/PDIF converter can improve sound quality if the USB source is a generic computer as is in your case.

 

[theveterans]

  I didn't see anyone post a pic of the limited black chassis Jotunheim which I ordered early December:
https://s30.postimg.org/4afe6fnip/jotblack.jpg
 
While I like how most Schiit looks... Schiit it looks great in black too!
 
My setup: 
FLAC -> Foobar2k ASIO -> USB* -> Modi 2 Multibit -> PYST RCA -> Jotunheim (w/o DAC) -> SE -> HD 650
*USB instead of Optical because ASIO should be sending the same format as the audio file to the Modi 2 Multi, without fiddling with Windows settings every other file or upsampling.  I assume that's the best choice?
 
And I am hoping to upgrade to a balanced DAC in the future (Black Yggy?!), but would it be worth getting a balanced cable ahead of time?
Would there be any improvement in my current non-balanced setup besides volume?
 
This was my first foray into the audiophile world btw.  Thanks to all the opinions in this thread, it contributed to my decision to go with the Jot.
Hopefully I made a good starting choice for someone who uses these headphones everyday for everything

 
You're well beyond of a lot of people who just started the headphone audiophile world BTW. It's a no-brainer to get the balanced cable especially with Jot since Jot is inherently balanced in the first place. Take advantage of it. Then you can use your Modi 2 Multibit on another setup and upgrade to Gungnir Multibit or Yggdrasil.
 
Your current setup is pretty much end game unless you want to foray in the high end components or TOTL. In my case, I found my ideal setup already until the next half a decade or a decade comes (Bifrost Multibit -> Saga -> Yamaha HS7 computer speakers (I highly prefer the listening experience of computer speakers than headphones)).

 

[Tom Blake]

Seems like the new Oppo Sonica DAC could be a good match with the Jotunheim as it is fully balanced. Also has some interesting capabilities like built-in network streamer, DSD support, app control, etc. Uses the ES9038PRO DAC chip. First units are arriving now. Could be one to watch - I know I am. $795 MSRP.

 

[theveterans]

  Seems like the new Oppo Sonica DAC could be a good match with the Jotunheim as it is fully balanced. Also has some interesting capabilities like built-in network streamer, DSD support, app control, etc. Uses the ES9038PRO DAC chip. First units are arriving now. Could be one to watch - I know I am. $795 MSRP.

 
Now if they have AV receiver version of this, I'd be interested.

 

[iamxLn]

I'd think anything with ssssabre dac would be a little too bright for jot.

 

[Tom Blake]

Yes my concern as well! User reports starting to trickle out here and on AVSforum. They started shipping this week.

 

[econaut]

Thanks for the replies, ordered a Jot today

 

[MarkF786]

Spending more time with my new Jotunheim, I'll must say the optional DAC is no slouch.
 
I connected my Chord Mojo to the Jot's inputs, adjusted the level to match the internal DAC, and drove them both simultaneously from two separate computers running Audirvana.  I was able to play the same tracks, and switch back and forth between the two DACs.  Though at times I thought maybe the Mojo revealed a little more detail, it was very hard to say with certainty after switching back to the Jot.  As I quickly switched between the two, it was easy to forget which DAC I was listening to.  BTW, I was using the HD650 for the comparison, since I know its sound very well.
 
I'd still like to get a Bimby some day, but space is limited (due to my Jot being on a shelf with limited height), so the internal DAC should hold me over for a while until curiosity gets the best of me.