[the finisher]

I tried this on a different circuit and got more and different pitch buzz. Almost all my testing is just with the power cable and headphones connected. No difference with the power cable as far away as possible. Just when I put the power cord within about an inch of the enclosure.
Mine has a black case but isn't new. It has the balanced dac.

Sorry for your trouble brother.

Okay I have tried several things to try and get outside noise into the system though the Jot.
First I'm testing these things as is, I am not changing my system at all for this test.

I have a dedicated 20 amp, isolated ground, I wired to the box with 10/3 just for my audio gear.
It goes through a commercial 20 amp surge protector that has EMI/RF filtering. Yggy, and Jotunheim get further help with a Emotiva DC offset filter.
I run a totally balanced system from DAC to HP's and speakers, except for my sub's which run off the single ended preouts. I use well shielded cables throughout.

With the digital source active but muted, as not to destroy things here. Balance in only, I maxed out the volume, high gain always for me.
I laid my cell phone on the Jot, nothing. I plugged it into my PC 's charging dock, laid it on the Jot, nothing.

So I got my older gaming laptop, surly this thing will be heard, nothing.
I turned the monitor so I could set this large laptop on the Jot with everything wide open, including the laptop running prime95, nothing.

So surely the SMPS brick for this thing would trip up my now magical Jotunheim, no, nothing. Totally silent.

It's a 120vac to 16.5vdc@ 7 amps, transforming/switching power supply, it should be noisy as hell.
I won't put it anywhere near Yggy, which is touchy about such things.

So right now music is playing nice and clean with this running power supply sitting on top of my magical Jot.

I will try to see if I can trip it up somehow, I wouldn't hold my breath though.

 

[Th3Drizzl3]

i have zero noise from either jot (mine or my fil's black one) not sure why some get the buzzing. hmmm

 

[PointyFox]

My Jotunheim is buzzing around 12 o'clock and louder on input 1. Inputs 2 and 3 with nothing connected produce much louder buzzing.
Unplugging the USB cable doesn't change the buzz.
Different outlets produce different types of buzz.
Plugging into a power isolator doesn't affect the buzz.
The buzzing increases in volume when I touch the volume knob.
The buzzing decreases in volume when I touch the enclosure.

Any ideas?

Just tried the Jotunheim at another location with the MDR-Z1R instead of Andromedas.
Louder buzzing than before using internal DAC. Buzzing cuts out ~5-10 seconds after music is stopped. It didn't do this before.
Connected my Modi to the SE In RCA jacks and bypassed the internal DAC. This produced the loudest buzzing yet, with interference from my PC added to it (e.g. I could hear interference from my GPU, like when I move my mouse). Buzzing again cuts out ~5-10 seconds after music is stopped.
Tried single end and balanced outputs. Both buzzed.

Looks like I will be returning it. FWIW, my Massdrop LCX+SDAC doesn't buzz. Just some soft tape hiss sounding noise at high volume.

 

[the finisher]

Just tried the Jotunheim at another location with the MDR-Z1R instead of Andromedas.
Louder buzzing than before using internal DAC. Buzzing cuts out ~5-10 seconds after music is stopped. It didn't do this before.
Connected my Modi to the SE In RCA jacks and bypassed the internal DAC. This produced the loudest buzzing yet, with interference from my PC added to it (e.g. I could hear interference from my GPU, like when I move my mouse). Buzzing again cuts out ~5-10 seconds after music is stopped.
Tried single end and balanced outputs. Both buzzed.

Looks like I will be returning it. FWIW, my Massdrop LCX+SDAC doesn't buzz. Just some soft tape hiss sounding noise at high volume.

My Jot makes no "soft tape hiss" at high volume, it's totally silent with very sensitive transducers.

Something is wrong.

 

[Th3Drizzl3]

i think he was reff to the massdrop making the tape hiss noise. but very odd. so whats all plugged into the back of the jot only usb? or usb and rca etc?? just curious. but if it makes noise when nothing else is even plugged in at all then i would say something is wrong.

 

[the finisher]

He is getting a 60hz power line buzz somehow.

 

[Th3Drizzl3]

but i think he said he tried it in another location. was that in your house just another room or an actual other separate location. not that it should matter but im curious.

 

[PointyFox]

i think he was reff to the massdrop making the tape hiss noise. but very odd. so whats all plugged into the back of the jot only usb? or usb and rca etc?? just curious. but if it makes noise when nothing else is even plugged in at all then i would say something is wrong.

Tried power only, power + usb, and power + RCA. All buzzed. It sounds like power line hum with a clicking sound every few seconds with my Andromedas. With my Z1R, it sounds like power line hum + weird digital sounds + clicks and also PC GPU interference with the Modi connected, but this was with a different computer in a different location.

Yes, with the Massdrop amp I get a soft tape hiss only at high volume which is completely fine to me.

 

[the finisher]

Something's not right here, a properly operating Jot has a S/N ratio of 109 to 115 db depending on various measurements taken. It's known for its black background.

This is broken somehow.

Talk to Schiit, exchange it.

 

[PointyFox]

Something's not right here, a properly operating Jot has a S/N ratio of 109 to 115 db depending on various measurements taken. It's known for its black background.

This is broken somehow.

Talk to Schiit, exchange it.

I got it off eBay as "new" in an open box from a pawnshop. It's going back. I don't know if I want to take a chance on buying another.

 

[the finisher]

I'd send it back for sure, but I'd not judge the Jot in general here.

Schiit has a 5 year warranty if you buy from them.

Goodluck.

 

[PointyFox]

I'd send it back for sure, but I'd not judge the Jot in general here.

Schiit has a 5 year warranty if you buy from them.

Goodluck.

Yeah, but there's the 15% restocking fee and shipping which will come out to something like $130 I'll be out if it buzzes and I use their "15 day money-back guarantee". If I just use warranty replacement, I might be out like $30 shipping and get back another amp that buzzes if it actually buzzes by design.

 

[the finisher]

Buzzes by design, lol are you for real. Do you know what a 109 db S/N ratio means?
It's Schiit's cleanest amp on paper.

Ok, your choice, but they don't generally just buzz for no good reason, as I have just proven.

I think if it was defective they would not charge a fee. This is to stop people from "testing everything they sell" as Jason put it.

 

[Th3Drizzl3]

ive had three jots in hand and borrowed two prior to that but none of them buzzed. i doubt u will get one and if u do schiit will exchange it im sure. or get one from a reputable person here on head fi who has had it and used it for a bit then u will know. but yes send that thing back

 

[PointyFox]

Buzzes by design, lol are you for real. Do you know what a 109 db S/N ratio means?
It's Schiit's cleanest amp on paper.

Ok, your choice, but they don't generally just buzz for no good reason, as I have just proven.

I think if it was defective they would not charge a fee. This is to stop people from "testing everything they sell" as Jason put it.

"On paper". Who knows how clean it is when actually connected to things and in an uncontrolled environment.