[rayquaza]

Hi. Im still new to Dacs and amps.. i still have no idea how to connect the dacs etc. Im planning to upgrade from the ifi micro idsd to the Schiit Jotunheim..

May i ask is it possible to connect my Ak player 2.5mm balanced to Jotunheim's dual xlr input? So it will be like this..

Ak300(2.5mm balanced out)>Jotunheim(hp balanced out)>Audeze lcd 2..

Will this work? Do i still need the balanced module? Im thinking of a fully balanced setup. I will be using 2.5mm balanced to dual xlr cables for balanced connection.

Or should i stick to Ak300(transport)>ifi micro idsd(rca out)>Jotunheim(hp balanced out)>Audeze lcd 2

Thanks.

 

[SearchOfSub]

Hopefully others will chime in here - I'm finding the difference difficult to explain because it's not a singular quality. And it is definitely not a lack of volume on single-ended, suddenly enough volume on balanced. That is certainly not what I hear. It is like an extra clarity and depth to the music, along with a ease in hearing deeper. I used a song to compare, which begins with a rumble (kind of a low frequency explosion) and was much clearer on the balanced. It wasn't louder - just clearer.

This is not a noise difference - it's something else I cannot quite put my finger on to explain well.

You would get the same effect if you were to go to higher sampling rates from pcm to dsd etc. You are getting more resolution through balanced vs. se.

higher resolution basically means more information. balanced cables are allowing more information to come through than se and preventing from info getting lost. SE use single wire and balanced uses two wires that mirror the other. This gets ride of all noise and hum and efi/Rfi etc while retrieving the original signal at double strength. This would prabably mean more details, and due to more info/details you will hear more depth in stage, and more air, extension etc.

 

[sheldaze]

post #1900:

 Clarity from control...

 
post #1904:

 better separation of the left and right channel is what it sounds like to me you might be trying to describe. 

 
Thank you sirs!
 
post #2012:

You would get the same effect if you were to go to higher sampling rates from pcm to dsd etc. It is basically resolution. You are getting more resolution through balanced vs. se.

This makes no sense, to me.
 
In my case, I am using an external balanced source. So it is strictly an electrical topic. I do not want to discuss PCM and DSD. Nor do I agree that simply changing audio format will result in the deltas I heard. I have many samples of music in various formats, including DSD and several sample rates of PCM. This is not what I heard.

 

[SearchOfSub]

You are hearing lesser noise/rfi/efi due to double wires playing at double strength of the original source. extra clarity and depth to stage means lesser noise. I'm not talking about lesser noise as in blacker baxkround, I mean lesser noise from original signal which translates to transparency.

You would hear the same difference between pcm vs dsd on your same old setup. You would also hear the same difference even on your new balanced setup pcm vs dsd.

Now you got resolution working on hardware level not just software. It's the same, more info and lesser noise.

 

[Guidostrunk]

My thoughts exactly lol.

If you want the total flexibility to run tubes or SS, Mjolnir is the easy choice. Pair it with a Mimby instead of a Bifrost to stay within budget.

If tubes/changing the sound sig isn't as important to you, Jotunheim could be the better option.

 

[earnmyturns]

You are hearing lesser noise/rfi/efi due to double wires playing at double strength of the original source. extra clarity and depth to stage means lesser noise. I'm not talking about lesser noise as in blacker baxkround, I mean lesser noise from original signal which translates to transparency.

You would hear the same difference between pcm vs dsd on your same old setup. You would also hear the same difference even on your new balanced setup pcm vs dsd.

Now you got resolution working on hardware level not just software. It's the same, more info and lesser noise.

I don't think that's right. The main benefit of balanced amplification and transmission is greater common-mode rejection, that is, lowering of the noise coming in phase into both input terminals (common-mode noise), because the in-phase noise on both wires gets subtracted out. For details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_line. I don't see how PCM or DSD has anything to do with common-mode noise. Common-mode noise comes from electromagnetic interference with wiring and circuitry, from ground loops, from leakage currents between components (between digital source and DAC, for example).

 

[menieres]

Any Jotunheim and Project Polaris comparison?

 

[bmoregnr]

Basic question I know, but this thing is either a dac/preamp or a phono preamp, it cannot be both correct?

 

[Dephezz]

  Basic question I know, but this thing is either a dac/preamp or a phono preamp, it cannot be both correct?

Right. You have to choose: 1) dac/amp, 2) phono/amp, 3) amp.

 

[CarlosUnchained]

Any comparison between Jot vs DacMagic Plus?

 

[Delayeed]

  Any comparison between Jot vs DacMagic Plus?

DacMagic Plus is trash stay away from it. So many build quality issues + harsh treble it's not worth 200$ IMO

 

[earnmyturns]

I'd been using my Jodie in low-gain mode with a balanced cable into Ether C Prime headphones, with volume knob typically around 12 o'clock . I got a Liquid Carbon a couple of days ago and I've been burning t in without headphones (as recommended) from a different source. Out of curiosity, tried the LC in place of the Jodie, and I found that it wasn't loud enough in its low-gain mode, so I switched it to high gain. When I put the Jodie back in, I switched it also to high gain, just to check, and I found that it seems to sounds better, more lively, with volume knob 9-10 o'clock. Yes, I know that volume can confuse these comparisons, so I'm not sure what to think.

 

[sheldaze]

  I'd been using my Jodie in low-gain mode with a balanced cable into Ether C Prime headphones, with volume knob typically around 12 o'clock . I got a Liquid Carbon a couple of days ago and I've been burning t in without headphones (as recommended) from a different source. Out of curiosity, tried the LC in place of the Jodie, and I found that it wasn't loud enough in its low-gain mode, so I switched it to high gain. When I put the Jodie back in, I switched it also to high gain, just to check, and I found that it seems to sounds better, more lively, with volume knob 9-10 o'clock. Yes, I know that volume can confuse these comparisons, so I'm not sure what to think.

I too was surprised. High gain was better, unrelated to volume, on my previous HE-1000 headphones. Both were running from the balanced outputs, so there was plenty of power for me in either high or low gain. But I preferred the sound in high gain. The simplest comparison was the bass became more full in high gain.

 

[bavinck]

You guys feeling high gain is better: did you volume match?

 

[leafy7382]

I used to think low gain was better without even trying the high gain. So it was balanced + low gain. Music was smooth and well defined, but when I tried high gain, it felt "fuller", the presence of the sound became more substantial. I didn't notice any noise with high gain at the same volume.