[Ancipital]

 
hd650 modded with the "standard" mod. I'm not a member over there, but I read posts over there from time to time.

 
Oh, then you don't need to pay a fortune for a balanced cable! As posted above, a spare cable is a cheap part to order, so you could reterminate one yourself quite easily for the cost of a Neutrik plug. However, if you're truly allergic to soldering, here's a slightly less than eye-wateringly pricey one:
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-SENNHEISER-HEADPHONE-CABLE-HD600-HD650-MOGAMI-CARDAS-NEUTRIK-BALANCED-/122215564172?hash=item1c749d838c:g:fdoAAOSw5ZBWH-7D
 
It's not super-pretty, but it should get the job done. Hopefully the price means you don't have to regard it as an either/or.

 

[watchnerd]

 
You'll have to decide where this ends up as far as the "value proposition" goes, but I really like my pair of JBL LSR305 driven with the Jot.  Sweetwater currently has a pretty good deal going on them right now.

 
I also have a pair of JBL LSR305 in one of our office set ups.
 
It's hard to do definitively better than the LSR305 until you get to the ~$500 each / ~$1000 pair level (Adam, Dynaudio, Eve Audio, Focal).

 

[mattlach]

hd650 modded with the "standard" mod. I'm not a member over there, but I read posts over there from time to time.

What is the standard mod you are referring to? Is that the one where they pull out the round foam pieces covering the center?

 

[Ancipital]

What is the standard mod you are referring to? Is that the one where they pull out the round foam pieces covering the center?

 
Pull the foam out, snip off the rear cage, and apply acoustic damping material in strategic locations (including a ring on the back of the driver magnet). Optionally, cut a small hole (the size of a quarter/pound coin) in the front foam over the driver. Some people, especially treble-sensitive people using bright amps, find that last step a bit much.
 
The mod tightens up the bass considerably, and brings up the highs. I found mine became a bit too bassy, so I dialled the bass down slightly with some fine nylon mesh over the hole in the back of the drivers. The end result is very pleasant, very listenable.
 
I don't feel like the mod is really necessary if you're just using the Jot, with a balanced cable, as it has a pretty good grip on the drivers with the stock 650; you'll probably like the difference, but may not enjoy the hassle and invalidating your warranty. However, if you also use some slightly less brutal amps, it can be an obvious benefit. The coin mod is definitely a matter of taste with the Jot, though.

 

[daddyo1973]

Well I finally went ahead and placed my order for a Jotunheim with balanced DAC module.  I wasted far too many hours deliberating over an amp / DAC upgrade but always gravitated back towards one of the Schiit products.  Hopefully it can deliver the goods over my AQ Dragon Fly Red and my trusty old Leckerton Audio UHA 6S mk II. 

 

[MWSVette]

  Well I finally went ahead and placed my order for a Jotunheim with balanced DAC module.  I wasted far too many hours deliberating over an amp / DAC upgrade but always gravitated back towards one of the Schiit products.  Hopefully it can deliver the goods over my AQ Dragon Fly Red and my trusty old Leckerton Audio UHA 6S mk II. 

Welcome to the Schiit club...

 

[theveterans]

  Well I finally went ahead and placed my order for a Jotunheim with balanced DAC module.  I wasted far too many hours deliberating over an amp / DAC upgrade but always gravitated back towards one of the Schiit products.  Hopefully it can deliver the goods over my AQ Dragon Fly Red and my trusty old Leckerton Audio UHA 6S mk II. 

 
IMO it would make you leave those two collecting dust.

 

[mattlach]

   
I also have a pair of JBL LSR305 in one of our office set ups.
 
It's hard to do definitively better than the LSR305 until you get to the ~$500 each / ~$1000 pair level (Adam, Dynaudio, Eve Audio, Focal).

 
Yeah, it looks like in the bang for the buck category it becomes a comparison between the JBL LR305's and the Emotiva Airmotive 4s.
 
The LR305's appear a bit bigger and louder, but they use Class D amp's which makes me hesitate a bit.   The Airmotive 4s's are a little smaller and not as loud, but have Class A/B Amps.
 
Having not heard either, on paper I'm leaning towards the Emotiva Airmotive 4s speakers.  I have a small office, don't need a lot of speaker power, and am not sure I want to take a risk on a class D amp, especially not when hooked up to my awesome Schiit gear.
 
For ~$100 more, the Emotiva Airmotive 5s appear to be similar in power to the LR305's, while still maintaining a Class A/B amp.
 
Decisions decisions.
 
I have some time to research though.  I need a bigger desk (or try to figure out how to squeeze in speaker stands) before I can buy any speakers...

 

[daddyo1973]

IMO it would make you leave those two collecting dust.

Considering I purchased the Jotunheim as an upgrade that's a good thing! The AQ Dragonfly will always have a place though...performance and form factor is hard to deny.

 

[theveterans]

   
Yeah, it looks like in the bang for the buck category it becomes a comparison between the JBL LR305's and the Emotiva Airmotive 4s.
 
The LR305's appear a bit bigger and louder, but they use Class D amp's which makes me hesitate a bit.   The Airmotive 4s's are a little smaller and not as loud, but have Class A/B Amps.
 
Having not heard either, on paper I'm leaning towards the Emotiva Airmotive 4s speakers.  I have a small office, don't need a lot of speaker power, and am not sure I want to take a risk on a class D amp, especially not when hooked up to my awesome Schiit gear.
 
For ~$100 more, the Emotiva Airmotive 5s appear to be similar in power to the LR305's, while still maintaining a Class A/B amp.
 
Decisions decisions.
 
I have some time to research though.  I need a bigger desk (or try to figure out how to squeeze in speaker stands) before I can buy any speakers...

 
You can get a slim speaker stand like how I setup mine with Yamaha HS7 hooked up to my Schiit gears (my desk is incredibly messy right now hehe)
I use this speaker stands which IMO is compact and does not take too much floor space http://www.guitarcenter.com/DR-Pro/DRPRO-SMS1BK-Wood-Studio-Monitor-Stand-Pair.gc
Even though Yamaha doesn't specify the amplfier class, I'm very confident it's Class A/B since the heatsink fins on the back gets pretty warm on use while Class D amps do not require heatsink fins  (except for large subwoofers with passive speaker surround sound outputs).
 

 

[rovopio]

What is the standard mod you are referring to? Is that the one where they pull out the round foam pieces covering the center?

 
There are three. 2 of those I wouldn't recommend until one is entirely sure. Another one is basically putting mass dampener on the back of the driver, so it's easily reversible. A lot of people uses Dynamat and call it Dynamat mod, a kind member told me about Second Skin Damplifier Pro and that's what I used (I didn't do that much research on dampening material, I just feel like he knows what he's talking about, so I followed his advice).
 
The other two is making the front foam have a centered hole a size of a coin, and the other one is cutting apart the plastic thing-y on the back of the driver. I don't advise removing the round foam of back drivers by itself. It makes the hd650 sounds fatiguing to my ear. For context, I like bright sound and I still find it fatiguing. The foam removal has to be accompanied with plastic removal in my opinion and personal experience.

 

[mattlach]

Grrr.
 
My original Fedex delivery estimate for my Jotunheim was for today.   Tracking page on Fedex still says today by the end of the day, but it stood out as odd to me that it was not yet listed as out for delivery, and instead was in the next state over, en route to my local delivery facility, so I called them, and now they are saying delivery won't be until Tuesday
 
Fedex Ground appears to be messing up a lot with delivery estimates these days, at least in my area.   Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[watchnerd]

   
The LR305's appear a bit bigger and louder, but they use Class D amp's which makes me hesitate a bit.  

 
Why?  The Dynaudio Focus 200 XD also uses class D amps, and is rated as a Class A loudspeaker by Stereophile.

 

[Wyllio]

Anyone notice that there is a black finish option for the Jotunheim on their website now.

 

[Ancipital]

  Anyone notice that there is a black finish option for the Jotunheim on their website now.

 
Black Schiits come and go, they're an occasional limited thing rather than a new long term production option*. Often when they get some casings with a slight cosmetic surface imperfection, they turn them into blacks, as the coating totally solves it. They cleverly turn a problem into an opportunity to snag a rarity. That's pretty cool, I'm sure some people would love a black Jot, to co-ordinate with other gear- good spot.
 
* Unless they've done another crazy swerve and you know.. are making black anyway. Never rule anything out with that lot