Schiit Jotunheim Review / Preview - Head-Fi TV
Feb 8, 2017 at 4:28 PM Post #3,661 of 6,468
Finally Jot is available in Europe after long time. Bought one with dac. i´m really curious about this little amp after my past with 30kg headphone amplifiers
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Feb 8, 2017 at 8:28 PM Post #3,663 of 6,468
   
ASIO popping is typically a sign of your buffer being set too low; you may want to check that setting (it's either in your player or the ASIO driver itself, having not used the Schiit driver I couldn't say for sure where it is).
 
This is a frequent issue with virtual instruments, where buffer sizes can make big differences in playability. For music playback a few extra milliseconds of buffering make no difference.

 
Thank you for your advise. I am using foobar2000 on Win7 and I have  try a a few setting on the buffer size, either the default 1sec(I am not sure what is the default value, but should be more or less 1sec), 5 sec, or even up to the longest 30sec. It seems to be not related. Popping still happens.
 
Feb 8, 2017 at 8:32 PM Post #3,664 of 6,468
   
Only the Modi Multibit would be a worthy upgrade - but it's $150 more than the Jot's internal DAC.  Here's how I would decide:
 
- If you don't mind having the extra clutter of a second device, and it's worth spending the extra $150 for a small increase in sound quality, get the Modi Multibit.
 
- If you'd rather have a single device, save $150, and have a darn good sounding DAC, get the internal DAC.  You can always buy the Multibit later if you change you mind.  Personally, I found the built-in DAC as good as the Chord Mojo, which is a highly regarded DAC.

 
Agreed. That's why I got my jot with DAC first. Now I am very curious about how much improvement can I get for changing to Modi MB. 
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Feb 8, 2017 at 9:56 PM Post #3,665 of 6,468
   
Agreed. That's why I got my jot with DAC first. Now I am very curious about how much improvement can I get for changing to Modi MB. 
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It's going to be hard to quantify the change. I would probably put it into qualitative change.
 
I compared the internal DAC to Modi Multibit and Bifrost Multibit.
  • The internal DAC is very nice, paired with Jot, it drives my HD650 very well, nice bass, sounds a bit forward but with details.
  • The Mimby, when compared to the internal DAC, is more detailed and is less bright, I can listen to it a lot longer without feeling tired.
  • Bimby is a step up again, changing the most in the "shape" of the sounds, especially female vocal and cello. I was using OST from Lala Land as a reference. If I listen to Emma Stone sing with the internal DAC, she sounds flatter and weaker, Bimby gives her the solid lower half and turned her voice into a rounder "ball"-like sound source. It's probably the closest I could describe the changes. Piano is also expanded, now you can hear the whole piano instead of just the notes, the resonance of the wood when the keys are struck is more obvious and sometimes the pedals can be heard too.
 
Feb 8, 2017 at 10:19 PM Post #3,666 of 6,468
  It's going to be hard to quantify the change. I would probably put it into qualitative change.
 
I compared the internal DAC to Modi Multibit and Bifrost Multibit.
  • The internal DAC is very nice, paired with Jot, it drives my HD650 very well, nice bass, sounds a bit forward but with details.
  • The Mimby, when compared to the internal DAC, is more detailed and is less bright, I can listen to it a lot longer without feeling tired.
  • Bimby is a step up again, changing the most in the "shape" of the sounds, especially female vocal and cello. I was using OST from Lala Land as a reference. If I listen to Emma Stone sing with the internal DAC, she sounds flatter and weaker, Bimby gives her the solid lower half and turned her voice into a rounder "ball"-like sound source. It's probably the closest I could describe the changes. Piano is also expanded, now you can hear the whole piano instead of just the notes, the resonance of the wood when the keys are struck is more obvious and sometimes the pedals can be heard too.


Do you feel the difference in sound is noticeable enough that it you quickly switch between them that you can instantly hear a difference and know which one is which, or is a more subtle difference that only over time can you begin to hear the differences?
 
I find with some gear, it definitely take time to perceive the subtle differences.
 
Feb 8, 2017 at 10:28 PM Post #3,667 of 6,468
 
Do you feel the difference in sound is noticeable enough that it you quickly switch between them that you can instantly hear a difference and know which one is which, or is a more subtle difference that only over time can you begin to hear the differences?
 
I find with some gear, it definitely take time to perceive the subtle differences.

Internal vs Mimby takes some concentration to distinguish them, but Internal vs Bimby is very obvious.
 
Feb 8, 2017 at 10:45 PM Post #3,668 of 6,468
Do you feel the difference in sound is noticeable enough that it you quickly switch between them that you can instantly hear a difference and know which one is which, or is a more subtle difference that only over time can you begin to hear the differences?

I find with some gear, it definitely take time to perceive the subtle differences.


For me it's very easy to hear the difference when specifically listening to drums/cymbals. They just sound much more natural and lifelike.
 
Feb 8, 2017 at 11:02 PM Post #3,669 of 6,468
Thank you for your advise. I am using foobar2000 on Win7 and I have  try a a few setting on the buffer size, either the default 1sec(I am not sure what is the default value, but should be more or less 1sec), 5 sec, or even up to the longest 30sec. It seems to be not related. Popping still happens.


I believe ASIO buffer settings are a separate thing to foobar's. I know with asio4all, when in use it shows up on the system tray and you can then adjust the buffer size from there. Based off of the numbers you mentioned, it sounds like that was foobar's buffer setting, as ASIO buffers are typically set by number of samples, with something like 512 (which is just a few milliseconds) being a relatively high value.

Sorry I don't have more specific information, but it might be worth it to take a second look.
 
Feb 9, 2017 at 12:11 PM Post #3,672 of 6,468
After doing some comparison with my DarkVoice, a low-end tube amp, I find that Darkvoice is alot more resolving than Jotunheim. I am only using RCA 6SN7 with 6N13S SVETLANA. Some of the details either get lost or sounds obscure with Jotunheim. I wonder if this is a common case between tube and SS amp. Jotunheim is faster and offer more clarity though.
 
I am not sure if I like what Jotunheim has done to my HD650, it makes my HD650 sounds neutral and slightly analytical. To put things into perspective, Darkvoice with HD800S sounds more euphonic whereas  HD650 with Jotunheim sounds more analytical. 
 
Feb 9, 2017 at 12:36 PM Post #3,673 of 6,468
  I am not sure if I like what Jotunheim has done to my HD650, it makes my HD650 sounds neutral and slightly analytical. To put things into perspective, Darkvoice with HD800S sounds more euphonic whereas  HD650 with Jotunheim sounds more analytical. 

 
I think you're alone there, probably. Personally I don't find the Jotunheim makes the HD650 sound analytical at all, in fact it does not influence the character of the 650s in the slightest which is what people love about it - plenty of other people I personally know as well as judging by the reviews and opinions available the common consensus is that the Jotunheim is definitely not bright nor analytical unless the headphones you plug in are.
 
That's what's so interesting with audio though, everyone hears things differently.
 
Feb 9, 2017 at 5:04 PM Post #3,675 of 6,468
Only the Modi Multibit would be a worthy upgrade - but it's $150 more than the Jot's internal DAC.  Here's how I would decide:

- If you don't mind having the extra clutter of a second device, and it's worth spending the extra $150 for a small increase in sound quality, get the Modi Multibit.

- If you'd rather have a single device, save $150, and have a darn good sounding DAC, get the internal DAC.  You can always buy the Multibit later if you change you mind.  Personally, I found the built-in DAC as good as the Chord Mojo, which is a highly regarded DAC.


Thank you for taking the time to answer and I can also read further on that there is a real difference between the two options of balanced internal DAC andna Multibit.

I think at this point I will get an all in one Jot and then some point after I have bought my HD650 and HE400i I will then invest in hardware again.

One other question is about cables. Suchbas USB A to B for the DAC or an RCA to 3.5mm connection can cost £20 all the way to the thousands.

Cheers! :)
 

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