[GrussGott]

I wonder how does the dac in the Jotunheim compare, I really like the grace dac.

You're always better off with an external schiit dac, especially now that the modius is out. For $400 a modius/magnius stack probably sounds damn good.

 

[nahpungnome]

Hey everyone, been using my Jot and Bifrost MB for almost 3 years. Yesterday I decided to use the pre out to go to my Onkyo M504 so I could have volume control from my desk instead of having to walk over to my rack. I previously had the matching P304 hooked up, but really only had my Bifrost hooked up to it with a Y splitter so I wasn't really using the preamp for anything in particular.

I noticed that after maybe 30 minutes that my Jot got REALLY hot. When using just the headphone out on the Jot, it doesn't get as hot, but as soon as I use my M504, the amp gets really hot so I'm thinking it has something to do with using the Jot as a pre amp that's causing this excessive heat.

The volume knob is in the same position using it as an amp or pre amp. I'm not using the headphone out and the amp at the same time to output anything, it's one or the other. I'm going to do some more testing to make sure that it's directly related to the pre out this morning. As soon as I felt the hot Jot, I put fans on it and it settled down, but I don't want to have to run fans to use my Jot as a pre amp.

Anyone else run into this issue?

Edit:

Volume knob is a little past 9 o'clock and I used my infrared thermometer on various spots on top of the Jot.

1. A couple of hours with Jot as head amp + Elears: 101.4 F (I assume given the amount of time, this is a stable temp with this configuration since I was listening from 8 AM this morning).

2. I let it sit for a bit, maybe 10 mins before using it as a preamp. Using it as a pre amp into my M504 + HE6se for about 30 mins and the hottest spot on the top is already 103.8 F

Anyone think this is something I should worry about?

 

[tincanear]

Hey everyone, been using my Jot and Bifrost MB for almost 3 years. Yesterday I decided to use the pre out to go to my Onkyo M504 so I could have volume control from my desk instead of having to walk over to my rack. I previously had the matching P304 hooked up, but really only had my Bifrost hooked up to it with a Y splitter so I wasn't really using the preamp for anything in particular.

I noticed that after maybe 30 minutes that my Jot got REALLY hot. When using just the headphone out on the Jot, it doesn't get as hot, but as soon as I use my M504, the amp gets really hot so I'm thinking it has something to do with using the Jot as a pre amp that's causing this excessive heat.

The volume knob is in the same position using it as an amp or pre amp. I'm not using the headphone out and the amp at the same time to output anything, it's one or the other. I'm going to do some more testing to make sure that it's directly related to the pre out this morning. As soon as I felt the hot Jot, I put fans on it and it settled down, but I don't want to have to run fans to use my Jot as a pre amp.

Anyone else run into this issue?

Edit:

Volume knob is a little past 9 o'clock and I used my infrared thermometer on various spots on top of the Jot.

1. A couple of hours with Jot as head amp + Elears: 101.4 F (I assume given the amount of time, this is a stable temp with this configuration since I was listening from 8 AM this morning).

2. I let it sit for a bit, maybe 10 mins before using it as a preamp. Using it as a pre amp into my M504 + HE6se for about 30 mins and the hottest spot on the top is already 103.8 F

Anyone think this is something I should worry about?

(just realized, after responding, that this was posted several weeks ago, nevertheless, here are my thoughts)

provided that your room temp isn't super cold, like 45 F (implying a 55 F rise above ambient), those temps should be OK.

what is the current room temperature?

for reference, in a 75 F room, Asgard 2 (on 24/7 for over a year now) runs at about 104 F on the outside of the enclosure left side (above the transformer area), and about 130 F when using an IR thermo to measure the PCB (printed circuit board) thru to top vent holes.

if it sounds distorted or strange, smells funny, or emitting smoke, then you should shut it down and contact Schiit for service.

 

[nahpungnome]

(just realized, after responding, that this was posted several weeks ago, nevertheless, here are my thoughts)

provided that your room temp isn't super cold, like 45 F (implying a 55 F rise above ambient), those temps should be OK.

what is the current room temperature?

for reference, in a 75 F room, Asgard 2 (on 24/7 for over a year now) runs at about 104 F on the outside of the enclosure left side (above the transformer area), and about 130 F when using an IR thermo to measure the PCB (printed circuit board) thru to top vent holes.

if it sounds distorted or strange, smells funny, or emitting smoke, then you should shut it down and contact Schiit for service.

Yeah I don't smell anything funny, it just seems weird to me that using it as a preamp makes it hotter than as an amp. In any case I haven't run into any issues. Was just curious but anybody else had the same experience. Thanks.

 

[rkw]

it just seems weird to me that using it as a preamp makes it hotter than as an amp.

I've used my Jotunheim as a preamp to powered speakers and to a power amp, and never noticed it more than warm. An experiment to try is to run preamp out from the Jot into input of your P304. If it also gets hot then I would suspect an issue with your Jot.

All outputs on Jotunheim are active all the time. See if there's any difference if your headphones are plugged in while running it as a preamp.

 

[OneBoot]

Hey all, been perusing the crazy number of pages on this topic after deciding on the Jotunheim Multibit DAC/Amp combo.
I'm new to the audiophile world, only owning a pair of Campfire IOs that I bought in March of this year. Currently, I run the IO off my Samsung Galaxy S8, was subscribed to Amazon Music HD for a couple months, but decided against supporting them.

Now, I'm moving into the crazy land of buying an entry level system for home enjoyment (new job / birthday gift), while contemplating a complete switch to the Apple ecosystem (iPhone, iMac, etc.), and purchasing Hi-Res audio online. It seems like Jotunheim would be a good entry level, coming from nothing, while allowing me room to purchase over ear headphones in the future. My musical tastes range from Florence and the Machine to Slipknot. I love detail retrieval, and appreciate high-end frequency as much as low-end rumble.

Does the following setup sound alright?
Jotunheim with Multibit DAC card.
New iMac (don't own yet)
USB connection to DAC (do I need a special USB cable with a separate ground to ensure balanced output from the amp?)
Balanced male XLR to MMCX cable from http://www.mimic-cables.com
Campfire Audio IO IEM

I did notice the Jotunheim has a limit of 24 bit / 192 kHz audio input. I know some content goes well beyond that limit. Should this be a concern?

 

[rkw]

I did notice the Jotunheim has a limit of 24 bit / 192 kHz audio input. I know some content goes well beyond that limit. Should this be a concern?

Do you currently own or plan to purchase recordings that are higher than 24/192 resolution? If yes, then of course you wouldn't be able to play them (without downsampling first). Schiit doesn't currently sell any products that support above 24/192. The obvious solution is not to purchase recordings above 24/192 resolution, and it is questionable whether higher resolution is audible anyway.

 

[438555]

Hey all, been perusing the crazy number of pages on this topic after deciding on the Jotunheim Multibit DAC/Amp combo.
I'm new to the audiophile world, only owning a pair of Campfire IOs that I bought in March of this year. Currently, I run the IO off my Samsung Galaxy S8, was subscribed to Amazon Music HD for a couple months, but decided against supporting them.

Now, I'm moving into the crazy land of buying an entry level system for home enjoyment (new job / birthday gift), while contemplating a complete switch to the Apple ecosystem (iPhone, iMac, etc.), and purchasing Hi-Res audio online. It seems like Jotunheim would be a good entry level, coming from nothing, while allowing me room to purchase over ear headphones in the future. My musical tastes range from Florence and the Machine to Slipknot. I love detail retrieval, and appreciate high-end frequency as much as low-end rumble.

Does the following setup sound alright?
Jotunheim with Multibit DAC card.
New iMac (don't own yet)
USB connection to DAC (do I need a special USB cable with a separate ground to ensure balanced output from the amp?)
Balanced male XLR to MMCX cable from http://www.mimic-cables.com
Campfire Audio IO IEM

I did notice the Jotunheim has a limit of 24 bit / 192 kHz audio input. I know some content goes well beyond that limit. Should this be a concern?

Welcome!
Did you already purchase the Jot with the multibit card? If not, you could also consider the modius and magnius for the same total price (though not discrete and multibit). You'd have more flexibility with the separate DAC and amp, for future inputs. That said, I've had my Jotunheim for quite a while and it's been my favorite amp. On low gain with single ended definitely quiet enough for your IEMs, but not really necessary. Where it's great is that it can make all my over ear headphones sing. From easy to drive Grados up to hard to drive HE6SE. And it's seamless whether you use balanced or single ended input or output.

I haven't had an iMac since the original one in '98, but they look really nice. you could save a few bucks getting a mac mini, and a cheap monitor. I have a mac mini running roon and no monitor at all. I just remote into it or hook it up to my TV if I have to do some maintenance. Otherwise, I just use the roon app on my phone to control everything

You definitely don't need a special USB cable with a separate ground to get balanced output. you'll get balanced output on the xlr output from any of the inputs.

I only have one pair of IEMs and no balanced cables for my SE846, but I can say that with the Jotunheim's nice pot, you can still adjust volume down to low levels without channel imbalance. you will get quite a bit more gain with the balanced output for your IEMs, so you'll likely be even lower on the volume pot to get the same volume.
Again, getting a several watt amp for IEMs may be significant overkill. I actually got one of these single ended adapters to attenuate the output for IEMs
http://www.garage1217.com/garage1217_diy_tube_headphone_amplifiers_012.htm

I'd not worry about higher rates than 24/192. and after trying to compare 24/192 files that I'd sampled all the way back down to 16/44, I'd skip them all together and save some money buying stuff on CD and ripping it.

 

[OneBoot]

Do you currently own or plan to purchase recordings that are higher than 24/192 resolution? If yes, then of course you wouldn't be able to play them (without downsampling first). Schiit doesn't currently sell any products that support above 24/192. The obvious solution is not to purchase recordings above 24/192 resolution, and it is questionable whether higher resolution is audible anyway.

Looking at retailers where I would be buying the music from, 24 bit is the limit for my interests currently. So this device should be a good entry point. It's good to get perspective on what I truly "need". Thank you!

 

[davesa]

I agree with the 3 posts above, and would add that you can try some hi-res streaming with Qobuz, they also offer hi-res files for sale if you decide to add them permanently. One nice thing on the Jot vs. the modius / magnius combo is that the power supply is integrated, so the Jot gives you a nice tight package. If you upgrade in the future you can sell the Jot, or move it to another area ( work vs. home... bedroom.. etc.. ). If you find you like the sound of the multibit card, a Yggdrasil may be in your future eventually

 

[OneBoot]

Welcome!
Did you already purchase the Jot with the multibit card? If not, you could also consider the modius and magnius for the same total price (though not discrete and multibit). You'd have more flexibility with the separate DAC and amp, for future inputs. That said, I've had my Jotunheim for quite a while and it's been my favorite amp. On low gain with single ended definitely quiet enough for your IEMs, but not really necessary. Where it's great is that it can make all my over ear headphones sing. From easy to drive Grados up to hard to drive HE6SE. And it's seamless whether you use balanced or single ended input or output.

I haven't had an iMac since the original one in '98, but they look really nice. you could save a few bucks getting a mac mini, and a cheap monitor. I have a mac mini running roon and no monitor at all. I just remote into it or hook it up to my TV if I have to do some maintenance. Otherwise, I just use the roon app on my phone to control everything

You definitely don't need a special USB cable with a separate ground to get balanced output. you'll get balanced output on the xlr output from any of the inputs.

I only have one pair of IEMs and no balanced cables for my SE846, but I can say that with the Jotunheim's nice pot, you can still adjust volume down to low levels without channel imbalance. you will get quite a bit more gain with the balanced output for your IEMs, so you'll likely be even lower on the volume pot to get the same volume.
Again, getting a several watt amp for IEMs may be significant overkill. I actually got one of these single ended adapters to attenuate the output for IEMs
http://www.garage1217.com/garage1217_diy_tube_headphone_amplifiers_012.htm

I'd not worry about higher rates than 24/192. and after trying to compare 24/192 files that I'd sampled all the way back down to 16/44, I'd skip them all together and save some money buying stuff on CD and ripping it.

I have not purchased anything yet, so my options are still flexible. Thank you for your thorough response! I realize my current IEMs are incredibly easy to drive, so this will be a bit overkill. Will I notice a difference coming from cell phone playback, though?

I was eyeballing the mac mini. I have an Asus laptop running Linux right now, and it's a bit long in the tooth (6 years old or so). It just started giving charging errors, so I'm looking for a new system, and not having battery circuitry to worry about is a plus. I'm renting a room in the Bay Area currently, so my computer is my TV I'll have to check out the roon app!

Thanks for the confirmation regarding USB. That attenuator looks nifty, too! I think I might be leaning toward the Jotunheim, just so I can play around with over ear headphones in the future. CDs are a good idea! I trashed all my CDs over 5 years ago when I went through my "I don't need this negative music" phase. Turns out it still helps from time to time!

 

[KenMan85]

I have not purchased anything yet, so my options are still flexible. Thank you for your thorough response! I realize my current IEMs are incredibly easy to drive, so this will be a bit overkill. Will I notice a difference coming from cell phone playback, though?

I was eyeballing the mac mini. I have an Asus laptop running Linux right now, and it's a bit long in the tooth (6 years old or so). It just started giving charging errors, so I'm looking for a new system, and not having battery circuitry to worry about is a plus. I'm renting a room in the Bay Area currently, so my computer is my TV I'll have to check out the roon app!

Thanks for the confirmation regarding USB. That attenuator looks nifty, too! I think I might be leaning toward the Jotunheim, just so I can play around with over ear headphones in the future. CDs are a good idea! I trashed all my CDs over 5 years ago when I went through my "I don't need this negative music" phase. Turns out it still helps from time to time!

having owned alot of amps. At this price point and for IEMS. i would probably consider something else. The Jot is very narrow and forward and the single ended output is total crap compared to other solutions.

I use my jot still as an amp when im gaming on pc though.
I think the Modius with the smsl sp2000 or the DROP THX. would be better overall. Better sounding and equally powerful out of the S.E and Balanced outputs.

 

[KenMan85]

Hey everyone, been using my Jot and Bifrost MB for almost 3 years. Yesterday I decided to use the pre out to go to my Onkyo M504 so I could have volume control from my desk instead of having to walk over to my rack. I previously had the matching P304 hooked up, but really only had my Bifrost hooked up to it with a Y splitter so I wasn't really using the preamp for anything in particular.

I noticed that after maybe 30 minutes that my Jot got REALLY hot. When using just the headphone out on the Jot, it doesn't get as hot, but as soon as I use my M504, the amp gets really hot so I'm thinking it has something to do with using the Jot as a pre amp that's causing this excessive heat.

The volume knob is in the same position using it as an amp or pre amp. I'm not using the headphone out and the amp at the same time to output anything, it's one or the other. I'm going to do some more testing to make sure that it's directly related to the pre out this morning. As soon as I felt the hot Jot, I put fans on it and it settled down, but I don't want to have to run fans to use my Jot as a pre amp.

Anyone else run into this issue?

Edit:

Volume knob is a little past 9 o'clock and I used my infrared thermometer on various spots on top of the Jot.

1. A couple of hours with Jot as head amp + Elears: 101.4 F (I assume given the amount of time, this is a stable temp with this configuration since I was listening from 8 AM this morning).

2. I let it sit for a bit, maybe 10 mins before using it as a preamp. Using it as a pre amp into my M504 + HE6se for about 30 mins and the hottest spot on the top is already 103.8 F

Anyone think this is something I should worry about?

My jot had burned up when using the outputs. Schiit however warranty repaired it for me.

 

[438555]

having owned alot of amps. At this price point and for IEMS. i would probably consider something else. The Jot is very narrow and forward and the single ended output is total crap compared to other solutions.

I use my jot still as an amp when im gaming on pc though.
I think the Modius with the smsl sp2000 or the DROP THX. would be better overall. Better sounding and equally powerful out of the S.E and Balanced outputs.

I have ten THX AAA 789 as well as the Jot, and I wouldn’t say there’s a big difference in the SE or Bal outputs. The Jot is nice if you want a one box solution, even if the card DACs aren’t as good or flexible as an outboard DAC.
but for ultimate low distortion and noise feel free to look at the thx and other options that are measured to death on ASR.com. I just don’t see huge audible benefits to sinad better than ~90 dB, especially using CD or 16/44 as source

 

[438555]

I have not purchased anything yet, so my options are still flexible. Thank you for your thorough response! I realize my current IEMs are incredibly easy to drive, so this will be a bit overkill. Will I notice a difference coming from cell phone playback, though?

I was eyeballing the mac mini. I have an Asus laptop running Linux right now, and it's a bit long in the tooth (6 years old or so). It just started giving charging errors, so I'm looking for a new system, and not having battery circuitry to worry about is a plus. I'm renting a room in the Bay Area currently, so my computer is my TV I'll have to check out the roon app!

Thanks for the confirmation regarding USB. That attenuator looks nifty, too! I think I might be leaning toward the Jotunheim, just so I can play around with over ear headphones in the future. CDs are a good idea! I trashed all my CDs over 5 years ago when I went through my "I don't need this negative music" phase. Turns out it still helps from time to time!

Yeah, CDs are great because you can pick up all manner of used ones for a song, and they rip just fine.
the price per watt winner from schiit though is still probably the magnius.
again, unless you’re looking at REALLY power hungry cans, even the magni 3+ or heresy (or other brands like jds atom etc) are going to have plenty of power for almost any headphone without worrying about balanced cables
For IEMs, unless you’re going to get ear bleeding loud, a mains powered amp is going to be overkill. I still use one, just because I like to use a nice analog volume knob