Schiit Mjolnir 2 Listening Impressions
Mar 8, 2018 at 9:29 PM Post #2,491 of 7,013
Can you get better tubes that give a less fatiguing and more sweetness, making it a better overall option and would it work well with the Modi Multibit, I sold my 4 pin XLR cable that came with my HD 800S, so I'll have to get one as I did not think that I would upgrade to a better AMP

I've only rolled the stock tubes to Matsushita's, so I can't comment on how sweet you could potentially make MJ2 sound, but my reaction is to think it's probably going to be a frustrating and ultimately disappointing affair. You can put Till Lindemann in a dress but I doubt that's what you want in your bedroom. From what I've read, you can probably make MJ2 warmer or colder, more or less holographic, more trebley or less trebley, but more or less sweeter I don't recall anyone saying. But maybe I missed that post?

nice stack, move them off the MJ2 though, it gets rather hot:cooking:

Thanks, MJ2 does get warm, and I may move the stack off, but so far heat hasn't concerned me too much. For the moment, I've re-arranged so Wyrd is on the bottom, which seems the coolest of the bunch. If I move the stack off it'll be a PITA to reach and I'll need to buy new cables. ;P Surprisingly, before MJ2, when I had Vali 2 at the top of the stack, heat was much more of an issue and it scared me a couple times to the point where I unstacked everything to let it cool down
 
Mar 10, 2018 at 12:07 PM Post #2,493 of 7,013
Hey Guys,
My MJ2 is arriving today and I am super pumped. I also just ordered a Grado PS1000e (modified by Moon Audio with HD800 connectors) so I could swap the cable to a balanced cable. Anyone have any experience with the MJ2 and this or a similar Grado? Would love to hear your thoughts.
 
Mar 10, 2018 at 12:57 PM Post #2,494 of 7,013
MY Mjolnir 2 arrived yesterday and I just now got it set up with my Schiit Gungir Multibit DAC to drive both my Grado PS2000e BALANCED headphones and my Grado GS2000e BALANCED headphones. The purchase of these two headphones is why I sold my Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC and Lyr 2 amp to upgrade to the Gungir/Mjolnir combination. Grado recommends the Mjolnir for its balanced headphones, and if you have a balanced amp, you likely want a balanced DAC, so I upgraded to the Gungir Multibit as well.

I have consistently noticed an improvement in my GS2000e in balanced over single ended, using the Lotoo PAW 5000 DAP while walking dogs (no comments, please, about walking around outside with GS2000e headphones...if I didn't listen to good headphones on my two daily dog walks, my listening time would be cut in half!). I had listened to both the GS2000e and PS2000e in balanced configuration on other amps not intended for the low input impedance of the Grados (e.g., the Sennheiser HDVD800 DAC/amp, with 43 ohm output and intended for the 300 - 600 ohm input impedance of the HD800).

What I hear for the first time today, with the Gumby/MJ2, is simply fantastic! I have only listened to about three songs so far and though I did comparisons with balanced vs. single ended on my other amps when I was on the TTVJ Loaner Program Tour of each of those headphones, I have not made side by side comparisons with the MJ2 yet.

I also hope and plan to determine that the MJ2 will drive my HiFiMAN HE1000s at least as well as my HiFiMAN EF-6, so that I might then use the MJ2 instead and sell the EF-6 (too many big amps!).

I will also try its ability to drive the HD800, balanced.

I am using the stock tubes, but I also got the solid state counterpart (LISST), as well as some Amperex Orange Globes that I will eventually try.

But so far, I am a Happy Camper and it was Well Worth The Wait.
 
Mar 10, 2018 at 3:45 PM Post #2,495 of 7,013
@ruthieandjohn ... good to hear ... I admire your patience ... I'd go straight to the Amperex OG's if it was me. I also have the LISST and I found an initial 'buzz' but that wore off ... I guess i'm a die-hard tubes person. Give me that 'distortion' !
 
Mar 10, 2018 at 4:43 PM Post #2,496 of 7,013
@ruthieandjohn, thanks for the post. I have the grado PS1000e and I don't use them that much, simply because the Jotunheim/Mimby seems too "bright" with them, but the Jot sounds fine with the HD650. It's nice to read about Grado headphones (albeit the higher up balanced ones) making beautiful music with a Schiit amp!
 
Mar 10, 2018 at 6:55 PM Post #2,497 of 7,013
Although I dislike the Grado sound, The MJ/GM stack drives the GS1000 at the Schiitr better than I've ever heard it driven.
 
Mar 11, 2018 at 1:44 PM Post #2,498 of 7,013
Just wanted to let you all know that beyerdynamic amiron home sounds fantastic out of mj2 + gumby in balanced. Very dynamic, realistic, and life like presentation with a nice amount of body, no hint of fatigue after hours of listening.

Does anyone have an opinion on how the schiit stack pairs with hd800s and hd650? Really wondering how they sound in compairson to the amiron + schiit combo.
 
Mar 11, 2018 at 4:25 PM Post #2,499 of 7,013
Does anyone have an opinion on how the schiit stack pairs with hd800s and hd650? Really wondering how they sound in compairson to the amiron + schiit combo.

Got them both. They sound wonderful on the gumby/mj2 stack.
 
Mar 11, 2018 at 6:12 PM Post #2,500 of 7,013
So my MJ2 came in on Saturday and I had a chance to set it up and have been listening for about 8 hours now. All I have to say is wow, this is a really great amp when paired with the LCD-3’s and Ether Flows. Love the way it looks stacked on top of my Gumby. I will say though, that the stock tubes are defiantly just ok, in the sense that they allow you to turn the amp on. I know many have said this, but step one is to get a set of decent NOS tubes. Luckily I had two sets waiting for the amp when it arrived. A pair of National 7DJ8s and a pair of Tungsram 6922s both from upscale audio. I will say the National 7DJ8s are a steal and a perfect match for this amp. I found the music just intoxicating to listen to, and at 35 a tube I would say it is a must have upgrade and the perfect place to start. The Tungsrams are also nice, but I am still making up my mind on them (which is a little sad at $100 a tube). The top end and bottom end are much more extended then the stock tubes and the Nationals but the sound stage feels small compared to the nationals and at times the Midrange feels thin (on the Ether Flows, mind you the Nationals felt just slightly thick on the LCD-3 on the midrange, so this could mean the Tungsrams are just more nuetral and letting the headphone do its thing). The Tungsrams only have about 29 hours on them (25 hours from Upscale Audio) so I am hoping they will open up with another 10 - 15 hours.

Simply put I love the amp, and it works great with the LCD-3 and Ether Flow, and hopefully my new pair of Grado PS1000e’s when they arrive later this week. The stack also goes great with my Gallos :wink:
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Mar 13, 2018 at 9:22 PM Post #2,501 of 7,013
Hello, I bought my Mjolnir2/Gungnir combo 3 years ago. Couple months ago I started to get crackling noise out of my amp. It got worst and worst to a point where I sent it back to Schiit. Unfortunately they didn't hear/see anything wrong with it and sent it back to me. Does anybody had similar experience or could point me out to similar cases where I could find help?

Thanks!
 
Mar 13, 2018 at 9:51 PM Post #2,502 of 7,013
Hello, I bought my Mjolnir2/Gungnir combo 3 years ago. Couple months ago I started to get crackling noise out of my amp. It got worst and worst to a point where I sent it back to Schiit. Unfortunately they didn't hear/see anything wrong with it and sent it back to me. Does anybody had similar experience or could point me out to similar cases where I could find help?

Thanks!

My first thought is possibly a bad cable. Does it happen equally on both channels? Does turning the pot cause crackling?

If you have spare cables perhaps I’d try swapping the connections between the gungnir and MJ2 first.
 
Mar 13, 2018 at 10:04 PM Post #2,503 of 7,013
Thanks Roshambo for the quick answer. It only happen on the right socket. I also noticed that when I was touching/pushing in the LISST or tubes, there was a red/orange led close to the LISST/tube on the right that was fluctuating. I ordered a 2m(minimum length to my pc) Straight Wire usb cable to replace the very long and cheap usb cable I was using. Should get it this Friday.
 
Mar 13, 2018 at 10:26 PM Post #2,505 of 7,013
Thanks Roshambo for the quick answer. It only happen on the right socket. I also noticed that when I was touching/pushing in the LISST or tubes, there was a red/orange led close to the LISST/tube on the right that was fluctuating. I ordered a 2m(minimum length to my pc) Straight Wire usb cable to replace the very long and cheap usb cable I was using. Should get it this Friday.

If you're seeing the LED's on the PCB on, is the power on while you're rolling tubes?
 

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