Schiit Mjolnir 3 - Impressions Thread

[psy472]

That Is interesting, What dac do you have? I use the Mjolnir on High gain alternating push pull and single end depedndig on the song but with the bifrost 2/64 and cyan 2 i never felt the hek stealth Sharp or distorted pot volume Is between 9 and 11

I have the Yggy GS. The Bifrost was great but it didn’t have the bass power or clarity of the Yggy. Then again I am too lazy for burn in. My HEK stealth isn’t burnt in, nor any of my gear. I went crazy the last few months on a spending spree so all my stuff are relatively new.

I also realized that after 30 minutes or so, the MJ3 gets louder and more impactful. It woke me up from my nap.

 

[Currawong]

I haven't heard tubes other than in my childhood.

There are different ways to set up tube amps, so every amp will be slightly different, usually in how strong the 2nd and 3rd order harmonics are, which gives that "warm" or "rich" sound they are known for.
It's also possible to design a solid state amp to behave like a tube amp, such as the Jotunheim 2 and Magni Piety.

 

[planar shill]

There are different ways to set up tube amps, so every amp will be slightly different, usually in how strong the 2nd and 3rd order harmonics are, which gives that "warm" or "rich" sound they are known for.
It's also possible to design a solid state amp to behave like a tube amp, such as the Jotunheim 2 and Magni Piety.

What about the Jot2 is tube like? Is it something built into the circuitry?

 

[psy472]

There are different ways to set up tube amps, so every amp will be slightly different, usually in how strong the 2nd and 3rd order harmonics are, which gives that "warm" or "rich" sound they are known for.
It's also possible to design a solid state amp to behave like a tube amp, such as the Jotunheim 2 and Magni Piety.

I disagree Jot 2 is tuby. The Magni Unity is tuby for me. It works really well on my Grados. Jot 2 is analytical and very clear. If you preamp the Magni to Jot2 then you can get the best of both worlds.

 

[artur9]

There are different ways to set up tube amps, so every amp will be slightly different, usually in how strong the 2nd and 3rd order harmonics are, which gives that "warm" or "rich" sound they are known for.
It's also possible to design a solid state amp to behave like a tube amp, such as the Jotunheim 2 and Magni Piety.

Cool, cool. I meant also to imply that I'm not interested in tubes, per se. As a technology, I find them interesting.

I feel it's like vinyl, some are drawn to the inconvenience and cost. Not I.

 

[psy472]

If you want to know how the bass on the MJ3 would sound like, you can preamp the Magni to the Jot2. While the combo may not have the clarity and separation of the MJ3, it sure got the bass down well. That was my favorite setup for bass till I got the MJ3. Now those 2 are sitting on the side waiting to be moved into my office instead.

 

[RobWilde]

Theres just one teeny, tiny potential problem with that combo. The DAVE literally costs 10x the price of the Mjolnir 3.

But on the plus side, it really shows how well the Mjolnir 3 can scale when paired with any ultra-high-end DAC!

I mean, thanks to Schiit's excellent business approach, we're buying something at half / a third of what it would be in normal retail distribution and it would be worth every bit of that. But thank god it doesn't.

 

[cgb3]

I don't have the BF2/64, so I can't comment on that model. I have the BF2 OG and have done testing like Arya V2/MJ3/BF2 OG vs Arya V2/MJ3/Pontus2 and the Pontus2 is the more accomplished dac in every aspect and by a good margin. I also tested the amps separately as well like Arya V2/Pontus2/MJ3 vs Arya V2/Pontus2/Jot2 and result is MJ3 is the more accomplished amp by a good margin too. I find each piece of the chain is equally important and plays its best when each piece (amp, dac,and headphones) are in parity. As always, YMMV.

Not to knock on the BF2 OG or Jot2 or anything as I still have them in my second system. They are great value products.

I don't have the BF2/64, so I can't comment on that model. I have the BF2 OG and have done testing like Arya V2/MJ3/BF2 OG vs Arya V2/MJ3/Pontus2 and the Pontus2 is the more accomplished dac in every aspect and by a good margin. I also tested the amps separately as well like Arya V2/Pontus2/MJ3 vs Arya V2/Pontus2/Jot2 and result is MJ3 is the more accomplished amp by a good margin too. I find each piece of the chain is equally important and plays its best when each piece (amp, dac,and headphones) are in parity. As always, YMMV.

Not to knock on the BF2 OG or Jot2 or anything as I still have them in my second system. They are great value products.

Amazing. A $2500 dac is better than a $800 dac. Who would have thought?

 

[centuriones]

Amazing. A $2500 dac is better than a $800 dac. Who would have thought?

 

[Currawong]

I disagree Jot 2 is tuby.

I didn't say it was. The circuit design is related though. I'd have to dig out the details of how, and I can't be bothered spending an hour searching through Jason's posts for the fine details. However, I think that's why it has, to me, a deeper sense of soundstage than most other solid state amps I've tried.

 

[Yarblockos]

Amazing. A $2500 dac is better than a $800 dac. Who would have thought?

Funny you say that given the Mojo 2 pisses on plenty of $2500 boxes o'crap.

 

[devilboy]

I'm having a difficult time trying to distinguish a significant difference between the MJ3 and the Rag 2. This is not a jab at the MJ3 but just the opposite actually. It is a compliment to the Rag 2. I always thought the Rag 2 was a fantastic headphone amplifier for my HEK Stealth and the MJ3 just gives me a continuation of that great amplifier.

Being a lover of complex orchestral music, my main concern going to the MJ3 was that I was going to lose the control and weight and meat on the bones that the Rag 2 provided. Well, that did not happen. The MJ3 handles itself wonderfully during such passages. If anything, the Rag 2 is somewhat more linear sounding whereas the MJ3 adds a touch of sweetness and lushness and overall romanticism that I'm really liking.

Overall, the MJ3 is an extremely satisfying amplifier for me to listen to. I am very, very happy with the effort that Schiit has put into this product.

It sounds wonderful, it's built very well, has features that you can tweak to your liking and IMO, is visually attractive and sexy to look at. As an enthusiast, this is important to me.

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

Unfortunately, I think my Mjolnir is going to need to go back to Schiit for repair due to two switches: the gain switch and SE/PP switch.

The gain switch doesn't always toggle the left channel, so I have to push the switch over and away from the volume knob to get the left channel to fully kick into high gain. If I wiggle the gain switch when in the "up" position, the left channel's gain goes up and down and I can hear a relay clicking on the inside.

The PP switch also causes a relay to click on the inside if wiggled when in the up position, although because the effect is so subtle, it's difficult to hear whether the left channel is being similarly affected--but I assume so.

The feedback switch seems to work just fine.

 

[Nick76]

Unfortunately, I think my Mjolnir is going to need to go back to Schiit for repair due to two switches: the gain switch and SE/PP switch.

The gain switch doesn't always toggle the left channel, so I have to push the switch over and away from the volume knob to get the left channel to fully kick into high gain. If I wiggle the gain switch when in the "up" position, the left channel's gain goes up and down and I can hear a relay clicking on the inside.

The PP switch also causes a relay to click on the inside if wiggled when in the up position, although because the effect is so subtle, it's difficult to hear whether the left channel is being similarly affected--but I assume so.

The feedback switch seems to work just fine.

My gain switch is exact same way. Left channel doesn’t bump unless I give it some play. I ordered mine early release date and have had it since. Only started a couple months in. Unfortunately I’ve heard about this issue a lot recently on various Schiit amps from Magni to Asgard 3 to MJ3.

I’m waiting a bit to send it in for repair, because I have some people who want to hear it early next month. Who knows when it will get back here to NJ from CA.

Guess I should turn it on and test out my other two switches, normally just keep those down.

 

[devilboy]

Unfortunately, I think my Mjolnir is going to need to go back to Schiit for repair due to two switches: the gain switch and SE/PP switch.

The gain switch doesn't always toggle the left channel, so I have to push the switch over and away from the volume knob to get the left channel to fully kick into high gain. If I wiggle the gain switch when in the "up" position, the left channel's gain goes up and down and I can hear a relay clicking on the inside.

The PP switch also causes a relay to click on the inside if wiggled when in the up position, although because the effect is so subtle, it's difficult to hear whether the left channel is being similarly affected--but I assume so.

The feedback switch seems to work just fine.

My gain switch is exact same way. Left channel doesn’t bump unless I give it some play. I’m waiting a bit to send it in, because I have some people who want to hear it early next month and who knows when it will get back here. Unfortunately I’ve heard about this issue a lot recently on various Schiit amps from magni to Asgard 3 to MJ3.

Well for ef's sake...