[PopZeus]

Quick question:
I have a dac with only rca out. should I buy rca to xlr cable to get most of mjolnir with my setup?

Save up for a balanced DAC. Getting an RCA-to-XLR cable is pointless. You're better off upgrading your RCA cable to something nicer, if you're currently running unmarked stock red and whites. But if you want to get the most out of your Mjolnir (per your comment), you should consider going fully balanced. This amp will reveal any flavor your DAC imparts even if that's "flavorless and objective", so you should start to consider what you really want from it sonically. Honestly, what I liked and didn't and what I felt was missing from my setup revealed itself quickly once I introduced the Mjolnir into my system.

 

[commtrd]

This thread is a serious problem for my wallet...

No kidding. I had my LiM upgraded to MiB exactly for the best synergy with the M3, before I received it. Nice little $2400 hit and I should have just bot the MiB to start with, would have been much less costly. I was supposed to get the amp and dac today but fedex delay pushed back to tomorrow. Fingers crossed... anyway this should be the last of my upgrades for a long long time.

 

[markkr]

anyway this should be the last of my upgrades for a long long time.

I said this in January when my MiB arrived... this week took delivery of TT2/Mscaler and I think I found the limits of the MJ3 finally (I think I'm going to be putting the MiB on marketplace.) LOL

 

[Slackaveli]

My Yggy is an A1. My brain is already pestering me for MiB chip and since I have Gen5 and use USB might as well get Unison, too. But thats a grand right there lol. This hobby, Man.

 

[commtrd]

Yeah there is always something better. Unfortunately it always comes at a cost. Without fail. I REALLY loved my LiM and GSX Mini amp. If I was smart, I would have just stayed right there and let it be. But no. I kept reading hundreds of reviews and Currawong's M3 review etc., and had the nagging feeling I was missing some resolution power, and it has been said the synergy with the LiM and the M3 was not optimal. SO, I did what any audiophile would do, and sent the LiM in to morph into a MiB. And purchased the M3. And by gosh this is gonna be it. Far down the line, MAYBE some different cans but right now the Meze Elites are getting it done. I am quite confident this chain will be perfectly fine for me. Just not willing to pony up many thousands of dollars to go beyond what this equipment will provide. So be it. I think that to improve measurably to my ears beyond this, will take many kilobucks to accomplish and I have other priorities. Knowing that "better" is always out there, but we have to learn to be happy with what we have at some point.

 

[PinkyPowers]

So I had cancelled my order of the Mj3 and somehow talked myself into spending more than double for the Violectric V281 Reissue. While I do still have an itch to hear the Mj3, I must admit, I know I made the right choice. My god, does this pair well with the HE1000 Stealth. Which I was a more than a little worried would sound too bright from the Mj3.

 

[Slackaveli]

Yeah there is always something better. Unfortunately it always comes at a cost. Without fail. I REALLY loved my LiM and GSX Mini amp. If I was smart, I would have just stayed right there and let it be. But no. I kept reading hundreds of reviews and Currawong's M3 review etc., and had the nagging feeling I was missing some resolution power, and it has been said the synergy with the LiM and the M3 was not optimal. SO, I did what any audiophile would do, and sent the LiM in to morph into a MiB. And purchased the M3. And by gosh this is gonna be it. Far down the line, MAYBE some different cans but right now the Meze Elites are getting it done. I am quite confident this chain will be perfectly fine for me. Just not willing to pony up many thousands of dollars to go beyond what this equipment will provide. So be it. I think that to improve measurably to my ears beyond this, will take many kilobucks to accomplish and I have other priorities. Knowing that "better" is always out there, but we have to learn to be happy with what we have at some point.

I hear ya, Bro!
The long wait for Tungstens has at least put my mind off of new cans at the moment lol. That and the He1000 Stealths are super satisfying.

 

[Slackaveli]

So I had cancelled my order of the Mj3 and somehow talked myself into spending more than double for the Violectric V281 Reissue. While I do still have an itch to hear the Mj3, I must admit, I know I made the right choice. My god, does this pair well with the HE1000 Stealth. Which I was a more than a little worried would sound too bright from the Mj3.

Beautiful, Man. I bet that's sounding very similar to my yggy a1>Mentor> He1000 Stealths thru a 17awg Norne cable

 

[commtrd]

AND if I just don't bond with the M3 for some strange reason, I can send it back minus the re-stocking charge, so why not at least try it? At least I will know... What does kind of bug me is that I did not try it first with my LiM before sending the dac in to get turned into a MiB. But I trust the reviewer on the other forum that I frequent as being far more experienced than me and I do like to hear into the music for the micro-details (plankton?) and the MiB is supposed to retain the blackground and sweetness and timbre of the LiM, so I figured the pairing with the M3 would be sublime. Plus my mini amp is working perfectly fine, so this is an experiment where I pay a little to audition M3 with my gear and see how it goes... or paid the ask for the M3 and keep it. Should arrive tomorrow.

 

[Slackaveli]

AND if I just don't bond with the M3 for some strange reason, I can send it back minus the re-stocking charge, so why not at least try it? At least I will know... What does kind of bug me is that I did not try it first with my LiM before sending the dac in to get turned into a MiB. But I trust the reviewer on the other forum that I frequent as being far more experienced than me and I do like to hear into the music for the micro-details (plankton?) and the MiB is supposed to retain the blackground and sweetness and timbre of the LiM, so I figured the pairing with the M3 would be sublime. Plus my mini amp is working perfectly fine, so this is an experiment where I pay a little to audition M3 with my gear and see how it goes... or paid the ask for the M3 and keep it. Should arrive tomorrow.

I think you're good on that one. Most would prefer the MiB over LiM and again most would prefer the Mjolnir to the gsx mini. But, yeah, the LiM and the Mini are great pieces of kit so it's always nerve wracking.
In my case I have an OG1 and I dont want to regret losing Moffit bass lol. I have heard the bass on MiB is fantastic though. If the greyer background of the a1 was bothersome i'd do it bc by all accounts the MiB is very black background. Maybe a bit more plankton than i have too. But, it'd cost me $900 to try and i would have to install, then if i didnt want to keep it uninstall and take the restock hit. Not something I've been able to talk myself into yet. Still might at some point.
But, with everything sounding soo excellent right now I don't want to fall into the trap many have before me and regret the "upgrade".

 

[commtrd]

If it sounds excellent and you are happy with it, I would not change a thing. It cost me $1020 to send my LiM back in to get it upgraded. Hopefully it will have been worth it. It is such a good thing to be satisfied with what we have and just listen to the music. LOL I should take my own advice.

 

[Alfredo3001]

I think you're good on that one. Most would prefer the MiB over LiM and again most would prefer the Mjolnir to the gsx mini. But, yeah, the LiM and the Mini are great pieces of kit so it's always nerve wracking.
In my case I have an OG1 and I dont want to regret losing Moffit bass lol. I have heard the bass on MiB is fantastic though. If the greyer background of the a1 was bothersome i'd do it bc by all accounts the MiB is very black background. Maybe a bit more plankton than i have too. But, it'd cost me $900 to try and i would have to install, then if i didnt want to keep it uninstall and take the restock hit. Not something I've been able to talk myself into yet. Still might at some point.
But, with everything sounding soo excellent right now I don't want to fall into the trap many have before me and regret the "upgrade".

If it sounds excellent and you are happy with it, I would not change a thing. It cost me $1020 to send my LiM back in to get it upgraded. Hopefully it will have been worth it. It is such a good thing to be satisfied with what we have and just listen to the music. LOL I should take my own advice.

There is also the Yggy+ chassis. It is 500$ but with it, you change boards at home without having to send it to Schiit. More money I know...

 

[commtrd]

Nice piece of kit.

Now there is someone who is serious about their setup! My little setup is pretty ghetto comparatively. LOL

 

[commtrd]

I had the Bliss and Bryston at the same time I had the MJ3. If I were judging them off sound alone, I’d pick the MJ3. Sure Bryston and Holo have better builds and if I could have the MJ3 signature in a better build I would, but I wouldn’t pick them over it if we’re talking about sound.
And price had nothing to do with it. So I wasn’t worried about killing a giant or anything like that. If the Bliss or Bryston worked better for what I was looking for I would have kept one of those over the MJ3.

But people can feel free to blindly follow reviewers without ever hearing something. Hope that works out for you.

And the edgy comment is accurate. It’s about staying relevant these days and many will do whatever it takes. Starts with going along with the grain and parroting to gain traction, and then flip it for additional buzz when needed. Guess it works.

And when you start receiving items from particular companies you’ll gain biases. You want those items to continue to come in for material? You’ll say what you think is needed to keep them coming.
On the other side, if you purchase your gear you’ll have a different stance. It’s legitimately your money and opinion.

Agree with all of this. Except for me, price does count. And if a reviewer has his own money on the line, there is some skin in the game, which might or might not be reflected in their review, i.e. they can defend their purchase decision, OR they can honestly review the performance without bias. In the end, the truth for every listener is when it is in their own chain, listening with their own headphones, drawing their own conclusions. Triangulation from many others' reviews is a great thing, and a great tool, but the final say for every one of us is the aforementioned trial by fire with our own systems and our own ears. Finally, reviews must be taken with a grain of salt as it were, due to no two person's hearing being exactly alike. Which complicates things considerably. LOL

 

[commtrd]

personally ive never seen one up for sale used.
One could just get a Ragnarok (silver) from Amazon for $300 off right now ($1300), or
get a Flux Mentor ($1300) and if 11.5w isnt enough than stack on another ($1300) for 33.5w

That said, I'd still prefer the Mjolnir if not for the Tungsten element.

https://www.amazon.com/Schiit-Ragnarok-Single-Ended-Headphone-Amplifier

https://fluxlab-acoustics.com/product/mentor-class-a-headphone-amplifier/

I have never heard the Tungsten, it may be audio nirvana, but seems to me if that phone is the desired end point for whatever reason, it makes sense to tailor the amp specifically able to drive it properly. The M3 just may not have the desired synergy so it seems to be questionable to even go there? To me, the sum of the whole chain is what matters. Say if I had the M3 and MiB dac, (in a few hours LOL) then I would not be looking to get a headphone that I knew my amp was not capable of driving or synergize well. Now if money is no object, then that solves that conundrum... there are plenty of headphones the M3 can and does drive very well allegedly. YMMV