It was confirmed by Jason in the Schiit Happened thread
Schiit Mjolnir 3 - Impressions Thread
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dsyzling
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artur9
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Does @Jason Stoddard posting on these forums count as a rumor?
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...most-improbable-start-up.701900/post-17714178
boes66
New Head-Fier
His name was not there when i wrote that.....like u can read.
Thanks to the other Guys for the info. Gues i have to wait.
Thanks to the other Guys for the info. Gues i have to wait.
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omega1990
100+ Head-Fier
Zmf headphones on mjolnir 3
So I was finally able to listen to the mjolnir 3 again and I tried each of my zmf headphones. I own every model but the Caldera and Atrium closed (I'll eventually buy them just gotta save up for them).
I decided to listen to them same settings as before so balanced, no push pull, no feedback, but I mostly used high gain because as I was switching between music files and different sites like YouTube I had alot of volume differences. So instead of finagaling with the gain switch I just left it on high.
I used a zmf verite silver with each headphone since that doesn't effect the frequency response of each heapdhone.
Since I already enjoyed the aeolus on the mj3 I decided to try my auteur classic (using auteur lambskin pads). It's my third favorite headphone overall after the aeolus and atticus. For those unaware the classic is different from the og auteur in that it's midrange is pushed further away to show off the improved staging and layering. Some auteur fans don't like that as the midrange they enjoyed is now at a small distance. Imaging is also a little more precise than the og. I like the auteur either way.
My auteur classic on the mj3 is actually tied with one other headphone for my favorite pairing on this amp! The mj3 pushes the midrange closer to me and makes the classic actually sound more like the og auteur but with the classics technical advantages (kinda like a best of both worlds take on it). The mj3 adds the right amount of weight to the music that it actually played well with every genre of music I threw at it. Didn't matter what I tried with it whether it was claissical or rock or heavy metal or even chiptune music from videogame soundtracks, everything sounded so natural, exciting and very dynamic coming from the mj3. A perfect pairing for me. I enjoyed it so much I almost forgot to try other headphones.
So the next headphone was the atticus (my second favorite headphone overall) using ori lambskin pads, but pairing it with the mj3 was not a good fit imo. The Atticus by default has a smaller stage that is already thick and with the mj3 it sounded a bit veiled. The Atticus still had an emphasized punch since it has a midbass hump, but the sound left me feeling a bit mixed about it.
I then tried the eikon (using eikon lambskin pads) and this turned out to be the headphone that would tie with the auteur classic for being the best pairing for me on the mj3. Like the auteur classic the eikon sounded great with every genre I threw at it. The main difference is that the eikon has more subbass rumble, a bit more shout to the vocals which I really liked on the mj3 and a bit more treble quantity and resonances. These differences made the eikon even more excitable than the auteur, so it just depends on what you would prioritize. The auteur classic sounds closer to a reference neutral with just a touch of warmth and the eikon sounds a little more bright. I'm usually not into subbassy sounds so I usually don't listen to the eikon as often as other zmfs I own, but on the mj3 it was really addicting to listen to.
Next up verite closed (using universe lambskin). This headphone was also a very good pairing, tied with two other headphones that are not autuer and eikon. The verite closed is more mellow sounding on the mj3. Vocals on the vc are pulled a bit back vs the autuer and eikon and background instruments on the vc are pushed forward instead. Another thing is that I've always felt the biocellulose driver in headphones like auteur and eikon are more natural to my ears than headphones that use beryllium like the verites. The vc does comes with obvious advantages like its imaging which sounds precise like a planar. The vc is also faster and has a wider stage with added depth. The sound is smoother than auteur and eikon which are more honest about recording flaws and the vc to my ears has a blacker background.
The verite open (using be2 lambskin pads) while also pretty good, I felt was not as good overall as vc on the mj3. While the vo also has better technicalities than auteur and eikon, on the mj3 the vo sounded a bit dulled on it transients. The vo can work on the mj3, but I just wasn't as into it as the vc. I am using the be2 lambskin pads so maybe pad swapping to the original universe lambskin pads might be warranted. Be2 pads bring the vo closer to neutral and it was more forward sounding than the vc on the mj3. So smooth but a little dull.
The last headphone I tried was the atrium open and this one was very close to being as good as auteur and eikon on mj3, the only thing holding it back for me is that the atrium has a little bit of roll off in subbass and in the treble. I felt the auteur and eikon, since they don't roll off to my ears played better with more genres vs the atrium. The atrium has better staging, layering, resolution and detail. The atrium has the same driver as the auteur and eikon so the atrium is also very natural sounding and with the added smoothness to its delivery its vocals are even better. The staging on atrium keeps things at a bit of a distance while autuer and eikon are closer to your face. Since the atrium has a bit of a midbass bump and the treble is very cleanly rendered you may not even care about the tiny rolls on the top and bottom and think it's debatably another best pairing with this amp.
So the ranking for me initially is
1. Auteur Classic, Eikon
2. Aeolus, Atrium, Verite Closed
3. Verite Open
4. Atticus
Just as a side note, when I had the folkvangr my favorite headphones on it were the Aeolus and Verite open. The auteur and eikon sounded a bit off or unengaging to me on folkvangr so it's interesting to see how these headphones react a little differently on mj3.
The reason I put the aeolus in group 2 is only because it's my no.1 favorite headphone in general and I have a strong bias for it and while it sounds like a group 1 headphone to my ears, it might be too in your face for others to agree with. I think of it like this, group 1 sounds like the most complete experience to me on mj3, group 2 means its extremely close to group 1 but something might be holding back. In the case of aeolus, I think since that headphone has a small stage and is aggressively forward in transients/attack others may view it as too aggressive. Both folkvangr and mj3 soften the edge of the attack while keeping it forward which I personally love but I can understand if a few folks out there find it to be too much with the aeolus.
Group 3 doesn't sound bad, I will need to do some pad swapping as I wasn't particularly wowed by the pairing. Thought it was only ok, didn't really do anything wrong. Group 4 is a synergy problem to my ears. Having an intimate very full sounding midrange with the mj3 is too much density to my ears.
I am getting new upgrade cable for a headphone not listed here, so when I have a chance again I'll do another roundup with other headphones I have.
So I was finally able to listen to the mjolnir 3 again and I tried each of my zmf headphones. I own every model but the Caldera and Atrium closed (I'll eventually buy them just gotta save up for them).
I decided to listen to them same settings as before so balanced, no push pull, no feedback, but I mostly used high gain because as I was switching between music files and different sites like YouTube I had alot of volume differences. So instead of finagaling with the gain switch I just left it on high.
I used a zmf verite silver with each headphone since that doesn't effect the frequency response of each heapdhone.
Since I already enjoyed the aeolus on the mj3 I decided to try my auteur classic (using auteur lambskin pads). It's my third favorite headphone overall after the aeolus and atticus. For those unaware the classic is different from the og auteur in that it's midrange is pushed further away to show off the improved staging and layering. Some auteur fans don't like that as the midrange they enjoyed is now at a small distance. Imaging is also a little more precise than the og. I like the auteur either way.
My auteur classic on the mj3 is actually tied with one other headphone for my favorite pairing on this amp! The mj3 pushes the midrange closer to me and makes the classic actually sound more like the og auteur but with the classics technical advantages (kinda like a best of both worlds take on it). The mj3 adds the right amount of weight to the music that it actually played well with every genre of music I threw at it. Didn't matter what I tried with it whether it was claissical or rock or heavy metal or even chiptune music from videogame soundtracks, everything sounded so natural, exciting and very dynamic coming from the mj3. A perfect pairing for me. I enjoyed it so much I almost forgot to try other headphones.
So the next headphone was the atticus (my second favorite headphone overall) using ori lambskin pads, but pairing it with the mj3 was not a good fit imo. The Atticus by default has a smaller stage that is already thick and with the mj3 it sounded a bit veiled. The Atticus still had an emphasized punch since it has a midbass hump, but the sound left me feeling a bit mixed about it.
I then tried the eikon (using eikon lambskin pads) and this turned out to be the headphone that would tie with the auteur classic for being the best pairing for me on the mj3. Like the auteur classic the eikon sounded great with every genre I threw at it. The main difference is that the eikon has more subbass rumble, a bit more shout to the vocals which I really liked on the mj3 and a bit more treble quantity and resonances. These differences made the eikon even more excitable than the auteur, so it just depends on what you would prioritize. The auteur classic sounds closer to a reference neutral with just a touch of warmth and the eikon sounds a little more bright. I'm usually not into subbassy sounds so I usually don't listen to the eikon as often as other zmfs I own, but on the mj3 it was really addicting to listen to.
Next up verite closed (using universe lambskin). This headphone was also a very good pairing, tied with two other headphones that are not autuer and eikon. The verite closed is more mellow sounding on the mj3. Vocals on the vc are pulled a bit back vs the autuer and eikon and background instruments on the vc are pushed forward instead. Another thing is that I've always felt the biocellulose driver in headphones like auteur and eikon are more natural to my ears than headphones that use beryllium like the verites. The vc does comes with obvious advantages like its imaging which sounds precise like a planar. The vc is also faster and has a wider stage with added depth. The sound is smoother than auteur and eikon which are more honest about recording flaws and the vc to my ears has a blacker background.
The verite open (using be2 lambskin pads) while also pretty good, I felt was not as good overall as vc on the mj3. While the vo also has better technicalities than auteur and eikon, on the mj3 the vo sounded a bit dulled on it transients. The vo can work on the mj3, but I just wasn't as into it as the vc. I am using the be2 lambskin pads so maybe pad swapping to the original universe lambskin pads might be warranted. Be2 pads bring the vo closer to neutral and it was more forward sounding than the vc on the mj3. So smooth but a little dull.
The last headphone I tried was the atrium open and this one was very close to being as good as auteur and eikon on mj3, the only thing holding it back for me is that the atrium has a little bit of roll off in subbass and in the treble. I felt the auteur and eikon, since they don't roll off to my ears played better with more genres vs the atrium. The atrium has better staging, layering, resolution and detail. The atrium has the same driver as the auteur and eikon so the atrium is also very natural sounding and with the added smoothness to its delivery its vocals are even better. The staging on atrium keeps things at a bit of a distance while autuer and eikon are closer to your face. Since the atrium has a bit of a midbass bump and the treble is very cleanly rendered you may not even care about the tiny rolls on the top and bottom and think it's debatably another best pairing with this amp.
So the ranking for me initially is
1. Auteur Classic, Eikon
2. Aeolus, Atrium, Verite Closed
3. Verite Open
4. Atticus
Just as a side note, when I had the folkvangr my favorite headphones on it were the Aeolus and Verite open. The auteur and eikon sounded a bit off or unengaging to me on folkvangr so it's interesting to see how these headphones react a little differently on mj3.
The reason I put the aeolus in group 2 is only because it's my no.1 favorite headphone in general and I have a strong bias for it and while it sounds like a group 1 headphone to my ears, it might be too in your face for others to agree with. I think of it like this, group 1 sounds like the most complete experience to me on mj3, group 2 means its extremely close to group 1 but something might be holding back. In the case of aeolus, I think since that headphone has a small stage and is aggressively forward in transients/attack others may view it as too aggressive. Both folkvangr and mj3 soften the edge of the attack while keeping it forward which I personally love but I can understand if a few folks out there find it to be too much with the aeolus.
Group 3 doesn't sound bad, I will need to do some pad swapping as I wasn't particularly wowed by the pairing. Thought it was only ok, didn't really do anything wrong. Group 4 is a synergy problem to my ears. Having an intimate very full sounding midrange with the mj3 is too much density to my ears.
I am getting new upgrade cable for a headphone not listed here, so when I have a chance again I'll do another roundup with other headphones I have.
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Huntersknoll
100+ Head-Fier
@omega1990
Great write up! I'm thinking about picking the MJ3 up for my Atrium Closed and seems like it may be a solid match.
Great write up! I'm thinking about picking the MJ3 up for my Atrium Closed and seems like it may be a solid match.
Smoothstereo
100+ Head-Fier
So far I have about 5 hours of listening time on the MJ3 (but has been powered on for 24 hours). In comparison to the Jot2, the MJ3 to my ears and system sounds more neutral, where the Jot2 is a little more warmer and darker. The MJ3 is definitely a bright-er sounding amp. Bad recordings sound intolerable on the MJ3, while the Jot2 is more forgiving. Both amps slam hard on different bass frquencies. Haven't put a finger on it yet. Maybe MJ3 hits harder on upper bass while Jot2 hits harder on midbass. Sub bass seems similar. Not too sure yet, need more time and song selections (and burn in).
The same few words keep popping in my head when using the MJ3: crystal, clear, and clean.
My setup is Android phone using UAPP app to play 44.1khz wav files upsampled by UAPP to 352.8khz to a Denafrips Hermes 12th DDC via usb cable. From there, an i2S cable to Denafrips Pontus2 DAC. Then XLR cable to Schiit Freya N tube preamp, and then from there XLR cable to MJ3 , then using balance 4 pin hp cable to Arya v2.
The same few words keep popping in my head when using the MJ3: crystal, clear, and clean.
My setup is Android phone using UAPP app to play 44.1khz wav files upsampled by UAPP to 352.8khz to a Denafrips Hermes 12th DDC via usb cable. From there, an i2S cable to Denafrips Pontus2 DAC. Then XLR cable to Schiit Freya N tube preamp, and then from there XLR cable to MJ3 , then using balance 4 pin hp cable to Arya v2.
jonathan c
Headphoneus Supremus
Question for MJ3 owners / lessors (?) / auditioners: Is MJ3 an amp for which power cables make a large difference in sonics?
ZoNtO
1000+ Head-Fier
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hmm I'm having a possible issue, I think something might be wrong with my right channel, I'm getting static/crackling on the right channel in single-ended/no feedback/balanced in and out. Weirdly when I switch it over to Push Pull the static goes away. tried it on multiple headphones, and the single ended (6.35mm) jack on the front and even without anything plugged into the amp still has a small persistent static in just the right channel. The left is dead silent.
Did this resolve or get worse today? Did you reach out to Schiit to start an RMA?
Melting735
100+ Head-Fier
According to Schiit, power cable above their stock ones' specs will never make any difference on their products, but they won't do anything negative to sq
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So after letting it cool off and coming back to it I heard it for a little bit but went away after it warmed a bit. I did contact Schiit about it. So I might just keep an eye on the situation to see if it devolves I mean I just got it so plenty of time of warranty to see how things pan out.
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Guarddawg30
Head-Fier
@omega1990 Thank you for your write up on the ZMF's..I have the open Atrium and I am in the market for a new solid state amp and this amp really intrigues me...I like the Schiit house sound...I was leaning towards a Violectric but I am really considering the MJ3..
So upon further experimentation and trial and error, I think I'm just gonna have to have it RMA'd or something, After testing multiple different setups, headphones and wiring and what not. I can fully confirm it has a problem in the right channel. Theres also pops and sometimes clicks when I flick the Balanced to Single Ended Input switch. So something is not right. Other than that I do love the thing.
Melting735
100+ Head-Fier
I just shipped my unit back to Schiit 3 days ago. Its left channel just somehow died. Otherwise I would probably keep it together with FV.
Usually new products will have higher failure rate in their first couple of batches, but we had no choice since there will probably be only one batch.
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ckhirnigs113
Headphoneus Supremus
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Hasn’t a second batch been verified? I know a 230V version is going to be made. Will a second batch of 115V be produced for sure?
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