[swspiers]

Anyone else surprised at the lack of activity in this thread?

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

I had a great time at the Schiit Show 2 yesterday! It felt more like a gathering of friends than an event, very laid back and relaxed. There was an endless buffet of delicious food that kept everyone coming back for more.

Schiit set the tone right from the start with their adorable dogs at the entrance:


And they had us draw playing cards for the giveaways at the end of the day (I got a Joker).

There was also a t-shirt slogan contest which I won with this gem:


And then of course there was the Jotunheim. And the Jotunheim, and, well, quite a lot of Jotunheims.



In fact, the Jotunheim was the only product available to hear at the show. Given that the Modi Multibit had just been released, I think it was a missed opportunity not to have some of those on hand as well, both because it's a new product but also because it would have been nice to hear a Multibit source with the Joti.

The Joti was available to hear in both configurations: With DAC and phono stage. The DAC is USB only and is decent for a $100 built in add on. I haven't heard any of Schiit's other 4490 DACs but I'm guessing this isn't far off from those. Unfortunately, I do think the DAC is a limiting factor on the amp, and most of the impressions coming from the show are really impressions of the DAC, and not the amp by itself.

The reason I say this is because I plugged my Pono in to a Joti and the character of the amp immediately changed, it became.l more laid back and fluid, reproducing the sonic characteristics of the Pono in great detail. Another reason I say this is because the phono version of the amp sounded different than the DAC version, and different from the Joti with the Pono as the source. Be wary of the impressions from this show until the amp gets into the hands of more people who are using external DACs.

As for the amp itself, it ticks a lot of boxes for me. Balanced in/out, SE in/out, able to play any configuration of those inputs/outputs, and the new topology means no compromises on the SE experience. I ordered one with the DAC but also ordered a Modi Multibit to go with it, the built in DAC will be more as a backup or to use if I take the amp on a trip.

Regarding the phono module, I think that will be a really nice starter configuration for someone with an entry level turntable like a U-Turn. A solid turntable with a solid phono and great amp for around $700? Hell of a deal.



The day ended with some giveaways and trivia, where I won the aforementioned shirt contest and we got to hear a wonderfully dirty joke that Mike enjoyed.

The best part of the show for me was seeing friends from here and other forums. And I found my next amp.

So long and thanks for all the Schiit!

 

[elira]

This are my overall impressions of the Schiit show. First of all it was held in a nice hotel in Marina del Rey (Los Angeles), from the beginning there were some food to grab, and some beverages. All the Schiit team was there and you could ask them any questions or doubts you had. The show was entirely focused in the Jotunheim, I was expecting to see other Schiit products, but the only one present in this show was the Jotunheim, maybe it should be called Jotunheim Show.

 

There were two listening rooms, both of them with a set of computers connected via USB to the Jotunheim and a couple of turntables to test the phono module. Each listening station had a pair of headphones some of them single ended and others balanced. I don’t have much knowledge about headphones and brands, so I didn't identified most of them. The second star of the show was a Pair of Focal Utopia, those are a four thousand dollars headphones and a lot of people wanted to test them, I tested them briefly and didn’t notice anything special on them, but I saw some people really enjoying them, obviously amped using the Jotunheim. So including the Focal Utopia, Sennheiser hd 800, Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00, and others that I couldn't identify I can assume that the Jotunheim can drive almost anything you plug in it.

 

I saw most of people plugging in their own headphones and none of them seemed disappointed. I plugged my Grado SR325is to test it, I’ve had balance problems with my Fulla due to the low gain needed by the Grados, but with the Jotunheim, its gain switch and the massive volume pot I didn't notice balance problems in my Grados.

 

Regarding the DAC/AMP combination, I can tell that I didn't feel impressed by the Jotunheim, and it sounded just right. All the songs I played through it felt properly reproduced, and I didn't notice any obvious defects. So overall the sound quality is excellent but it’s not mind blowing, or maybe it’s in the limit of my audible capacity. I also connected my Fiio X5 as input, and as AMP it’s great, I didn't find any flaws in it, and it sounded right.

 

In conclusion regarding the Jotunheim, it seems like an excellent AMP able to drive almost everything, and for just 100 dollars you can add a balanced DAC. So it’s a nice start for a system and you can update it when Schiit launches new modules, but also you can connect a better DAC like the Bifrost Multibit, or a balanced DAC like the Gungnir. Also it can handle any headphones single ended or balanced which is nice.

 

What I loved of the show was the food, and the ability to connect your own gear in the Jotunheim to test it. For the next show I think they should include more products.

 

[Netforce]

Anyone else surprised at the lack of activity in this thread?

Sorry we were up too late partying at the Schiit Show, full bottle service or froyo everywhere! Jk, a few of us after the event had a nice but long dinner talking with each other about the days event and catching up. I didn't even get home till around midnight and kinda knocked out pretty soon after taking care of some work.
 
The impressions in the thread so far have been pretty great and I know a lot of others are taking their time to write up some wonderful impressions about the event yesterday. I'm pretty sure we will pick up in activity here a bit later in the day 

 

[CrocCap]

i thought the Jotunheim was a really good unit.  Sounded good, especially considering the price.  Heard a variety of high end headphones on it, including Utopia, LCD3, HD800, Ether Flow, TH900, HE-6, and all of these phones sounded good.  Its not like some headphones paired well while others were sub par, they all seemed to perform equally good.  The Jotunheim did drive my HE-6 to plenty loud levels, it was near the upper end of the volume pot on high gain, but it is enough. 
 
That being said, the Jotunheim would not be my recommendation as a final dac and or amp for flagship type headphones like the ones I just listed, as I think those class of headphones have more potential available than the Jotunheim can offer.  But then again combos I do like with some of those flagships are usually $2000, for a dac and amp, maybe in separate units. 
 
For $400 to $500, the Jotunheim has great value, and is easy to recommend for someone on a budget, or with a mid fi headphone. It's not that big, its fully balanced, has plenty of power, sounds good, so it does have a lot going for it.
 
I think more importantly than the immediacy of the Jotunheim is the possibilities of future products to have modular flexibility like this does.  People in the announcement thread are disappointed that this doesnt have this kind of input, or its not a flagship class product, but hopefully the Jotunheim will pave the way for future amps to have customizable inputs, dac sections, outputs, and other areas.  Imagine if that high end dac or amp you were going to buy had one thing missing or different than your first preference, and kept you from buying it, could be changed so that it had everything you wanted.  The Jotunheim is the door to that future.

 

[miceblue]

All righty, here are my impressions.

About Me:
This was my time attending an audio show, so I had a lot of "wow" moments. Local meetups are fun and all, but this felt like a whole different experience. Over the years I've been in this hobby, I've noticed that Schiit gear has come and gone and come back in Seattle meets. I personally haven't been a fan of the typical Schiit stack sounds except for Magni/Modi, but with Yggy and GuMB released in more recent times, I've been more curious about future products they might release.

Thanks to Netforce for giving me a lift; I'm attending school in the area and he was generous to provide me a way to get to the actual event.





[rule]
The Environment:
Since this was my first show, I figured I'd kind of explain what the environment was like since some people reading this post may not have been to a show, or what I'd like to read had I not gone to the show and was reading someone else's post. If I had a better way to record the audio (or if I knew my camera's video functions better), I would have tried to make a video tour.

Honestly, since this was more or less a product reveal event (jude had actually released a Head-Fi TV episode the night before showcasing the Jotunheim), I thought the atmosphere was going to be waaay more formal. In fact it was quite the opposite: super casual and just a warm, relaxed environment. As soon as you walked into the fancy lobby of Hotel MDR, we checked into the event. Surrounding the check-in table were various Schiit banners and whatnot, so you knew you were in the right spot.





In the listening rooms:




The venue itself was super nice too; it didn't feel like any hotel I've ever been in at least. Every attendee was able to get as much food and beverage as they so desired at the buffet table.

Spoiler: Free event and a buffet???

^ breakfast




^ lunch


^ dessert

mind = blown; I did not expect that at all

Seeing, meeting, and chatting people at the meet was another big aspect for me. After 5 years of being on Head-Fi, I finally got to meet some folks who I've seen around on the website, but not in-person: moedawg140 and warrenpchi for example. It was a lot of fun talking to them about the current state of the personal audio world, and just getting to know them better.

I was wondering if Mike Moffat and Jason Stoddard were going to show up at the meet since I didn't see them there at first; this is the Schiit Show after all. Sure enough, they were! I got the chance to chat with Jason for a bit. There's what you read online, and there's what you see in-person. Jason just seemed like a really chill guy, an absolute pleasure to talk to.





Towards the end of the event, there was the giveaway session. A winner was chosen from the #schiitselfie board (whiteSchiitboard?), Mike chose a winner for the best joke of the day, and there was a Schiit history trivia game too. I don't know much about how Schiit was started, so that was an interesting F.Y.I. event for me. The more you know!

As for the meat of the event, the launch of the Jotunheim, the venue had 2 listening rooms for people to try out the amp/DAC+amp/phono pre-amp+amp. There were probably around 14 setups to get a chance to listen to the Jot: 2 with the phono pre-amp module hooked up to vinyl turntables, the majority of them with the USB DAC module hooked up to MacBook Air computers running iTunes and the BitPerfect apps, and a few that had 3.5 mm to RCA inputs so people can use their own source. Most of the listening stations had headphones paired with them too, ranging from the ZMF Omni to the MrSpeakers Ether Flow, all the way up to the Focal Utopia. Each listening station was strictly a Jot, so no other Schiit products were there to make comparisons to.







[rule]
And with that....
Impressions:
The first listening station I heard was a

Spoiler: phono pre-amp Jot setup with the Ether Flow C

I hadn't previously heard the Ether Flow C before, so this was my first time with them. Maria Muldaur's "Midnight At The Oasis" sounded quite lovely to me despite the pops coming from the worn vinyl! Of all the setups I heard, I thought this was the most memorable to be honest; just pure bliss. That's some good Schiit.

I used my OPPO PM-3 with the same setup and I had a similar "bliss" moment. Actually for my preferences, I like the PM-3's more wide soundstage more than the deeper one from the Ether Flow C.


Just to confirm jude's reports of the Jot having a dead-silent background, I tried Netforce's Noble 4s with the Jot and indeed it was dead-silent. The Noble 4 is one of the more sensitive in-ear earphones I've heard, so I thought it was a good test for the Jot's background hiss, or lack there of in this case. Background hiss usually bothers me, so I'm glad to hear that the Jot can drive sensitive in-ears just fine.

If you're concerned about the volume knob when using sensitive headphones, the Jot handles that just fine. Switching it to low gain, the volume knob at 0 had no music playing, turning the knob just a little had a channel imbalance, turning it a little more and the channel imbalance went away without the overall sound being too loud. With the Noble 4s, there was still some wiggle-room with the volume knob (10 o-clock was the point of loud for me) and it has a good amount of resistance and smoothness when turning so that one wouldn't accidentally over-adjust the volume.


^ the volume knob in this position was a low-normal volume level for what I would listen to


Since I'm talking a bit about the Jot's physical features I might as well point out a few things.

1. The Jot doesn't get very warm at all, especially compared to their previous products. I put my hand on it and it was about as warm as a modern smartphone running a full-screen YouTube video with medium-high brightness.
2. The edges of the chassis are very, very smooth; no rough stuff anywhere.
3. There are no screws on the top of the unit, so it looks a lot cleaner

The next setup I heard was with a

Spoiler: DAC Jot setup with the Focal Utopia

I've heard the Utopia before so I knew kind of what to expect. The Jot had no problems driving them and the Utopia sounded just as good, if not better, as the last time I heard it. On the Jot, the Utopia had a smoother sound than I remember, not having as much brightness.

It was becoming a common theme with my listening sessions, so I think it would be safe for me to say this for the Jot as an amp: it seems to have a more rounded, moderately-sized soundstage from what I'm used to hearing. Even with the Audeze LCD-3 (non-Fazor), the soundstage was pretty nicely-spaced around my head; something I didn't expect for an LCD-series headphone.




The Jot had no problems driving the HD800S too, so the Jot can handle high-impedance (voltage-driven) headphones just fine. And in my experience, I still very much prefer the HD800S over the original HD800. I think the HD800S on the Jot was my second favorite setup between the two listening rooms.



Netforce also let me try the ENIGMAcoustics Dharma D1000 headphones, which I had not heard before too.



Man they sounded fan-freaking-tastic out of the Jot too. They had the electrostatic-like treble properties that I really like.



During the last 30 minutes of the event, people were starting to wrap things up so I took the opportunity to compare the Jot to the LH Labs Geek Out V2+ I brought with my own MacBook (using JRiver Media Center). Both DAC/amps have a fully balanced topology so I thought it would make for an interesting comparison. With the PM-3, I actually found the Jot to sound pretty much the same as the GOv2+ (Frequency Response Mode digital filter); it was very hard for me to pick out differences between the two.

Things got a little more interesting when I tried the comparisons with a modded HD800 on the other hand. With the PM-3 comparisons, I was thinking the Jot and the GOv2+ were pretty much on par with one another, so the HD800 might be the same results. Nope, I found the Jot to handle the HD800 much better than the GOv2+, particularly in the upper-midrange treble transition. Everything at the upper-midrange area and above just sounded way better on the Jot: it wasn't as bright, there was more texture in the instruments, treble seemed smoother in comparison, and the imaging more precise.





[rule]
Conclusions:
So, taking all of my sonic impressions from the Schiit Show 2 into one compact summary:

• Jot+phono pre-amp sounded fantastic
• Jot+DAC sounded great; the DAC is about on-par with other good Delta-Sigma DACs I've heard
• Jot as an amp has a rounded soundstage presentation and it's able to drive in-ears all the way up to high-impedance headphones with ease

The Jotunheim is selling at $399. That's quite a competitive price I think for what it can do (both sonically and in terms of input/outputs). The pretty great, in my opinion, DAC module is only $100 more. $499 for this package is actually quite a good deal I think. Especially if you're in a situation like me where desk space is tight, convenience is preferred, and your budget is limited, but you don't want to make too many compromises in the sound, the Jotunheim fits into the stereotypical "Goldilocks" scenario.

Sure it might not be the best amp in the Schiit lineup, and especially if you're looking for a tube amp, and sure it might not be the best DAC in the lineup, especially if you're looking for their more recent multi-bit stuff, but it goes right in-between them I think. For me, I liked the Jot more than I thought I would considering my past experience with Schiit's lineup (except for the Yggy in more recent times).



Taking all of my non-sonic Schiit Show impressions into one compact summary:

• Super chillax environment
• Met some really awesome people
• Had great conversations about audio and non-audio things

If you haven't been to an audio show before, I'd highly recommend going to at least one of them some time. I had an absolute blast at this event!

And just so you guys get a heads-up for a future audio show (including myself), I figured these would be some useful things to bring along:

• Portable media player/source
• USB stick with test tracks you're familiar with
• microSD card with test tracks (in case you want to hear another PMP)
• Necessary interconnects
• 3.5 mm to RCA cable
• Portable headphones/in-ears to compare things to
• An open mind

Thanks for taking the time to read through this!

Spoiler: Miscellaneous Photos

^ that's an example of a Jot setup with a 3.5 mm to RCA input so you can use your own PMP




^ DAC module PCB, or at least that's what I tried to take a photo of


^ amp PCB, or at least that's what I tried to take a photo of




^ shiny logo

 

[Vigrith]

Great posts all around! Subbing so that I can keep up with the impressions.

 

[Odin412]

I posted this in another thread before realizing that there was a dedicated thread for show impressions - sorry:
 
A great show! As you would expect there were a number of Jotunheims available (if fact, I didn't see any other Schiit products at the show), including two with phonostages hooked up to turntables! There were a number of headphones available - I listened to the Audeze LCD-XC, HD800, HD800S, Ether Flow, Ether C (don't know if this was the Flow version), ZMF Omni, Focal Elear and Utopia.
 
I admire the bravery of the Schiit folks - the Jotunheim is in a way part Bifrost (DAC), Asgard (single-ended amp) and Mjolnir (balanced amp). It's a bit smaller than the Bifrost-sized units and doesn't run nearly as hot as the Asgard 2. The new case design looks very nice and has the same solid build quality as the other Schiit products.
 
So how did it sound? To my ears it sounded very good and it really let the character of the various headphones come across. Isn't that what a good amp should do? While listening to the Utopia I started getting annoyed that there were someone behind me using a hammer for some kind of building maintenance, until I realized that the sound was coming from the track that I was playing. Well done!
 
And for those of you who visited the Schiit room at THE Show: The puppy has grown a lot and is very cute and friendly!
 
Again, thanks to everyone for a great show! We are really living in a golden age for headphone listening and SoCal seems to be ground zero for a lot of exciting products.

 

[ashirin]

     Schiit is an audio company trying to cater to a new generation, and their show was a perfect demonstration of this. I went with my brother and girlfriend, both of whom are much newer to the audio world than I am. We are all millennials, and the following is my impression of the Schiit Show 2 based on our experiences. 
 

General show impressions:

    The show took place at the Hotel MDR, the same place as last year. The environment was really chill and relaxing. Most importantly, the Schiit staff was always laid back and really friendly. We were told upon getting there to get some food, shown the listening areas, and told to have a good time. The parking was validated so it only cost $5, but the machine wasn’t working for some reason so the hotel people let us out for free (that’s $5 more in my Jotunheim fund). 

    One thing I really appreciated was that a good portion of the Schiit staff were women. Audio related events tend to be sausage parties, which is not very inviting to a lot of newcomers. I came with my girlfriend, and this was her first audio event. I have been talking about high end audio to her for years now but she’s only just started to get into it. She was nervous about it at first, but seeing that so many of the people from the company were also women was encouraging, and it helped break the (unfortunately well earned) stereotype that audio is for men only and women need not apply. More than that, the fact all the employees were super friendly, made conversation, and were quick to answer any questions, helped make the experience super fun. A good example of the atmosphere was the giveaways and light competition near the end of the show which were fun, and a good way to tie in the rest of the days proceedings.

    As an aside, much of Schiit’s success has come from being able to attract new customers to high end audio. This is no small feat. But the hard truth is: If this industry is to grow, it needs more (read: new) customers. Breaking the gender gap is one big way to do this, and I think companies like Schiit have a better shot because they break many of the industry stereotypes (they don’t use crazy marketing speak, they don’t talk about their competitors, and most importantly they don’t take themselves so damn seriously). This attitude transitions well to the Schiit shows, and its why I would highly recommend going to one for anyone that is new or intimidated by audiophiles in general. 
 

Food:

    Yes, it deserves its own section. The food was amazing. I was fortunate enough to catch both the breakfast (egg sandwiches and breakfast burritos accompanied by fruit, cereal, and baked goods) and lunch (meatballs, pizzas, steak quesadillas, fried chicken, etc.). And it was all very tasty. 

    The only knock I had against the food was that there were no vegetarian options. Last year, though the selection of food was much more limited in general, there were some good vegetarian options, like hummus and pita chips. I had told my girlfriend, who is a vegetarian, about it, so she was disappointed when there really wasn’t anything she could have. Most vegetarians are women, and of course, plenty of men are as well, but not having any options will disproportionately effect women. I know this is a small point, but it contributes to the exclusionary atmosphere that audiophile events often have. 

    However, our experience with the staff was great. I spoke to the Schiit staffer in charge of the food and explained that while in general the setup was amazing, it could be improved upon by having some vegetarian options. She was extremely nice and thanked us repeatedly for the suggestion. We felt listened to and let’s just say that I’m looking forward to seeing what they put out next year. 
 

Audio Room setup:

    Last year, Schiit had pretty much their entire lineup out along with the three products they were announcing - all crammed into one listening room. The experience wasn’t bad, and it was nice to be able to compare their different amps with the same headphones, but listening time was very limited. This year, they seemed to have tried the exact opposite. They had two rooms and every single setup was with the Jotunheim, the product being introduced. There was about 6 stations in each room. This allowed for a lot more listening time to become familiar with the Jotunheim. The only deviation was one station in each room with a turntable, connected to a Jotunheim with the optional phono section. I didn’t get a chance to test one of these out myself but it was really cool nonetheless.
 
    Though this setup was a vast improvement over the previous year, I do wonder if there is a way they could get the best of both worlds. Perhaps one listening room with just the Jotunheim and one with the rest of their lineup, would be a good compromise. The Modi Multibit for instance, is still only about a month old. So even though it was not being introduced at the show, it would have been a good time to let people hear it. 

    As for the headphones, the selection was very good, but could have been a bit better. There were a few noticeable absences, like the Hifiman HE-1000’s or Editions X’s (but then again I’m a big hifiman fan). It would have also been nice to hear an HE-6, especially after all the talk about how well this relatively inexpensive amplifier can drive them. I personally spent a good amount of time with the LCD-XC and the Sennheiser HD800. I also got to try the LCD-3’s as well as the HD800s and the ZMF Omni’s. Lastly, I waited in line to spend a few minutes with the Focal Utopia’s. 

    The only other aspect I wish was better was the selection of music. It’s great that they allow people to plug in their own music sources, but not everyone has a good quality DAP to bring their lossless files with them. At the last Schiit show, and at last years THE show Newport, I remember there being more tracks. The computers they had were different then, and the ones they have now are nicer, but it would be good if they could load some more options on there. One thing in particular that I felt was lacking was female vocalists. My girlfriend who listens to a lot of female artists had a hard time finding many of the tracks she loves from mainstream artists. I also regretted not being able listen to female voices as a means of auditioning the equipment. (tl;dr where was the Lady GAGA???) 

    A suggestion for future shows: having some iPhone camera adapters and OTG USB cables connected through Wyrds to the Jotunheim would have allowed anyone with a smartphone to connect their phones while still using the Jotunheim’s internal DAC. Even if most people don’t have lossless audio files on their phones, they probably still have a bunch of music they like and a setup like this would preserve audio quality (more so than the auxiliary cables they had on hand) while giving a real world experience of how some people would actually be using the product. 
 

Jotunheim general impressions:

    The amp (err, ‘configurable desktop control center’) itself is rather wonderful. Jason mentioned in the introduction thread for it that the new shape was chosen to cut costs over the “U” shape of similarly sized products. It looks really great, especially with the lack of any external screws. Even if it’s not quite the same as their other products, I think the reduction in cost is worth it given how good it looks. The physical interface is similarly fantastic. The volume knob is big and has a very satisfying feel to it. The front panel switches (finally!) that accompany it are extremely satisfying to move and easy to understand. 

    I think that the physical aspect of audio products and the way you interact with them matters a lot, especially when it comes to bringing new people into the hobby. Schiit has always managed to avoid spending large portions of a product’s budget on the chassis while still maintaining a sleek aesthetic and good build quality (the latter probably has something to do with the fact that it’s built in the USA). However, in this regard, in my opinion, the Jotunheim succeeds more than anything Schiit has made in the past, and I say that having spent time with all their gear at one time or another. Whether its having the switches on the front panel, or the oversized volume knob, or the recessed feet in place of the stickers (it’s past time for those to go by the way), or the fact that you can use any input with any output and it “just works,” there is no question that this is a really well thought out product. 

    There is a part of me that wonders if having more space for the add on module would have allowed greater flexibility in the future by allowing for higher quality additions, like a multibit DAC for $200 or so. Having 2 or more add-on sections could also be really neat, especially if Schiit comes up with some more options other than the DAC and phono sections available now. Then I might really start calling this a desktop control center, and not just an Amp/DAC. 
 

Jotunheim listening impressions:

    This is the section I’m probably least qualified to write about. I am a college student, and though I really really love audio, I don’t have much money to spend on it. My home setup includes a Schiit Magni and Modi (both gen 1) on top of a Wyrd, connected to Hifiman HE-400 or Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones. So, though I have heard all of the well regarded high end products in stores and at shows, I have not spent long amounts of time with those products in my home, and therefore am less familiar with them. So I cannot offer any reveling comparisons of the Jotunheim to well regarded amps in the price range. What I will say is that everything sounded great, and I never got the feeling that the amp was holding these really awesome headphones back (with one exception). 

    One of the better moments was listening to Toxicity by System of a Down on the Sennhieser 800s. The impact of the drums was excellent, sharp and powerful and with a natural decay. It’s a song I know well and I felt closer to it listening with this combination. When the vocals came in it sounded realistic, and the instrument separation was great even when the band goes into full swing. 

    Another memorable moment was listening to a Feeling Good cover by Muse on the Audeze LCD-3. The song starts off slow, with a prominent male vocal section. The texture in the lead singers voice was detailed, and it drew me. This made the impact greater when full band comes in, and the ample bass capabilities of the LCD-3 helped create a very enveloping sound. Despite it being a rather compressed recording (like most modern rock), the LCD-3 / Jotunheim combo gave a some emotion to the sound that made this track extremely engaging. 

    The only time I felt that I may have met a limitation was when using the Focal Utopia. I have only heard this headphone once before. That time, it was connected to a Woo Audio WA7tp Amp/DAC (the one including the optional tube power supply). I remember the Focal’s sounding better through that setup, but this is hardly an A/B/X test. Also, it was mostly with different music, with exception of the Civil Wars, which I head on both setups. I remember thinking the Woo Audio setup had a bit more clarity and more texture in the voices and instruments. Specifically, I remember the guitar strings feeling particularly present over the WA7tp. Not that they were bad on the Jotunheim, but they didn’t have quite the same ‘in the room’ feel to them. Then again, that amp costs more than 3x the price of the Jotunheim with the DAC add on. I do get the feeling that if you are spending $4000 on a headphone (or even $3000), you might want to get something a little better than what the Jotunheim is offering. But for headphones in the $1500 price range, a pairing with the Jotunheim is sure to offer pretty fantastic bang for your buck. Not to say that headphones in this price range won’t benefit from better electronics, but I definitely think you will start to see diminishing returns from here on out. 
 

Conclusions: 

    Considering that the cost of the attending was absolutely nothing, I’d say the show was worth every penny. Joking aside, it was an incredibly good time for me, my girlfriend, and my brother. It was great to walk into a listening room without waiting, be able to take our time with the equipment, come out, and discuss our impressions over some delicious finger foods. Then head over to chat with one of the friendly staff members who were excited to talk about music, headphones, and just about anything else, before going back in for another listen with different headphones. 

    Schiit is a company that’s trying to think differently in order to bring new customers. And you know what, it’s working. The day of the show, my girlfriend, who previously wouldn’t have been able to explain the function of a headphone amp, couldn’t stop talking to me about the differences between two $1500+ headphones and why she preferred one over the other. That’s crazy; but more importantly, it’s exactly what the industry needs. And when she does eventually save up to buy a set of HD800s’ (her favorite pair), I have no doubt what company she will pick an amp from to pair with it. 
 

TL;DR
If you are ever near a Schiit show, drop what you are doing, and go.

 

[3 toes of fury]

Thanks all for the wonderful updates from the Schiit Show!   As a huge fan of all things Schiit and team Jason/Mike,  its great to hear about the show and the Jot.   My experience and gear in this world is limited at best but I can say that ive never been as impressed with a company or its products as i am with Schiit.  Jason goes above and beyond to connect with his customer base and provide products to help people get the most out of their music with the best value products across a wide range of options/costs.  I know no other company that does that.  I appreciate it immensely as while with headphones I experiment with many manufacturers and styles,  but with amps and dacs I have a single wonderful source:  Schiit.  
 
@miceblue:    thank you SO much for your outstanding show summary.  You did an amazing job summarizing the sites, sounds, smells and looks of the show.  Thanks for taking the time and sharing your pics.   For those of us who cant attend, it means alot to experience it throu folks like you.
 
Peace .n. Living in Stereo
 
          Three Toes of Fury

 

[TMoney]

Sorry for posting impressions a few days late.
 
So I flew in for the day with a buddy to attend the Schiit-Show. Buying plane tickets in advance, I had no idea what was going to be on display, but I really like Schiit as a company. When they say they have something big to show I get excited.
 
So, night before the show @jude's video gets posted. Ok... that let the cat out of the bag a little early and killed any sense of surprise the next morning, but whatever.
 
While I was hoping to see a new flagship product from Schiit (Rag 2? Something else high-end and solid state) I was still excited to go listen to Jotun. I am in the market for a secondary rig for my office and the idea of sniper-shotting it with the $500 Jotun was pretty appealing.

The only thing on display at the Schiit Show was Jotun. I found this quite unfortunate, as I really would have liked to do some comparative listening to do is see where Jotun fits in their line. I trust my ears and I'd rather not take someone else's word for it. Unfortunately that was off the table as there were only two medium size rooms and all that is out were Jotuns.
 
Before I go in to my stream-of-conscious impressions, I can't thank Jason and his team enough for the wonderful event they put on. They had a great selection of headphones to test with, everyone was very friendly, and the food was tremendous! Seriously, breakfast, lunch and lunch-desert! The impromptu trivia-game was a riot and my buddy was fortunate enough to walk away with a Valhalla 2.
 

 
Anyways, time to get down to the nitty-gritty. My impressions:

1. It is a pleasure to finally meet Jason in person. I've loved reading his book and his blog and the guy seems totally genuine. I wish I knew as much about amplifiers as you guys so I could have a more intelligent conversation with him.
2. Jotun build quality is very nice. It looks very good in person and lives up to Schiit's usual standards. The new "L" bend casing looks very good in person.
3. There were two turntable rigs here, but neither sounded all that great. I arrived right at the start of the meet and there was a pile of records but most of them did not seem to be well cared for and sounded pretty crappy. Thankfully, someone on the Schiit Team went over to the Barnes and Noble mid-meet and bought a stack of new records to try. Much better!
   1. I acknowledge that good vinyl does sound better than digital, but give me digital over mediocre/poor vinyl any day and twice on Sundays. The vinyl rigs set up with the Jotuns seemed pretty entry-level, which is fine, but I'd rather have digital than entry level vinyl.
4. For those that are interested, the USB module shows up as the gen 2 module on macs they have here.
5. It is hard to comment on the quality of the DAC card as there are no other DACs to plug Jotun in to. All the Jotuns are running off their own internal DACs or Phono stages.
6. Jotun DAC worked plugged directly into my iPad running Tidal via the USB adapter.

 
 
Sonics: 

1. Jotun sounds serviceable and potentially good value at the price.
2. Jotun has plenty of gain. It will go as loud as you want to listen. The versatility of the Jotun is quite impressive.
3. Jotun does not sound engaging enough for me to want to buy one for a secondary rig.
4. My biggest complaint is that the Jotun stages and sounds very flat. I find the sound uninspiring.
5. Jotun has plenty of bass. It did not sound particularly liquid. Highs are meh.
6. I brought my own HD800S to test with via balanced. Jotun is totally outclassed by the HD800S. If you have 800S please do your headphones a favor and go up the Schiit's audio line to something better.
7. Source AV-Jason brought the Utopia (only a single-ended cable was available) and Jotun isn't doing it any favors either. I do not like the sound of the Utopia on Jotun. I highly doubt anyone in the market for a Utopia would ever want to run it on a Jotun, but please, don't.
8. Relative to what I have heard in the past I know 800S/Utopia have MUCH more to give than what I am hearing.
9. TLDR: Jotun sounds competent, but uninspiring.

So, at the end of the day I was a bit disappointed by Jotun. It feels like a product that puts value as first priority. That is fine, but it is not what I am looking for. I will not be buying a Jotun for my office rig. I would really like to hear an amp-only Jotun against Schiit's other amps to see how it fits in. My hunch is that Mojo and Rag owners aren't going to be trading down to a Jotun any time soon.
 
Jotun is a damn-impressive box for 400/500, but if you are already playing in the big leagues then Jotun probably isn't going to wow you. This is a great entry-level box, and may be as good as you can do at $500, but I'd rather save my pennies for something that sounds a more engaging.
 
Sorry to not be more positive!

 

[acguitar84]

I wonder how this would be as a preamp mainly, driving powered monitors? I like how everything has balanced inputs. Later on, a person could get a gungnir or even a yggy and run it into the Jotunheim and have a balanced sound through the entire system. Currently, I use a mackie mixer, it has balanced outs, but only an RCA input. Something to think about anyway. The onboard DAC if I got one would be a pinch hitter, needed if the bigger DAC went out for service and what not. It's worth a look if I use it in that way. It doesn't sound like it would be a good choice for a dedicated headphone amp from the impressions I've read so far, but again, it could be a nice "pinch hitter" if needed for some light listening, in the office or wherever.
 
addendum: I ordered a Jotunheim. Got the DAC installed, I'm hoping it will work well enough for my work office, that I can hang in there for a few months until gungnir's finally become available again, then hook one into the Jotunheim. I thought about ordering two, one for each desktop, then I thought, I might as well test one out first and see if I it does the job I hope it will.

 

[scottcocoabeach]

While all of these early impressions are very much appreciated I have to ask myself as I am reading them if we are getting impressions of the AMP or the DAC? I think it will be much more valuable when we get more feedback on the AMP using external DACs. Even though I ordered the Jot with the DAC option I plan on using primarily with an external DAC, starting with my Gumby. It will be very interesting to hear how it sounds using something other than the internal DAC option.

I do find it really surprising that they didn't have other equipment there. Personally I really want to hear the Ydrassil but since I'm on the opposite coast I'm not sure when I'll have the chance unless I just purchase one. I would have been disappointed to have made the trip and not been able to listen to some of their other options. Still sounds like they were great hosts and put on a really nice event.

Thanks to those that have provided impressions and pictures.

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

While all of these early impressions are very much appreciated I have to ask myself as I am reading them if we are getting impressions of the AMP or the DAC? I think it will be much more valuable when we get more feedback on the AMP using external DACs. Even though I ordered the Jot with the DAC option I plan on using primarily with an external DAC, starting with my Gumby. It will be very interesting to hear how it sounds using something other than the internal DAC option.

I do find it really surprising that they didn't have other equipment there. Personally I really want to hear the Ydrassil but since I'm on the opposite coast I'm not sure when I'll have the chance unless I just purchase one. I would have been disappointed to have made the trip and not been able to listen to some of their other options. Still sounds like they were great hosts and put on a really nice event.

Thanks to those that have provided impressions and pictures.

I've been listening to mine today, switching between the internal DAC, and Bimby, and a Momby. The character of the amp has changed with each DAC I switch to. I don't want to say that the Jotunheim is just a wire with gain, because that's not truly possible, but it is very transparent. It will take what you feed it and show you just what that really sounds like. And the built in DAC is not pushing the amp to its full potential.

 

[tjw321]

 
I've been listening to mine today, switching between the internal DAC, and Bimby, and a Momby. The character of the amp has changed with each DAC I switch to. I don't want to say that the Jotunheim is just a wire with gain, because that's not truly possible, but it is very transparent. It will take what you feed it and show you just what that really sounds like. And the built in DAC is not pushing the amp to its full potential.

I currently have a Bimby and I was thinking of getting the Joti with the DAC module so that I could go either fully balanced, or multibit depending on how the mood took me

. In your opinion, is that worthwhile, or would the internal DAC just be a waste of money?