This has been a year for exciting launch parties. There was the Focal Utopias, then the amazing MrSpeakers ETHER and ETHER C Flows, and now the Schiit Jotunheim, which I had the privilege to attend last night.
Mike and Jason (of Schiit) have a long standing opposition to integrated DAC Amps based on the concept of short term obselence (the idea that DAC technology is very fluid, and new digital formats could appear at any time making the current DAC obsolete). While I may not share their sentiment, I certainly approve of their solution, the Jotunheim.
The Jotunheim is an inexpensive ($399) modular designed fully balanced headphone amplifier / preamp boasting a completely new amplifier topology that they claim outperforms all other amplifier designs (a risky statement given where it falls into their line price wise). What makes the Jotunheim truly unique in the Schiit line is that it has a slot (factory addressable only) for either a DAC (featuring the AKM AK4490, the heart of some very expensive portable units) or a Moving Magnet Phono stage for those die hard analog fans($100 for either module).
They provided an excellent selection of headphones for auditioning, and I found it performed surprisingly well with the HD800s, though my personal preference of the headphones provided were the ETHER C Flows. Though there obviously wasn't enough time for a critical evaluation, it is clear that Jason and Mike have a winner, and I look forward to an opportunity for further listening.
