[Cirkustanz]

Hello party people,

I've been away from the headphone game for a while, but am jumping back into the world. Something I've been meaning to do but have not yet, is purchase a good dac/amp for home use. Currently my source is 100% my desktop PC. On the desk I have been using a monoprice 11567 and in the living room have been plugging my phones directly into the headphone amp of my AVR.

I've never really been specifically impressed with the 11567 but it has served well when I consider how little it cost.

I've recently ordered the Sennheiser 6XX from massdrop, and am looking forward to them. My first pair of real headphones were 595's and I loved them for years. My plan is to use them primarily with the new dac/amp that I am hoping to get some advice on which one to purchase.

I've obviously never made a purchase from them, but I've seen so much praise for the Schitt Jotumheim's whenever I look into dac/amps, and am strongly considering it.

A Schitt Jotumheim with a dac is pretty much the top end of my budget, and I'm sure I would like it but...

I have a couple concerns though...with my current dac/amp I almost always forget to turn it off when I'm not using it. For weeks at a time.

Is there any reason to be concerned while leaving an amp powered for ages when it is not in use?

The power switch being located at the back is really awkward, especially since it will be placed under a monitor stand. There will be plenty of room around it, I'm not at all worried about it overheating or anything, I'm just wondering if leaving the thing turned on all the time is a bad idea.

Also, I'm wondering if it would be overkill. I don't see myself owning mega-expensive headphones, but I do like the idea of this being the one and only dac/amp that I would ever need.

Thoughts?

 

[buke9]

I myself don’t believe in such a thing as overkill the more power the better. The Jotunheim is a very fine dac/amp also. Had one with the Multibit dac a few months ago on loan for a meet from Schiit and thought it was very good with the 6xx’s as well. Being balanced is also nice as it can give you even more power with the proper cable but single ended was fine with the 6xx’s as I don’t have a xlr balanced cable for them just yet.
I agree the power switch being on the backside is a bit screwy but on my Yggdrasil not a problem as I leave it on all the time except for vacations or out for the weekend.

 

[NovaFlyer]

Hello party people,

I've been away from the headphone game for a while, but am jumping back into the world. Something I've been meaning to do but have not yet, is purchase a good dac/amp for home use. Currently my source is 100% my desktop PC. On the desk I have been using a monoprice 11567 and in the living room have been plugging my phones directly into the headphone amp of my AVR.

I've never really been specifically impressed with the 11567 but it has served well when I consider how little it cost.

I've recently ordered the Sennheiser 6XX from massdrop, and am looking forward to them. My first pair of real headphones were 595's and I loved them for years. My plan is to use them primarily with the new dac/amp that I am hoping to get some advice on which one to purchase.

I've obviously never made a purchase from them, but I've seen so much praise for the Schitt Jotumheim's whenever I look into dac/amps, and am strongly considering it.

A Schitt Jotumheim with a dac is pretty much the top end of my budget, and I'm sure I would like it but...

I have a couple concerns though...with my current dac/amp I almost always forget to turn it off when I'm not using it. For weeks at a time.

Is there any reason to be concerned while leaving an amp powered for ages when it is not in use?

The power switch being located at the back is really awkward, especially since it will be placed under a monitor stand. There will be plenty of room around it, I'm not at all worried about it overheating or anything, I'm just wondering if leaving the thing turned on all the time is a bad idea.

Also, I'm wondering if it would be overkill. I don't see myself owning mega-expensive headphones, but I do like the idea of this being the one and only dac/amp that I would ever need.

Thoughts?

I'll second @buke9 comments on the Jotunheim. It's a great match with the HD6xx, in fact this is my daily set-up that I use at my desk with my computer as the source. I sometimes forget to turn off the Jotunheim and it stays on overnight, but I've had no ill effects from doing that. I'm still using the single-ended cable, but will get a balanced XLR cable in the future. So that's a modest upgrade path. I don't see myself going beyond the Jotunheim at this point.

 

[Bored Robot]

For a solid state dac/amp leaving it on for extended period time is probably not an issue as long as the power is stable—no spikes or things like that. I’ve forgotten to turn off my home theater receiver for weeks while traveling and it was just fine when I returned—although the cabinet was toasty. LOL

 

[NovaFlyer]

From the Jotunheim manual, FAQ section:

Can I leave Jotunheim on all the time?
Yes, you can.

 

[ksorota]

You can also get a fairly cheap WEMO switch and just have it turn off during the overnight hours that you know you will not be using the amp.

The Jot. is a fine amp...very easy to find used on the forum for a good savings too!

 

[Cirkustanz]

I'm kinda leaning towards joining the thousands of people waiting for massdrop to get the 789's back in stock...and shop for a DAC. It's going to sound crazy, but if I ever wanted to move the headphone station into the living room, I can do that more easily with a DAC that has an optical in, than one that does not.

I dunno, who knows...the monolith desktop balanced amp/dac is also real tempting. Decisions, decisions!

 

[TommyFro]

I've currently got a Schiit Stack v3(magni and modi) and having had dozens of "better" things I would recommend spending more on the headphones than the amp. Schiit isn't joking when they say it's really all you need. Will some stuff measure better? Yes. Will you honestly be able to hear it? No. My questyle cma400i sounds great(little less harsh in the upper mids), well not anymore that its in for service(worst thing ever), but I could not really convince myself I needed an $800 amp/dac for a set of $800 headphones. I sold my friend, who has the 6xx, my first set up which was a Modi2 and Asgard2 and he loves it. The Asgard 2 is a warm sounding amp which fits the 6xx well. As with any schiit stuff, used is your friend and they don't mind being on 24/7 at all. If you really want the cleanliness of the 789 without the ridiculous wait get something like the JDS labs atom and a Magni3 or Topping D50. Not as clean as an all in one box but its cheaper and measures a whole lot better if you decide to go down that path.

Hope this helps some and feel free to criticize or ask questions!

 

[Cirkustanz]

I decided to jump on the massdrop thx aaa 789 bandwagon and placed an order for one earlier today. It's a bit more than I was anticipating on spending, but I'm selling a bunch of gear that I have not used in a long time, which should cover a nice dac and probably even a new desk, which is long overdue!

Will be a fun couple of months getting all of that sorted out.