Shiit Jotunheim/Dac vs Audeze Deckard for LCD-2f?
Jan 27, 2017 at 2:14 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 23
Bubblejuice

Bubblejuice

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I recently got a pair of LCD-2f in the past few months. I've been running them off of an JDSlabs O2 amp I bought for them, and that it connected directly to my PC front 3.5mm out. I usually play either Spotify Hi-Res or Flac files. It has the power to run them, but I feel like it's not letting the LCD-2s really give all they've got. 
 
A little while after I got my setup I visited a local audio shop and tried out their LCD-2f with an Audeze Deckard they had for testing. I fell in love with the sound they produced. I'm amazed how effortlessly the sound flowed through both devices together. 
 
Unfortunately, the LCD-2s were already a huge financial investment for me, so buying a Deckard outright wasn't an option, and still isn't... yet?
 
Anyways, I've heard a lot of people also recommend the Jotunheim/Dac with the LCD-2. I've never heard any Shiit products, so I have nothing to go off of. But considering it's more widely available used, and a fair bit cheaper overall, maybe it's a better option instead of the Deckard. Since i've never heard the Jot, I could like the sound better.. But I've searched around and I've found very little (if anything at all) comparing the two.
 
What i'm wondering is how do they compare to each other? Do they sound similar? If not, how do they make the LCD-2s sound? Which one would you guys/gals recommend?
 
Thanks in advance!
 
Jan 27, 2017 at 7:12 PM Post #2 of 23
I am very interested to hear some thoughts on this as well. I also heard Deckard, but not the Jot.
 
By the way, did you consider some other amps, such as the Lyr2, or Liquid Carbon (that would probably be the one I would be most interested in, if it wasn't so damn expensive) or even the mjolnir 2?
 
Jan 27, 2017 at 7:30 PM Post #3 of 23
martinrajdl said:
  I am very interested to hear some thoughts on this as well. I also heard Deckard, but not the Jot.
 
By the way, did you consider some other amps, such as the Lyr2, or Liquid Carbon (that would probably be the one I would be most interested in, if it wasn't so damn expensive) or even the mjolnir 2?
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I have considered others, but since I loved the Deckard sound, I could totally consider that my end game amp/dac for my LCD-2f. No question. However, after reading a lot of reviews, the Jot seems like it could be on par, but I don't have the money to actually test it out. So i'm hoping someone else has.
 
I did however try the Lyr with the LCD-2f at at the same store, I A/B'd them with the Deckard. The Lyr had it's stock tubes and some higher end tubes I tried too (I know very little about tubes so I can't specify), but I didn't like the sound at all. The amp was way too warm and distorted. That's something a tube amp is supposed to do as far as I've been told, but with headphones that are already so warm and dark, it just became a mess to listen to unfortunately. It was almost grainy and mushed together. The detail faded away quite a bit and everything else just bloomed out un-proportionally (by this I mean that the sounds became bloated and separation reduced significantly). 
 
However, this was the Lyr 1. Not sure how different the Lyr 2 is. And it sounded pretty good with the Hifiman HE-500s that were there. But not the LCD-2f (Or any of the Audeze there for that matter. LCD-3f, EL-8 closed and open, LCD-XC, etc).
 
This is just my opinion though. My brother and father that were there enjoying them with me also agreed with my thoughts on this though.
 
Jan 28, 2017 at 7:47 AM Post #4 of 23
Wow, this is a pretty interesting considering that Lyr (1) was one of the more popular amp pairings with the LCD2, but also something I find really easy to believe, considering the usual nature of tubes and also some other things I have read on the Jotunheim thread (comparing the Jot to the Lyr, Jot was for the most people the clear winner). Thanks for the information.
 
Anyway, I also hope someone has something to say about Deckard and Jotunheim in terms of their sound quality differences. 
 
Jan 28, 2017 at 10:39 PM Post #5 of 23
I'm joining... 'cause I can't seem to stop spending money, and would like to know what the next step up is myself. I was looking at the Oppo HA-1, but that seems to be pulled from their on-line store at the moment... so who knows what they are replacing it with.
 
Jan 28, 2017 at 10:45 PM Post #6 of 23
waytoocrazy said:
  I'm joining... 'cause I can't seem to stop spending money, and would like to know what the next step up is myself. I was looking at the Oppo HA-1, but that seems to be pulled from their on-line store at the moment... so who knows what they are replacing it with.
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Haha if you have money to spare. You should try out the Jot and let us know what you find out. 
tongue.gif

 
Jan 28, 2017 at 10:54 PM Post #7 of 23
bubblejuice said:
  Haha if you have money to spare. You should try out the Jot and let us know what you find out. 
tongue.gif
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Gathering Intel first... I just bought a new laptop, tablet and office printer this month... so... maybe next month, but I'd like a direction first. 
biggrin.gif

 
Jan 29, 2017 at 12:14 AM Post #8 of 23
waytoocrazy said:
  Gathering Intel first... I just bought a new laptop, tablet and office printer this month... so... maybe next month, but I'd like a direction first. 
biggrin.gif
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True true. If you haven't heard the Deckard yet, I've seen the Magnolia section at a Best Buy have them. Maybe you could bring your headphones and try it out there. But not all Best buys have it, this one was in Scottsdale AZ (Where most of the wealthy businesses are). You can probably call and ask if they have any on display in the Best buys around your area. (Maybe even use their quiet speaker rooms if you find a helpful employee).
 
Jan 29, 2017 at 12:19 AM Post #9 of 23
bubblejuice said:
 
True true. If you haven't heard the Deckard yet, I've seen the Magnolia section at a Best Buy have them. Maybe you could bring your headphones and try it out there. But not all Best buys have it, this one was in Scottsdale AZ (Where most of the wealthy businesses are). You can probably call and ask if they have any on display in the Best buys around your area. (Maybe even use their quiet speaker rooms if you find a helpful employee).
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Yup, have the Deckard... but looking for better... (thought, it does sound sweet... my addiction is real).
 
 
Jan 29, 2017 at 12:24 AM Post #10 of 23
Apr 17, 2017 at 7:31 AM Post #12 of 23
In the coming days... my Jot will arrive. Then, I will test them against each other. I will be using my Mojo as the DAC section (as I ordered the Jot without DAC).
 
Edit: I will not be getting the Jot. They thought it nice to not put that there is a backlog of orders and that my order was in queue, but I most likely wouldn't see it for a few weeks. So I decided to cancel. I think I'll look elsewhere.
 
Apr 27, 2017 at 5:46 PM Post #14 of 23
martinrajdl said:
a bit off topic, but did anyone hear Meier Audio Corda Jazz / FF and could compare to some of the stuff above(Jot, Deckard, etc) ?
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At some point, I could evaluate the Amp only section of the Deckard vs the Jot. I just need to bring the Deckard down from the Master Bedroom. I did end up getting a Black Jot.
 
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