TrumpOrMonkey
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2010
- Posts
- 163
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- 40
Hi everyone,
After spending considerable time finalising my selection of headphones, primarily Arya, HE1000V2, HE6SEv2 and LCD3(amongst others), I've been considering upgrading from the Jotunheim 2 to something a bit higher end to really be able to get the most out of what I have.
To get to know my tastes a little bit better, I'll list some impressions I have on gear I've owned previously.
Schiit Asgard 3: A little too much on the warm side for me, a bit too laid back, great timbre, not enough drive and dynamics for me. Good body to the sound but a bit slow. Stage was a bit too intimate for me.
Schiit Lyr 3: Great depth and width to the soundstage, very good imaging, good timbre, great macro and microdynamics, a little bit strident for me with brighter tubes but enjoyed it a lot with a warmer tube which made the bass rounder and tonality and timbre a bit smoother/warmer. Ultimately I really enjoyed this amp, but I found it could sound just a touch too saturated at times for me with my planars. Overall great staging size while being mid forward.
Singxer SA1: Ultimately smooth and forgiving, detailed/clean but a bit too dry sounding for me, timbre just ok, not enough drive and dynamics for me. On the thinner side of things which I don't prefer. Stage was a good size.
Now what I enjoy about my Jotunheim 2: Slightly on the warm side, good timbre, great macrodynamics and slam, great drive, good body and thickness to the sound but not slow and round sounding like the Asgard can sometimes be. Overall forward and engaging sound.
What I'm hoping I can improve: Microdynamics, detail, imaging and separation, soundstage size both width and depth, more holographic if possible?
I've actually recently also bought a Phonitor XE which opened my eyes to what is possible moving up from an amp like the Jotunheim.
My impressions of it are: Incredible detail, imaging, separation, great microdynamics and quite good macrodynamics (not flat sounding like Asgard and SA1, it has a reasonable amount of slam), wide staging with reasonable depth, body is reasonable but could be improved, overall weight of the sound (particularly bass) could be improved, timbre is reasonably good and realistic but could be a little warmer. Tonality is dead neutral if considering aforementioned amplifiers as differing levels of neutral-warm (outside of Lyr 3 with a brighter tube). Treble can fairly often be prickly which doesn't bode well on quite a few songs, sound is more quickly fatiguing as a result. Doesn't seem to drive HiFiMan Arya and HE6SEv2 with much authority, dynamics could be better on those - seems ok with Audezes, Sundara and HE1000V2. Amp has an overall very engaging sound but is fatiguing.
Now, what I'm hoping I can find is an amplifier which will combine the good aspects of the Phonitor, with the warmth, smoothness, drive, body/thickness that you get from the Jotunheim 2.
Here's a short list of amplifiers which I've found sound like they might be around the ballpark based on opinions I've seen and am considering:
Headamp GS-X Mini
iFi Pro iCan/iCan Signature
Violectric V280/V281
Any input is greatly appreciated!
After spending considerable time finalising my selection of headphones, primarily Arya, HE1000V2, HE6SEv2 and LCD3(amongst others), I've been considering upgrading from the Jotunheim 2 to something a bit higher end to really be able to get the most out of what I have.
To get to know my tastes a little bit better, I'll list some impressions I have on gear I've owned previously.
Schiit Asgard 3: A little too much on the warm side for me, a bit too laid back, great timbre, not enough drive and dynamics for me. Good body to the sound but a bit slow. Stage was a bit too intimate for me.
Schiit Lyr 3: Great depth and width to the soundstage, very good imaging, good timbre, great macro and microdynamics, a little bit strident for me with brighter tubes but enjoyed it a lot with a warmer tube which made the bass rounder and tonality and timbre a bit smoother/warmer. Ultimately I really enjoyed this amp, but I found it could sound just a touch too saturated at times for me with my planars. Overall great staging size while being mid forward.
Singxer SA1: Ultimately smooth and forgiving, detailed/clean but a bit too dry sounding for me, timbre just ok, not enough drive and dynamics for me. On the thinner side of things which I don't prefer. Stage was a good size.
Now what I enjoy about my Jotunheim 2: Slightly on the warm side, good timbre, great macrodynamics and slam, great drive, good body and thickness to the sound but not slow and round sounding like the Asgard can sometimes be. Overall forward and engaging sound.
What I'm hoping I can improve: Microdynamics, detail, imaging and separation, soundstage size both width and depth, more holographic if possible?
I've actually recently also bought a Phonitor XE which opened my eyes to what is possible moving up from an amp like the Jotunheim.
My impressions of it are: Incredible detail, imaging, separation, great microdynamics and quite good macrodynamics (not flat sounding like Asgard and SA1, it has a reasonable amount of slam), wide staging with reasonable depth, body is reasonable but could be improved, overall weight of the sound (particularly bass) could be improved, timbre is reasonably good and realistic but could be a little warmer. Tonality is dead neutral if considering aforementioned amplifiers as differing levels of neutral-warm (outside of Lyr 3 with a brighter tube). Treble can fairly often be prickly which doesn't bode well on quite a few songs, sound is more quickly fatiguing as a result. Doesn't seem to drive HiFiMan Arya and HE6SEv2 with much authority, dynamics could be better on those - seems ok with Audezes, Sundara and HE1000V2. Amp has an overall very engaging sound but is fatiguing.
Now, what I'm hoping I can find is an amplifier which will combine the good aspects of the Phonitor, with the warmth, smoothness, drive, body/thickness that you get from the Jotunheim 2.
Here's a short list of amplifiers which I've found sound like they might be around the ballpark based on opinions I've seen and am considering:
Headamp GS-X Mini
iFi Pro iCan/iCan Signature
Violectric V280/V281
Any input is greatly appreciated!
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