[Lou Erickson]

I've got two orders coming in from Schiit already, and keep admiring the Valhalla 2 and Lyr 2. I don't need two more amps! Why do I want the shiny things?

And why did I order them all in black?

 

[Lou Erickson]

My first order from Schiit arrived; a Modi DAC to get rid of the static noise from line-out on my PC. That's worked flawlessly and it's very quiet now, making lovely music. Don't need as much gain on the Headroom Millet Hybrid, either. Sounds lovely.

I also bought a Mangi with DAC that I was going to use on another computer, but I think I'll return it in favor of the Jotenheim I've also ordered... I hope they won't mind.

The UPS man also had a Drop/Hifiman HE5xx I get to try, and a bunch of music suggested from here and there. It was a good day for packages.

Next Schitt order - balanced stack! - due in a couple of days.

 

[Lou Erickson]

How much amp does this HE5xx need? My Headroom Desktop Millet Hybrid won't drive them well, clipping all over the place. For a minute, I thought they were just bad out of the box.

I rememberd the living room has a vintage Marantz tuner with 400 W amps in it, and the headphone jack is run off those amps through some big resistors. That drove the HE5xx just fine. Lovely bass in them, brings out all sorts of details I had missed in other headphones. Very nice.

But how big an amp does this thing want?

 

[Lou Erickson]

Hey, second order from Schitt arrived, and it's pretty shiny. Jotunheim for amp, Modius for DAC, and Lokius for tone control. A nice modest little stack, with balanced inputs and outputs. Sounds pretty great so far, but I'm only a track in yet. Gonna see how it handles the HE5xx... Crystal clear. That's very nice indeed, and I don't have to stand in front of the Marantz in the living room.

Yay!

 

[Lou Erickson]

Failed my save versus shiny, and am going to upgrade Modius to Bifrost. Also threw a Valhalla and a Lyr in the cart because tubes. Now I just have to wait for it to arrive. Impatient me!

 

[pbui44]

Wow. I know it has been quite a while, but you should wait for your stuff to arrive and try everything out. Then, you can decide whatever to keep and send back.

 

[pbui44]

Also, you will need an xlr cable for your HE-5XX to get the most power from the Jotunheim and this cable should suffice:

https://www.amazon.com/Youkamoo-Balanced-Compatible-Headphones-Replacement/dp/B08LF36XD2/

 

[Lou Erickson]

Wow. I know it has been quite a while, but you should wait for your stuff to arrive and try everything out. Then, you can decide whatever to keep and send back.

It may not seem like it, but I did wait for the first order to arrive before I decided to upgrade; I've got a Modius DAC and am listening to it now, along with the Lokius tone control and Jotunheim amp. Worked right away and really clear, clean sound.

It was reviews and impressions here that made me decide I wanted the Bifrost instead. I'm really happy with what I bought, and expect to be happier with the better DAC. I had sort of missed the Bifrost in the product line, and probably should have ordered it the first time. I almost missed Jotunheim too, which is a pity because it's a nice entry level balanced headphone amp.

I added two more amps to my cart on a whim, and will now have plenty of choices. Asgard and Lyr are both coming so I can fiddle with all the tube joy. Frankly that'll probably hold me for a while and I'll go be happily listening for another twenty years.

Also, you will need an xlr cable for your HE-5XX to get the most power from the Jotunheim and this cable should suffice:

https://www.amazon.com/Youkamoo-Balanced-Compatible-Headphones-Replacement/dp/B08LF36XD2/

Thanks for that link! I've got a set ordered from Surf Audio already, and they'll be here soon. I'm looking forward to trying the balanced drive; I hope it makes a nice upgrade, and on these phones where it's just a cable change it's really easy to try.

I have a couple others - see my post in DIY - that will need cable surgery to run balanced, but that can come after the replacable cables come.

 

[Lou Erickson]

The DT990 (edit, 990!) Editions I ordered have arrived and are as sweet as I remembered them. My old ones were only the 250 Ohm, but these are the 600 Ohm. Since I have enough amp to drive it, why not get the higher resistance pair?

I had to turn the knob on Jotunheim 2 notably to make them as loud as the H5XX's were, so they're definitely in the "hard to drive" category.

Love the comfort and sound of these, though, and hope my old pair can be ressurected with a new cable. Haven't tried yet.

 

[tomb]

Want to know what's changed in the world, btw? Check out this thread right here in the Introductions, Help, and Recommendations section:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-strains-to-smoke-while-enjoying-music.971907/

I'm not implying the referenced use is new, but a forum post about it and allowing it to stay is new to me.


EDIT: Well, I guess they didn't really allow it, because it's gone now. Whew! Maybe I'm not so old-fashioned yet, after all.

 

[Lou Erickson]

Upgrade #1 for today has arrived and been eagerly installed: A Bifrost 2/64 to replace Modius. Let's have the bigger DAC; it sounds great. Hard to say how they're different, because Modius also sounded good, but I'm sure I'm happier with it because it costs more.

Balanced cables for a couple of my headphones should arrive in today's mail, and I'm expecting that to be a bigger difference.

Also arrived is a Valhalla 2 and a Lyr 3 which I'll have around to play with. Yay, tubes again!

 

[Lou Erickson]

Balanced cables have arrived. First impression: They're really short!

First listening impression is good, though. Between the new DAC and new cable things are remarkably clear and every note sharply defined and well formed.

I've made many changes to my listening station lately, and every time the first thing I do is play through the 50th anniversay remixes of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It's a good thing I love this album.

 

[Lou Erickson]

Ordered a Focal Elex; could not resist the low price on headphones.com to get into the Focal line. Am admiring more shiny, but have to wait for the discretionary funds to recharge.

 

[Lou Erickson]

The Focal Elex has come from headphones.com. Box clearly labels it a Massdrop product, which headphones.com failed to mention. That's no biggie - it explains the low price! - but was a bit of a surprise.

So far - two minutes in - they sound very nice indeed. Clear and musical, although not as wide a soundstage as others. Will know more in some hours.