Schiit Jotunheim 2 Review (DAC & Headphone Amp)

[YSC]

I could see your point if they had no other offerings but the Jotunheim. Schiit does design, and offer for sale, well measuring IC-based products though. Customer choice of 'well measuring' or 'voiced', from the same company. I have no issue with this. And hardly "audiophoolry", or BS. IMHO

Yea, if not only offers one type it’s fine for preference or valves should all be crushed.

and more importantly for me personally is it’s at the half decent range at least, so you don’t very significantly differs from CD quality

 

[GeekyBastard]

I see you edited your original post with the above^ added.

Your argument makes no sense. You would need to compare the Jotunheim 2 to Topping's equivalent of Multibit. . .

Compare D30Pro ($349/China) to Modius/Magnius (IC-based) stack ($398/U.S.A.) and it's a bit closer race, no?

Look, I'm not apologizing for the Jotunheim 2 or their Multibit. But neither is Schiit.

And I have no doubt that the D30Pro is an outstanding product.

I'm just comparing Jotunheim 2 without DAC with Topping A30 Pro, they're both balanced HP amp without DAC, and the price range is quite the same, Topping A30 Pro's performance still beat Jotunheim 2 for quite a lot, and it won't cost much more than 599$(Which is Jotunheim 2 with multibit DAC) to have a better system than what Schiit could offer.

 

[beanxinh]

I'm just comparing Jotunheim 2 without DAC with Topping A30 Pro, they're both balanced HP amp without DAC, and the price range is quite the same, Topping A30 Pro's performance still beat Jotunheim 2 for quite a lot, and it won't cost much more than 599$(Which is Jotunheim 2 with multibit DAC) to have a better system than what Schiit could offer.

Lol why don't you compare the A30 Pro with the Maginus, the Maginus are much cheaper at almost half the price and with similar performance.
This Dac/Amp is for a difference market segment/ target audience.

 

[Helicopter]

Thanks for the review Amir. This is everything I hoped for, but I knew already that the Magnius would measure better at half the price and that the Schiit cards are overdue for an update. What you get here is power in spades, transparency, and a cool circuit that should perform for a long time.

Schiit didn't design this for ASR or they would have sent one for testing before the launch like with Magnius and Modius. I really don't understand all the negativity. The headphone amp is transparent and beats almost everything out there on power with a nice layout and XLR connections.

If you want Schiit to make you an amp with outstanding SINAD, just get a Magnius, as they suggest. If you want a them to make you a great DAC, just get a Modius. It is a solved problem in their lineup. The only thing left for them to do at this point is make a better DAC card.

Personally, I am happy with the Hel as an all-in-one, and with the Modius/Magnius as a combo with outstanding performance and value, but I do see the appeal of a modular amp that isn't in a gaming platform. This Jot would check all the boxes for me if only it had an available card with Modi+. Modi3, or Modius DAC performance. I would seriously consider one simply because the HPA seems pretty cool to me and I already have all their top SINAD stuff.

The multibit DAC, yeah, you get what you got. No reason to be disappointed there either. Schiit offers better DACs for less money, but many people, I am sure a not insignificant number, would rather pay more for a Multibit. Schiit would be crazy to stop producing what people want to pay more money for or to start saying the customers who buy it are fools and need to head over to ASR to save money and be happy. Those people should head over to ASR and save money, but for die hard audiophools, Schiit should still take their money and make them happy. It's not like most people can hear a difference in most of this stuff, and even if they could, who cares what other people buy from a lineup that has great options for a diverse group of customers? I don't.

If you want to know what Schiit's best measuring products are, just read their great website. It's not like they are hiding it. You don't even have to understand measurements because they explicitly say which products measure better and admit when the better ones cost less. What else do we expect Schiit to do? Stop producing a bunch of popular and profitable products and let the business go to 'high end' companies with even more expensive worse products? As I see it, they are doing what they should be doing, except for the outdated DAC cards, and they should stay the course of striving to meet consumer demands.

 

[Zensō]

Thanks for the review Amir. This is everything I hoped for, but I knew already that the Magnius would measure better at half the price and that the Schiit cards are overdue for an update. What you get here is power in spades, transparency, and a cool circuit that should perform for a long time.

Schiit didn't design this for ASR or they would have sent one for testing before the launch like with Magnius and Modius. I really don't understand all the negativity. The headphone amp is transparent and beats almost everything out there on power with a nice layout and XLR connections.

If you want Schiit to make you an amp with outstanding SINAD, just get a Magnius, as they suggest. If you want a them to make you a great DAC, just get a Modius. It is a solved problem in their lineup. The only thing left for them to do at this point is make a better DAC card.

Personally, I am happy with the Hel as an all-in-one, and with the Modius/Magnius as a combo with outstanding performance and value, but I do see the appeal of a modular amp that isn't in a gaming platform. This Jot would check all the boxes for me if only it had an available card with Modi+. Modi3, or Modius DAC performance. I would seriously consider one simply because the HPA seems pretty cool to me and I already have all their top SINAD stuff.

The multibit DAC, yeah, you get what you got. No reason to be disappointed there either. Schiit offers better DACs for less money, but many people, I am sure a not insignificant number, would rather pay more for a Multibit. Schiit would be crazy to stop producing what people want to pay more money for or to start saying the customers who buy it are fools and need to head over to ASR to save money and be happy. Those people should head over to ASR and save money, but for die hard audiophools, Schiit should still take their money and make them happy. It's not like most people can hear a difference in most of this stuff, and even if they could, who cares what other people buy from a lineup that has great options for a diverse group of customers? I don't.

If you want to know what Schiit's best measuring products are, just read their great website. It's not like they are hiding it. You don't even have to understand measurements because they explicitly say which products measure better and admit when the better ones cost less. What else do we expect Schiit to do? Stop producing a bunch of popular and profitable products and let the business go to 'high end' companies with even more expensive worse products? As I see it, they are doing what they should be doing, except for the outdated DAC cards, and they should stay the course of striving to meet consumer demands.

I agree. They really need to update those DAC cards though. The cards don’t do the amps justice and render their “Desktop Control Center” concept moot.

 

[Helicopter]

I agree. They really need to update those DAC cards though. The cards don’t do the amps justice and render their “Desktop Control Center” concept moot.

The outdated DAC card (with only USB in) is the entire reason I wouldn't consider this amp. I wonder how many old chips they have in inventory that will need to be used up before they upgrade, and if that is a constraint.

 

[Zensō]

The outdated DAC card (with only USB in) is the entire reason I wouldn't consider this amp. I wonder how many old chips they have in inventory that will need to be used up before they upgrade, and if that is a constraint.

Yeah, I’m imagining a large stack of old DAC cards sitting on a warehouse shelf.

The other issue is that the only external DAC in their lineup that perfectly matches this amp is the Bifrost 2, which is expensive and has its own performance issues. The Modius does have the same footprint but a different case...

 

[Jimbob54]

Yeah, I’m imagining a large stack of old DAC cards sitting on a warehouse shelf.

The other issue is that the only external DAC in their lineup that perfectly matches this amp is the Bifrost 2, which is expensive and has its own performance issues. The Modius does have the same footprint but a different case...

I bet they will keep buying/ making these DAC cards whilst ever there is demand. People go mad for the multibit so it really is money for old rope. Why invest in a new design when they can capture both sides of the fence with their "clean" and "dirty" product lines. Start putting DAC boards in the amps with the performance of the Modius and they may lose the distortion "by ear" fans.

 

[Veri]

I bet they will keep buying/ making these DAC cards whilst ever there is demand. People go mad for the multibit so it really is money for old rope. Why invest in a new design when they can capture both sides of the fence with their "clean" and "dirty" product lines. Start putting DAC boards in the amps with the performance of the Modius and they may lose the distortion "by ear" fans.

AK4490 chips will eventually dry up though (eventually), prompting them to make some Sabre/Cirrus Logic/Burr Brown add-on board and/or modi refresh. Modius will eventually follow. Unless AKM magically gets back in the game but I think that will take time..

 

[Jimbob54]

AK4490 chips will eventually dry up though (eventually), prompting them to make some Sabre/Cirrus Logic/Burr Brown add-on board and/or modi refresh. Modius will eventually follow. Unless AKM magically gets back in the game but I think that will take time..

It's more the multibit cards I'm thinking of. Yes, the AK ones can't go on forever.

 

[ElNino]

This uses the old Schiit AD5547 multibit design -- essentially the same as the Modi Multibit. Performance is actually mostly better (especially in terms of IMD) here than the newer Schiit AD5781 multibit design.

 

[PuX]

same as others, I don't get why they would release worse products at higher prices.

lower tier Magnius/Modius is just better

 

[Stokdoof]

I will never buy anything called like shit. Assume it catches fire and in a courtroom in a fight with the insurance company you must defend yourself you bought a product wit a name like shit.

 

[Jimbob54]

I will never buy anything called like shit. Assume it catches fire and in a courtroom in a fight with the insurance company you must defend yourself you bought a product wit a name like shit.

Probably the least of your worries.

 

[SeaNNyT]

One reason I never bit on the modius magnius combo is due to lack of a proper USB connection. Micro USB is trash. i would literally pay 30-50 bucks more for the modius had they thrown on a USB-C.

 

[Cc-Mode]

One reason I never bit on the modius magnius combo is due to lack of a proper USB connection. Micro USB is trash. i would literally pay 30-50 bucks more for the modius had they thrown on a USB-C.

Does is bring any difference?

 

[SeaNNyT]

Does is bring any difference?

It wont snap off like a toothpick lol

 

[Veri]

Does is bring any difference?

More modern and robust connection. More future proof.

 

[PuX]

it's not supposed to be portable so it really does not matter which connector it uses. you will plug it in once and forget about it forever. it could be type-c, micro, mini, type-b or anything else and it would not matter.

and it's regular usb-a on the other end in any case.

type c is the most gimmicky connector ever. the promise of compatibility is a lie, there is no common standard, in fact it adds confusion when you can't charge one device with another's charger, cable could be 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, thunderbolt and probably some other standard. so the only general advantage is the shape.

 

[Zensō]

it's not supposed to be portable so it really does not matter which connector it uses. you will plug it in once and forget about it forever. it could be type-c, micro, mini, type-b or anything else and it would not matter.

and it's regular usb-a on the other end in any case.

type c is the most gimmicky connector ever. the promise of compatibility is a lie, there is no common standard, in fact it adds confusion when you can't charge one device with another's charger, cable could be 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, thunderbolt and probably some other standard. so the only general advantage is the shape.

My preference would be for locking type-B. It's what is spec'd on most pro gear and it can take a beating. Micro USB on the other hand is notoriously fragile and finicky. I've seen a few people on other forums already complaining about loose USB connections on the Modius.