I’m wanting to get away from ChiFi, however the Topping A70 Pro that I already have will be very difficult to beat.
If the EL II+ is transparent then it would match well with the A70 Pro. However the A70 Pro makes 12wpc & drives my favorite 250ohm, 300ohm & 600ohm headphones to their full potential. The EL II+ is only 2.3wpc, with the power upgrade. I think thats going to be a problem for my favorite headphones causing a poor performance.
From what I can find, even getting into amps costing >$1,000, there isn’t a non ChiFi amp that can compete with the Topping A70 Pro on transparency & power. So aggravating.
Anyone know of some other options?
Just letting you know that the Jotunheim 2 matches the A70 pro when driving both 300 ohm and 600 ohm loads. The quoted max power of the A70 pro is for loads of 32 ohms and lower.
Max power of amps is not necessary the best metric to go by when picking amps, as other aspects of its design will dictate the perceived end result. My Mjolnir 3 is rated at 2 Watts max, but it punches harder than my Soloist 3xp at 8 watts max output.
Just letting you know my experience when it comes to amp max power output. In the end it is up to you to decide what works best for you.
What are the amp classification? 2 watts class A could certainly out perform 8 watts class AB in at least one category.
However 2.3 watts at 32ohms & 12 watts at 32ohms would be incomparable if the amps are the same class.
I’ll have to look up the specs of the amps.
True enough regarding the JDS, but in the case of the Soloist 3xp it is class A at 8 watts.
Edit: both the Soloist 3xp and the Mjolnir 3 are Class A amps.
The main point was that the Jotunheim 2 technically competes with the A70 pro. Unless you are driving a lot of sub 32 ohm loads.
No luck finding anything of amp class on the JDS EL II+. I doubt there will be anything on the A70 Pro but I’ll look.
Can’t find anything on topology for the A70 Pro either. Im going to guess that the JDS amps & Topping amps are neither class A or class AB. What they are I do not really know. Class H perhaps?
Topping is normally similar to class D, but since they use their own custom designs for the amplification circuit you can never get a straight answer.
Yeah I figure D, G or H.
On another note I have 2 A70 Pro. The first one began to freeze up & says DC Voltage Error. The second one is working fine so far, but this wouldn’t be an issue with a class A or AB amp. They don’t require software & firmware.
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Well, if you want to have a high wattage class AB headphone amp, you could always go for broke and slap a Ragnarok 2 on your desk. 
True, unless the class A or AB amp has a digital pot, gain, and input controls.
I didn’t see the Ragnarok 2 on my to look at list. I think it might be ideal. I’m not sure what Nexus Drive is. It just says it converts unbalanced to balanced & balanced to unbalanced. What’s the point of that?
Since RCA is 2v vs XLR 4v it gives the incoming single ended signal (let’s say DAC) some gain to come closer to the signal level of the balanced connection. A 4v signal is louder than a 2v signal. At least that is how it reads to me, it has been a while since I watched Jason’s video when they released it (head of the company and designer).
Edit: in my case I normally just use balanced throughout my chain, with the exception of the Vali 3. The amplification circuit in the Rag is very powerful, so I don’t see you having an issue either way. The only thing is the size and weight of the Rag is kind of cumbersome in some use cases.
The added benefit of it also being a speaker amp gives it more versatility. At $999 for the “just an amp” opinion is a crazy good value.
Yes I think I’ll order a Ragnarok 2 to try either September or October. It makes far more sense than the Mjolnir 3 or Jotunheim as far as versatility, but do they each sound the same?
I can’t make a direct comparison, as I only own the Mjolnir 3. Others I have chatted with regarding the differences between various Schiit amps say that they do not sound the same. There are preferences for either amp, but for the most part people agree that the Mjolnir 3 has the better clarity and technical performance. Jotunheim 2 has a little warmth to the sound (not as thick as the Asgard 3 though). As for the Rag I unfortunately can’t recall what was said, but I remember very positive feedback. I would suggest reading up on those units in another popular audio forum prior to making your purchase.
Just a PSA, the Mjolnir 3 runs really hot to the point I burnt my hand on the fins once. It has its quirks so if you want something with fewer quirks go with the Rag or the Jotunheim 2.
Whatever I end up trying will also be my speaker system preamp. I already have a Hafler 9505 & a Avantone CLA200, but I could use a smaller speaker amp too, like the Ragnarok 2 has in it.
The preamp is better in the Rag, and has a remote.
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I’ve ended up with a NAD C165BEE, once it arrives. I wasn’t planning on it. Anyways I’ll use it in my speaker system & use the D70 Pro as a dedicated headphone system. I’ll have to wait on getting a Ragnarok 2 for a while.
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Yeah, I saw your post. lol
NAD makes good equipment though, so I don’t think it is a loss.