šŸ”· Schiit Jotunheim 2

So in case it hasnā€™t been said yet, the reason for the delay with their products has to do with them moving some of their products to Texas. Here is a video blog talking a bit about it:

Damn, sorry guys. I just got my Jot2 and Bifrost2 a few weeks ago and they came rather quickly. Sorry to hear your orders are being delayed. :frowning:

Iā€™d have to say Schiitā€™s stuff is worth waiting for. Iā€™m really enjoying my stuff.

Iā€™m thinking of getting a multibit Jot2 to replace my Hel and Magni 3+ setups?

Current HPs are Sundara, 6XX and 770 PRO 250, all balanced.

Would you say I will be able to appreciate the upgrade with these headphones? $600 is not cheap.
I do have plans to get another pair of HPs, probably one of these: Ether CX, E-MU Teak, LCD-XC

yes absolutely. it might not BLOW YOUR MIND INSANE type of difference but it is a very noticeable upgrade if you know what you are listening for in music. Ether CX would be the biggest upgrade with the JOT 2 i think they would pair well and tons of power. the 6xx yes but not as easy to notice but increase in spacial cues detail in the mids and nice smooth sound in the upper range but not soft tons of detail as well. i replaced my heresy with JOT 2 and i was very satisfied

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I find this hilarious probably for all the wrong reasons. Schiit has more personality than any company I know. It is refreshing.

I thought these guys were brothers/twins. Theyā€™re not related???

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No issue for meā€¦ Using the Blue Truth Ultra 8" XLR. I also used 1M Mogamiā€™s.

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So interesting find. I was a very anti cable guy especially power cable. i just upgraded all my power cables and am i hallucinating? me he6se was almost at 8 o clock on my JOT 2 to be nice and loud. and now i cant even go past noon with ear bleeding levels. my tube amp developed a buzz from this cord and my Ncore amp has evolved to a much more premium sound in the highs and bass. all the reviews state the same. have i been missing out? after my into to tube amps blowing my mind im starting to think this hifi stuff isnt snake oil? or have i been fooled? sorry @M0N but its my last question! haha anyways love the amp even more. getting some blue jeans cables to fully become the snake oil man. :wink: here is cable.

@WaveTheory Wow. Great review. I had finally decided to go with the Asgard 3 but now Iā€™m thinking the Jot 2 might be worth it. Previously I was thinking I could start with the A3 and then, if I want, I can find something else balanced for around $200 brining the total to the cost of a Jot 2 anyway. But your review addressed that concern perfectly.

However, Iā€™m still a little concerned it might be overkill for my setup. For cans I have T50RP (with whatever pads and strap Zeos recommended) and HD6XX and for AMP/DAC I have a Fiio BTR5. Will I notice a difference with these headphones? With source and cans being the most important, does it make sense to buy an amp that costs more than twice as much as my cans? Iā€™m also a little worried about the Jot 2 being too powerful. Does the jot 2 sound better on high gain and would that limit me to a very small window on the volume wheel?

A running log of my observations in using the Jot2:

TL;DR
If I could only have one amp on my desk, this might be the one. Itā€™s not perfect at any one thing, but for me it is covering desktop usage very well, balancing performance, features, refinement, and cost. Itā€™s doing a lot of things right for $400. Two things are holding me back from simplifying down to just the Jot2 on my desk: lack of a low gain option and better overall technical performance. But my god, for $400 I donā€™t see this one leaving my desktop for a long time.

observations

  • The single-ended output sounds very close to the A3, with the Jot2 maybe a little more clear and detailed. But not so much that I could distinguish them in a blind test.

  • When I use the balanced output it makes me want to shout ā€œunlimited power!ā€ I donā€™t own anything that can even touch this level of power demand. So letā€™s call this ā€œroom to growā€ :slight_smile:

  • A low gain mode might be a nice option for sensitive IEMs and headphones - for when I donā€™t need ā€œunlimited power!ā€

  • Iā€™m surprised that both the single-ended and balanced outputs can be run at the same time. With the right headphones (ie sensitivity such that the volume level is okay on both) this is a nice feature. Iā€™ve done more listening with my kids using this feature, showing them different songs, than I would have expected.

  • The switch selectable pre-out makes it a better desktop all-rounder for me than the A3, where the A3 requires the headphone to be unplugged to turn on the pre-out.

  • My desktop monitors sound very good driven by the Jot2. This is replacing a JDS Labs atom stack for pre-out duty. In comparison the Jot2 sounds fuller and more detailed through my iLoud Micro Monitors.

  • In general the pre-out volume seems loud compared to previous DAC/Amp combos Iā€™ve used.

  • I thought it would run physically hotter than it does. My Asgard 3 gets much warmer than the Jot2. I wonder if some of that is due to part-to-part variation?

  • The currently available internal USB DACs are not in the same league as the rest of the amp. BUT in terms of being a desktop all-rounder, itā€™s nice to be able to run USB audio into it for the few times I want PC audio through my headphones/monitors. And I have a feeling some day, when Schiit gets out of production hell, they will release an upgraded USB dac card that will make it worth while.

  • As pointed out by @WaveTheory, the technical performance isnā€™t at the level I was hoping for (ie my RNHP easily outperforms it). But given everything else this complaint feels nitpicky. The RNHP is a one-trick-pony.

  • For someone starting out in the headphone hobby, the Jot2 is a strong contender. This one amp enables experimenting with multiple DAC and headphone configurations, which could be a big $$$ saver in the long run.

[EDIT] Continuing to experiment with the Jot2 [EDIT]

  • I put the Schiit Multibit DAC card in my Jot2 (I had one in my A3 that I transferred over). Happy to see itā€™s as easy as expected - plugged right in (tighter fit in the Jot2, but no real issues).
  • First observation, the Jot2 runs much warmer now, and the A3 runs much cooler. Iā€™m surprised how much warmer the Jot2 gets, and by comparison the A3 is practically cool to the touch - feels like any other amp thatā€™s left on. I had no idea it was the multibit DAC making it run so warm.
  • The sound of the Jot2 is much more distinctive and enjoyable on the internal Multibit DAC. (Streaming to the USB input via Ropieee RPi4, with an iFi iPurifier3 on the DAC).
    *With the Multibit DAC the difference between the balanced and single-ended outputs is very noticeable. The Multibit DAC is pretty warm sounding, and for that reason I never liked it on the A3. Itā€™s the same on the single-ended Jot2 output. BUT on the balanced output, which is more neutral, it sounds very nice. The warmer DAC smooths out the balanced output.
  • The sound is coming through more layered than using the external Soncoz DAC. Itā€™s very smooth and pleasant. Itā€™s not as layered and well separated as the Soncoz DAC on the RNHP, nor is it as detailed. But the difference is nice. Especially with acoustic music itā€™s got a nice warmth and fullness.
  • With this I can see the Jot2 living along side my RNHP, at least for now. It has a different and enjoyable sound signature that Iā€™ll come back for.
  • All this does is further reinforce that my next purchase should be a Bifrost 2 - I can only imagine how much better the Jot2 is going to sound!
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How much more detail do you think the RNHP gets you?

Focusing on ā€œdetailā€ was a poor word choice. I edited my post to say more specifically ā€œtechnical performanceā€.

The RNHP has noticeably better layering and separation - the environment of the recording is better defined. A good test track for me was Paper Moon by Booka Shade. The opening 30 seconds sounds like you are in a cafe. The RNHP feels like Iā€™m sitting in a booth in the cafe with the sound moving all around the space. The Jot2 feels like Iā€™m standing at the front door hearing the cafe out in front of me.

A similar experience was noticeable with live recordings like Dave Brubeckā€™s Time Outtakes. The track ā€œTake Fiveā€ feels better layered and separated - similar to the Paper Moon Track, the difference is that the sound feels like itā€™s in the space you are sitting in vs the sound feeling like itā€™s out in front of you.

In both cases, the sound is very good. But the environmental detail feels noticeably different.

YMMV depending on headphone. Using Sundara and HD660s the two amps sounded much more similar. The distinctions I made above are present on both of these headphones. But using Sony CD900ST (efficient, closed back studio monitor) the differences were much more obvious. I think I enjoy the Sundara more on the Jot2 - more power into a planar headphone giving it better slam - but the RNHP is a tricky amp, it can deliver when you least expect it. My guess is the more revealing the headphone the more noticeable the difference between the two amps will be.

Regarding detail, there are smaller details that came through more obviously on RNHP. Once I heard them on RNHP I could find them on the Jot2. So far Iā€™ve not found any detail that was just non-exisitent on the Jot2. It was just harder to notice some of them first on the Jot2.

[edit] Some differences Iā€™m noting here are due to Jot2 SE output being a slightly darker amp (similar to A3). But as I keep A/Bā€™ing these two amps there is clearly better space, separation, and clarity of detail in the RNHP. Headphone choice does impact how noticeable it is. But even after trying to ā€œhandicapā€ the comparison by using HD6xx and Grado SR80e headphones, and setting up the signal chain through a Topping E30 DAC powered off an iPhone charger, signal from laptop USB, and RCA into both RNHP and Jot2 (via a SESCOM RCA switch) Iā€™m still hearing the differences. Not as pronounced in some cases, but very noticeable. Only by going to the HD6xx did the differences start to fade. This is a good reminder of the relative weight of influence that each piece of the signal chain has on what you hear: headphone > amp > dac.

Long answer to a short question. @Coran, Does that help?

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Very much so. I appreciate the added write up! I have the Jot 2 and love it, but am always interested in how other amps compare.

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This is pretty much my impression too during my brief possession of the Jot 2. Iā€™m not a planar guy so I didnā€™t keep it

Nice writeup! Itā€™s interesting how opinions on the Jot 2 seem to be quite varied, although I think this might have a lot to do with the Jot 2 being kind of a ā€œflavor ampā€, and therefore working out differently depending on the individualā€™s preferences and the rest of their chain.

I think this might be due to the Jot 2ā€™s forward/incisive sounding nature, occasionally pushing environmental elements closer to you, out of their ā€œnaturalā€ position, potentially resulting in a perceptively more up-close, intimate soundstage.

This might also tie in with with the forwardness/incisiveness, pushing macro-level details more to the front and thereby potentially masking lower level details, or drawing you attention away from them.

I havenā€™t heard the RNHP personally, so Iā€™m just making an educated guess here, Iā€™m just curious if this is descriptive of your experience as well.

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I think this is a fair comment. I have a personal preference for more open, spacious sounding music (especially with acoustic instruments on live recordings). So that is what jumped out at me in this comparison. But I really enjoy the Jot2 listening to EDM. If you want in your face and intense, itā€™ll do it!

Regarding signal chain, I was only able to test this with two DACs: balanced with Soncoz LA-QXD1 and SE with Topping E30. It surprised me how much the amps kept their distinct character running on two completely different setups. What I would like to do is compare them on a decent multi-bit DAC such as the BF2 or one of the Sokeris DACs.

This could be the case. ā€œForwardā€ is a good description of the Jot2 sound. But to my ears itā€™s more than that. Itā€™s also losing a little bit of what I perceive as clarity. Itā€™s not bad, still very enjoyable.

If you get a chance, itā€™s a fun little amp! It routinely surprises me with how good it sounds on so many different headphones.

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I put the Schiit Multibit DAC card in my Jot2 (I had one in my A3 that I transferred over). Happy to see itā€™s as easy as expected - plugged right in (tighter fit in the Jot2, but no real issues).

First observation, the Jot2 runs much warmer now, and the A3 runs much cooler. Iā€™m surprised how much warmer the Jot2 gets, and by comparison the A3 is practically cool to the touch - feels like any other amp thatā€™s left on. I had no idea it was the multibit DAC making it run so warm.

The sound on the balanced output with the multibit DAC is very enjoyable - smoother and warmer than using the external Soncoz DAC. This is still not my preferred sound on the single-ended output - too much overall warmth. But the neutrality of the balanced output + warmth of the multibit DAC = very nice, easy listening experience. No harshness at all.

Time to buy a Bifrost 2ā€¦

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Do I need to sell you one? :wink:

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Hey, that Jot looks familiar :smiley: We should start a tradition of writing user names on the bottom of equipment purchased and sold on HiFiGuides. The lineage of owners could be fun to see as equipment passes around.

For what itā€™s worth, when I opened up the Jot to put in the multibit card I pushed the little LED to the side. It still shines through to indicate itā€™s on, but doesnā€™t blind me anymore.

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Well, now you have a photo of when it was blinding if you ever want to remember. :wink:

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That is a great idea!