I know, I am in the same situation. I ordered just the Jot with no module but it still seems like the wait is going to be excessive. And I have to admit I am starting to look at other options.
I do have the luxury of having the SP200, though. This is an amp that has performed extremely well. I have and continue to enjoy it very much, so I think I can hang on, because in the end I think the Jot will be worth the wait.
Having said that, it wouldnât hurt to get some form of communication every so often just to let you know they havenât forgotten about you.
Without EQ I am at around 10-11oâclock depending on the tracks that I am listening to on my Ananda. Balanced in via Modius and 4-pin XLR out on low gain.
Got my Jot and ES9028 card. They missed the mounting screws for the tiny L frame that helps brace the USB-C port against the backplate. Schiit has dutifully put new screws in the mail for me, but I ended up installing the card anyway since the backplate and standoff are sufficient (Iâm going to be very gentle with the port until I get the L-frame in).
Hooked up with a cheap USB 2.0 A to C cable and sounds pretty much as expected. Less proficient than the JNOG2 Iâm comparing to, but certainly worth the $100. Particular part is the ES9028Q2M variant for those interested. First Unison product for me, much improved over Gen 5 usb in regard to electrical noise pickup from my PC. Absolute plague on the Modi 3 I owned previously, but dead silent on Unison.
Less gain compared to the JNOG2 - also expected, but somewhat of a non-issue given the Jot 2âs power reservoir. For my DT1990s and HD6xx this resulted in a shift from using volume at around 9-10 oâclock position to around an 11-12 oâclock position. This is much less pronounced when controlling the pre-outs to a powered sub and monitors which remained at approximately the same level for both sources (9-10 oâclock).
Overall I think this card makes for a very interesting value proposition. Since itâs accessible via pre-outs, it makes a certain kind of sense to compare it to the Topping D10B, SDAC-B, Modius, or Audio Interfaces with Balanced Line outs (Scarlet Solo et al). I think itâs easily a better performer than the SDAC-B I used to own, and reasonable assumption that itâs at least on par with the Topping (while being cheaper than both). I donât know how audio quality will compare vs a Modius or Scrlet Solo, but it does still remain half the price.
Vs ESS Modius gonna be real interesting imo, since theyâre both going to be ES9028 based units, but the input card gets to draw power off nice chunky linear transformers vs dipping into 5v of usb bus power.
EQ from Oratory gave my Ananda thicker vocals and better bass but made the soundstage a little narrow which I donât really mind. Synergy is pretty good IMO.
I came from HD650 so I can say itâs brighter than the Sennheiser but the Ananda isnât really sibilant. Detailed would be a better term for me. The Ananda responds well on EQ if you want to tame down the highs a little.
I havenât had the A3 for a while now, but when I did I always thought the single-ended output of the J2 had very similar sound quality to the A3. If you get the J2 you are almost getting two amps in one in terms of tonality: single-ended leaning slightly warm, balanced very neutral.
Another thing that can help you if the Ananda come through a little bright/sibilant, even if you donât want to EQ, is that DAC tonality comes through the J2 (especially the balanced output) very nicely. A slightly warmer DAC (ie E30) made the J2 sound slightly warm. A more neutral DAC (Soncoz LA-QXD1) made the J2 sound more neutral.
Something to keep in mind with sibilants is that they tend to be listener specific. What I mean is certain headphones have treble peaks in their frequency response that can lineup with personal hearing sensitivities. For me, iâm particuarly sensitive to 6k peaks. Amps / DACs can move these frequency peaks up/down a little bit, but because they are coming from the headphone you wonât always be able to easily lower them below audibility without EQ.
Before, I listened to Anand using two amplifiers, including the Zen Dac, and there was no problem with the sibilants. I will start by using the Zen Dac as a DAC so there is a chance the problem will not occur
J2 is tempting, but I donât need more power, the Asgard 3 is sufficient in this respect. The only thing that may be interesting for the future is a different sonic signature on the balanced output. I also have concerns whether the bass will not be too thin with such sensitive headphones.
You should be in really good shape with the A3. Itâs powerful and clean, leans sightly warm. I couldnât imagine it having poor synergy with the Ananda.
My 2cents, get the A3, and go for a completely different amp in the future when you want different sound and more power. The A3 really is special at itâs price point.
Maybe @MazeFrame can help me understand something here since Iâm not very knowledgeable about electronics/circuitry:
I have my Bifrost 2 and Jotunheim 2 connected via XLR/balanced cables; single-ended isnât attached at all. But Iâm able to select the XLR option on my Jotunheim and listen that way as well as via SE/1â4" jack. How is that possible? Is the SE option on the amp somehow also connected to the balanced circuit?
There are hundred of ways to âwoopsieâ with circuits.
The arguable number 1 way to have something where nothing should be is âcapacitive couplingâ. For that you just need two conductors in close proximity.
In a water analogy: Imagine having two pools divided by a rubber sheet. Making waves in one pool creates waves in the other pool.
I just tried waht you described: BF2 â Jot2 via XLR. And I only hear music when selecting the XLR input. When I select RCA or DAC Card input I hear nothing. Do you have anything connected via RCA?
