FrostyPI think a few listening samples have been sent out. There was a review of it on SBAF, with a comparison to the Schiit Jotunheim by Purr1n. I was wondering if anyone else had listened to it and had impressions as compared to the Gilmore. This is what was written:
This amp is good. It's definitely captured my attention. Seems to work with a variety of headphones, HD800, LCD2C, HD650K, etc. Feeding the the balanced inputs and using the balanced outs.
Those who want a bassier or warm sound should look elsewhere. I wouldn't call it lean. It hits all the low notes spectacularly. Treble is accurate yet smooth. Tonal balance and articulation is like the Benchmark AHB2 power amp (although I really hate to make this comparison). However, microdynamics, involvement factor, and openness are far superior (FWIW, I was not a fan of the AHB2) and more along the lines of the Hegel H2, which also uses the feed forward error correction technology. (I'm sure THX patented a specific implementation of it, so Hegel's implementation might be slightly different.)
The question is how good is it? I will need to line up other amps for direct comparison. TBC.
Jot Comparison:
Gave both amp 24 hours - left on. Used modded HD800 (vader modded) and modded HD650 (KISS modded) and LCD2C (stock). I'd say the THX AAA and Jot are in the same class. Both amps sound extremely similar. I know the Jot measures fantastically (see both mine and @atomicbob's measurements in the appropriate sections here), and I am sure the THX AAA measures fantastically too (I don't have time this week to confirm).
Now keeping in mind that both amps sound closer to each other than not, and that the Jot seems revised from the original, here are the differences:
Jot is slightly thicker, warmer, and full bodied than THX AAA
Jot treble is smoother than THX AAA
THX AAA treble has just a slight sense brittleness (HD800) or rasp (LCD2C), not surprising given how these headphones measure
THX AAA has more depth in the stage front to back, most noticeable on HD800, least noticeable on LCD2C.
Jot stage depth is fairly flat
Jot bass has more impact and sustain
Jot seems a tad slower (Jot isn't a slow amp by any means)
THX AAA has transients which are a tad faster and crisper
Both are equally resolving and very good at picking up microdetail
THX AAA costs $50 less than Jot
Again, keep in mind that differences are not huge and it took me a bit of back and forth to note the differences. Comparisons were made with Jot on high gain and THX AAA on medium gain. Gain seemed high on the THX AAA, to get equivalent spot on the volume knob to Jot on high gain, I had to set the THX AAA to lowest gain setting. This is a proto, so I am not sure of what is going on without measuring.
Icculus514Wrong? SBAF is a violently anti-science community that's in the pocket of Schiit. Their opinions are worthless, especially since they think threatening to kill people is a funny joke.
FrostyPIf their opinions are worthless why did Massdrop, which has never dropped a single Schiit item, give SBAF a proto to review? Why are your opinions worth considering? What have you reviewed or been given to review?
FrostyPI should add, I am not a member of SBAF and whatever personal animus you might have with any of their members is non of my business but you are wrong about them being "unscientific" and "in the pocket of Schiit." I often peruse their forum and they are one of the few that actually provides independent measurements with many of their reviews. Several of their members also express a technical knowledge that I haven't seen on many forums. They have their faults and some the members can come off as being quite arrogant and abrasive but one can get a lot of honest and useful information on their site. Just don't go over there and make broad generalizations, or unsubstantiated claims without explanation.
BanerI tried to post an article under an equipment review on the iFi Micro iDSD Black Label vs. the Schitt Jotenheim with scientific measurements, etc. Instantly upon posting the article, member TORQ hit the "disliked" button. Even the title of the article offended him. He never took even a moment to read it. They are in fact Schitt fan boys. Period.
ShawnP.WatsonI have also thought that there is a tendency for over exuberance for all things Schiit on that forum but I have also seen negative reviews of Schiit products and endorsements of other products. For example, from what I have read, it appears that TORQ's solid state headphone amp of choice is the iFi iCan Pro. There have also been a lot of positive comments recently about the Phonitor X and E. Look at Purrn1's review and comparison of the Jot compared to the THX that I copied above. As I wrote, I am not a member and have never posted on that forum but I do find a lot of what appears to be honest opinion, critique and useful information.
BanerThe guys at SBAF are Schiit shills, intentional or not. Perhaps they have been conditioned by the Schiit sound, or just a community that prefer the Schiit sound therefore they all congregate together. Yes there are tons of useful tech to read on SBAF, but when it comes to preferences, all the major players on there (i.e. Torq or Purr1n) prefers Schiit gear to everything else at the same price points, sometimes to products even above their league. For example saying the Yggy sounds as good or even better than the MSB Analog is laughable, same goes with claiming the Jot is only slightly behind a ifi Pro iCan. Schiit products do compare quite well within their respective price ranges, but there is also tons of hype behind their products.
To answer your original question about the Jot vs Gilmore, I've only listened to the Jot with the HD6XX and I've never liked it. I've also listened to the GSX mk2 but never their lower end stuff. I think the Jot sounds very good for the price but I cannot stand the treble glare. Even the similarly priced ifi iCan SE is a superior amp in some ways, at least I can listen to it without getting a headache.
FrostyP Wrong? SBAF is a violently anti-science community that's in the pocket of Schiit. Their opinions are worthless, especially since they think threatening to kill people is a funny joke.
Ah, if you are saying "anti-science" and going on an anti-Schiit rant, you have just outed yourself as a member of ASR, one of the nastiest and most ill-informed audio forums around.
FrostyPHmmm... I frequent both ASR and SBAF. I know which I prefer relative to culture (how the people in general treat each other and “outsiders”) and their approach to arriving at and debating their conclusions. But I don’t want to take sides and just be another partisan, at least in this post!
So so let me just say, dude, you are definitely not helping your point by how you are saying what you are saying. My advice is to stay, as your name implies, frosty...
bravomailMeasurements are important and can tell you a lot but what does one do with "objective measurements" when there are discrepancies between methods and instruments used and as such the results? Whose "objective measurements" are we to believe: those of ASR, SBAF, Head-Fi, Innerfidelity, Stereophile, the manufacturer, etc? Plus, if you buy a piece of gear based on nothing except "objective measurements" it might sound great if all you listened to was a test signal. That might be your thing, but most of us listen to music and sound, not test signals. That's why a good review will provide both measurements and a description of the sound that measurements can not provide you with. There is no such thing as "a wire with gain."