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Dragon2020
43
Feb 5, 2018
I'm new to this balanced amp/dac. Any opinions on this vs. Schiit Audio Jotunheim Balanced AMP (w/DAC module)? Thanks.
DarknessAngel
43
Feb 5, 2018
Dragon2020Doing a bunch of research and i've come to the following conclusion:
1. The DAC in the DX7S is better.
The amp in hte jotunheim is much better. With the DX7S If your driving headphones above 80 ohms on SE connection or 180 ohms on Balanced XLR and 546mw x2 power is enough, then this is a descent amp for you compared to the jotunheim if you want to save money. But you have to think if you ever get another pair of headphones that dont meat these requirements you'll regret it.
its due to the output impedence , its <10 on SE and <20 on balanced for the amp portion. The jotunheims is something like <0.01 output impedence.
2. The amp with the jotunheim is much better, the output impedence is better, it has more power, hell everyspec is better. Its backed by an american company thats way easier to deal with and get support from. The dac is still by far better than onboard dac though, its fully balanced, i would suggest a schiit wyrd if your using this though as the DAC is powered via USB. I'm unsure if the DX7S is in the same boat or not. if this was USB and powered by a wall wart, i wouldnt suggest the wyrd, but thats not the case.
If your not worried about balanced, go with a jotunheim and want a good dac, at a good price go with a modi multibit. It'll set you back by $250.
If your strictly going full balanced, go with the jotunheim and dont look back. You can upgrade your dac later to a DX7S or something like a cambridge audio dacmagic plus. I'll be going this route, jotunheim with balanced dac, and upgrading later to either one of these as the amp will make a bigger difference than the dac when your buying your first components if your using high impedence headphones.
slugman
69
Feb 5, 2018
DarknessAngelWow, the ESS9038 has a DR of 140db in mono (122db normal), compared to the AK4490's 123db mono (120db normal). And since the DX7s uses 2x ESS9038, one per channel, it looks like it actually utilizes the 140db dynamic range.
In terms of PCM sampling rates the AK4490 compares to the ESS9038. However the AK4490 only supports up to 11.2 MHZ DSD, whereas the Sabre ESS9038 can natively support up to DSD512.
It does look however like the AK4490 has the better THD+N @ -112 db (%0.000251), vs the ESS 9038's THD+N of -107db (%0.000447). At these tolerances though the difference is negligible (unless you are a moth).
Here is the spec sheets if anyone is interested: https://www.akm.com/akm/en/file/datasheet/AK4490EQ.pdf http://www.esstech.com/files/7414/5193/1716/ES9038PRO_Product_brief_121715.pdf. http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-thd.htm
FatDoi
193
Feb 5, 2018
Dragon2020When I read the spec first time I was really excited of this 'balanced' dac/amp but researching further, now I'll only consider this DX7s as dual ES9038 DAC only. I'll look else where for amp section as the inside pic I saw it's very questionable how that tiny transformer can provide 546 mW x 2 at 300 ohms.... In the end I think any company needs to make a profit and I'll be kidding myself for under $400 can get a high spec dac/amp setup...... imo
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DarknessAngel82
7
Feb 5, 2018
FatDoiI agree for the price you'll get one good piece of the product and one piece that will get you by. Here the dual dac balanced is what your getting, for a good price.
Dragon2020
43
Feb 5, 2018
DarknessAngelThank you. I will go with the jotunheim. I am dealing with a local seller for the jotunheim with dac. The price is right.
Jimster480
395
Feb 6, 2018
Dragon2020If you check audiosciencereview I wouldn't touch any Schiit products after their reviews. They have all reviewed unfavorably showing that schiit really puts no care into their products.
Jackula
1743
Feb 7, 2018
Dragon2020It depends on your headphone. The amp section of the Topping is superior in every category except power output. Topping has better THD figures - advertised THD+N 0.003% at 50% of max output, where the Jot is advertised THD 0.001% at 8% of max output and it doesn't include noise in the figure. Crosstalk is better, Jot is -105dB @ 1khz, Topping is -129dB (inaudible), but they don't have measurements for the upper frequency range - crosstalk is never an issue at 1khz.
The DAC module in the Jot is good value. But if you're concerned about performance, I would never recommend getting the built-in DAC on the Jot, due to the type of transformers Schiit choose to use in the Jot. This type of transformer gives out a lot of EMI and it's not a good idea to have a DAC sitting in the same chassis without shielding.
Output impedance of the Topping isn't worse, it's higher. Which usually means better sound out of high impedance headphones like the HD6XX. With the Jot, you'll get better performance out of a low impedance headphones like the K7XX (TBH the Massdrop Liquid Carbon is a better match for the K7XX). I know people who have listened to a Jot and DX7 side-by-side for a high impedance headphone like the HD6XX and have preferred the Topping. I think the Jot would be a good match with the Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany.
Dragon2020
43
Feb 8, 2018
Dragon2020Additional info. I have the Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart and the Sony MDR Z1R and right now I am using the iFi micro iDSD silver version to drive them. Will I gain any if I get this DX7s?
luckybaer
100
Apr 14, 2018
Jimster480Then I must be hearing impaired, because the Modi 2 Multibit DAC I have sounds great to my ears.
CD5003 -> Modi 2 Multibit -> Vali 2 or Magni 3
Jimster480
395
Apr 14, 2018
luckybaerIts not hearing impaired, its just not knowing the difference between HQ audio and something that claims to sound good. Without a good basis of gear you can easily think that it sounds great.
Jimster480
395
Apr 14, 2018
Dragon2020The DX7S is probably better performing, but I cannot say specifically since there aren't measurements readily available for that specific unit you are using. But the DX7S surely has more features vs your current unit.
Jimster480
395
Apr 14, 2018
FatDoiThat isn't the case at all. The Amp chip that it uses is built by Ti and indeed does meet the claims they have made. Additionally as tested at ASR the DX7s lives upto all of its claimed specs and then some. You don't need something large and complicated to output alot of power. Infact the Amp chip used is of current-feedback topology, something that schiit did in the Magni 3 and claimed it to be "exotic and only found on amps many times its price". The A30 uses the same chip and as such its current feedback at the same price with better overall specs.
luckybaer
100
Apr 14, 2018
Jimster480I've heard lots of good gear - stuff by Cambridge, Lake People, Schiit, Benchmark, SPL, JDS Labs, etc. While Schiit's amps are decent for their price, their DACs, IMO, are the cream of their product line.
Before settling on Eitr + Modi 2 MB as my entry back into music enjoyment, I read plenty of reviews/opinions to cull the herd of choices before auditioning as much as I could. For my budget, there wasn't anything that I liked more than Eitr/Modi 2 MB. Not that anything else was BAD, I just liked the sound (detailed and warm, with no treble glare) and the form factor of the Schiit gear.
How much Schiit gear have you actually listened to, Jimmy? Objective measurements can be important, but in this hobby, subjectivity plays a very important role, too.
scotiophile
0
Apr 18, 2019
slugmanSo... I am a little unfamiliar with this particular product. Is there a difference between the ES9038 and ES9038Pro? Or are they terms for the same thing?
scottlu
346
Apr 23, 2020
DarknessAngelcan you comment more on cambridge audio dacmagic plus ?
RayF
22210
Jul 10, 2021
Dragon2020 You realize that 99.9% of all the numbers people have quoted on this page are completely "un-hearable", don't you? Hopefully you just went with the Jotunheim and stopped reading the irrelevant numerical comparisons and data people post in these comments--they are humorous (I'll admit that) but it's a shameful waste of good listening time--regardless of the headphones you own!

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