Taking your advice. Going to add 1 additional inch to the Bifrost clearance and 1/2 inch to the Jot clearance. Surprisingly the Bifrost seems hotter than the Jot. Maybe because it is on the bottom of the stack. Who knows, but I had thought the amp would be hotter than the DAC. Thanks.
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Maybe itās just the way the photo was taken, but it looks like there is very little space above the Bifrost. Also, Jot is vented and Bifrost is not. Iām totally guessing, but I think your plan to give Bifrost an additional inch of space should be enough for convection currents to carry away quite a bit more heat. That, in turn, will reduce the ambient temp around the Jot, which obviously would also help.
Let us know how it works.
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My adult son and I share a headphone, IEM, and amp stable. We started with portable DAC/amp combinations and settled on the Chord Mojo as our reference with both of us having our own Mojo. We still love it but we bought a RME ADI2 DAC and loved it so much that we bought a second one so neither would have to live without it. The RME has excellent dac performance and two headohone amplifiers. One is really intended for easy to drive units including IEMs. The second can drive any headphone made and could even function as a small speaker amp (although I do not really recommend that) it also includes a 5 +2 band parametric equalizer so it is a complete package. I recommend it very highly. As a closing note, originally the ADI2 was built around an AKM DAC (AK4493) but supply problems after AKM suffered a facility fire led to a change to the ESS ES9028Q2M. Both units we own have the ESS DAC and I have not heard the AKM version. however, I doubt there is a significant audible difference. All new units are ESS so to get an AKM would require you to buy used. Before doing that I recommend reading RME ADI-2 DAC FS - AKM Versus ESS Measurements (DAC, Preamp & Headamp) | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum. This is a great comparison by a veteran tester āVintage Flankerā and references the original tests on AudioScience Reviews by Amir (@amrim) referenced in Vintage Flankerās review.
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Lou, Both shelves were 2 1/2 inches and according to the specs both the Bifrost and the Jot are 2 inches high. My picture taking skills are subpar. I went ahead and did increase the space between the shelves, 3 inches for the Jot and 3 1/2 inches for the Bifrost. I also added some silicone pads, two large ones on top of the Bifrost, two small ones on the bottom of the Bifrost, and one large one on the top of the Jot (not covering the vent holes).
Fired everything up and will check the heat levels in a couple of hours. No thermometer just will go by touch. Thanks for the advice,
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Hello Everybody!
My first post here!
I ordered an Audio-Technica R70X headphone and am trying to figure out the amp/DAC I need. Iāve read very mixed opinions online. Some even say it can be used directly from the motherboard without an amp, but I have doubts about this.
So Iām considering two setups:
- Schiit Modi + Schiit Magni
- Schiit Modius + Schiit Jotunheim 2
(FiiO K7 was also on my radar, but to be honest, Schiit stacks are so much better-looking.)
What is your opinion or experience with these? Is the Jotunheim 2 overkill? Would there be any significant differences between these two setups?
If I go with the Modius + Jotunheim, I would buy a balanced replacement cable for the headphone, making the entire setup balanced. Thatās a plus for the Jotunheim, but it is more than double the price, and Iām unsure how much impact the balanced signal would make.
Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
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My first stack was the Modius with the original Jotunheim. I really liked the sound in fact when it was time for me to upgrade, i ended up staying with Schiit getting the Bifrost 2/64 and the Jotunheim 2.
I have never heard the Modi / Magni combo but have read it was a great sound for the pricepoint. I am sure it will drive your headphones well. One of the reasons I chose the Modius over the Modi was the additional output which allowed me to run a completely solid state path through the balanced connection and a tube preamp / solid state through the single-ended path.
Running balanced out from the Jot sounds good and seems to have more volume at the same volume level on the knob over single-ended. My ears arenāt sophisticated enough to detect any other real differences.
And if you go with the Modi / Magni, Topping makes a great little stand to stack them for $35. I couldnt find anything similar for the Modius / Jot so ended up building one myself. Be sure to check the measurements to be sure of fit since it is made for Topping gear. TOPPING Acrylic Rack ā Apos.
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Welcome to the forum Rossi!
Iāve had a Magni/Modi stack, and Bifrost 2 with the Jotunheim 2, and the Modius by reputation & reviews is supposed to be pretty excellent.
If your wallet can handle it and you have the space, I think youāre better off getting the Modius/Jot 2 combo. It will give you noticeably better sound now with your AT-R70x, and will give you room to āgrowā your system with other headphones down the road should you wish too. The Jot 2 has enough power to drive almost any headphone with ease, and sounds really great (especially at the price, like all Schiit gear).
I used my Jot 2/Bifrost 2 combo quite happily with some expensive headphones, like various ZMFs and the Rosson RAD-0 planar. It sounded great! 
But then I caught the upgrade bug and am now deep down the rabbit hole. 
But I think the Modius/Jot 2 is at a point where you get excellent sound, and have to then spend a lot more for increasingly diminishing returns in sound quality, at least in my experience.
My current setup is noticeably better than what I had, but not an order of magnitude better, which is what the $ differential is now for me!
Good luck, happy listening.
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Thanks a lot robson and tomcrable, this was extremely helpful!
Space isnāt an issue, and I can fit the Modius/Jotunheim 2 into my budget. I just wasnāt sure if it offers more than just extra power and volumeāso my understanding is that the Modius and Jotunheim 2 can be a significant step up in sound quality as well.
Iām leaning towards the Jotunheim 2, but I need to justify the additional cost since thereās a $370 difference. I could get a good pair of active speakers for that amount.
By the way, Iām not planning to experiment much with other DACs, amps, or headphonesāI just want a solid setup that I can rely on for years.
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A few of us have said similar things, and thenā¦
Regardless, Iāll suggest splitting the difference cost-wise with the Modi Multibit + Magni. Iām not a fan of ESS chips in low-cost DACs, and getting a Multibit DAC for $300 is a steal. The Magni will always be a good backup amp if you get the upgrade bug (which is pretty contagious).
The internal DAC for the Magni Unity is basically a Modi without the chassis and power supply. Same chip (ES9018) and same Unison USB, under $200 total. You could grab a pair of AudioEngine A2+ actives and still be well under $500.
But my recommendation is grab the Multibit DAC if you can.
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@Rossi, you might also consider the used market for your Schitt stack. You can save a few bucks that way though not as much as you might think. Schiit products hold their value pretty well even though the warranty doesnt transfer.
I was very patient. I got (I thought) a good deal on a silver Bifrost 2/64 in reverb.com and my Jot 2 in eBay. I saved about $300 on the pair. And after I had both installed and tested a couple of folks got some great deals on my Modius and Jot 1 that were still in great shape.
The downside is you are taking a chance as you arenāt getting any manufacturer warranty except the selling siteās DOA/not as described guarantee.
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@Lou_Ford
Iāll definitely check out those multibit DACs; Iāve read great things about them. By the way, I saw that you can order the Jotunheim 2 with a multibit DAC, but Iāve heard that integrated DACs are not as good as separate ones. Iāll try to test both multibit and ESS before buying.
@tomcrable
Iāve been thinking about that too, and Iāll definitely explore the second-hand marketāthanks for the suggestion! Warranty would give me peace of mind, but a big price difference maybe outweighs it.
By the way, just out of curiosityāthis might be on the other end of the scaleābut I also considered starting with the Schiit Hel and upgrading later if I feel the urge. Since Iāve never had such a high-quality audio setup, itās hard for me to even imagine the differences between these stacks. If you had to compare, for example, a Schiit Hel with a Schiit Modius + Jotunheim 2 stack, would the sound quality be a magnitude better, even for someone whose ears arenāt trained for audiophile setups? (I donāt mind spending money on quality gear, as long as it really makes a difference and impact.)
In my experience the difference between a $500 setup and a $5,000 setup comes down to (1) cleaner and painless treble, (2) deeper and more defined bass, (3) more substantial body / not thin or scratchy, and (4) fewer artifacts and roughness.
With a back-to-back comparison you would likely hear the differences easily. Some have worse hearing than others and canāt hear or donāt care. Some think of themselves as dragon slayers with gear that āpunches above its price,ā and some pay crazy money for stuff that may be the best of the best of the best or may be a placebo.
You will not know what personally matters until you try for yourself.
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Iām not familiar with Schiit Hel at all. I probably didnt look at it as it is marketed toward gaming and that is one habit that I DONāT have. Im sure it has decent sound given the quality of the rest of the Schiit lineup.
If you are looking at inexpensive DAC / Amp combos you might want to look at some of the Chifi options. Products from Topping, SMSL, etc. get pretty good reviews and have more bells and whistles than the Schiit products. Myself i dont need the bells and whistles, i like switches and nobs and dont need a screen my eyes can barely read
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Thanks for all your advice; it helped me decide on my dilemma. Iām most likely going to pull the trigger and order the Modius/Jotunheim 2 stack (though I still want to experiment with Multibit). As soon as everything arrives, Iāll give you an update about my first impressions and thoughts. 
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Do you have any audio stores or shows nearby? Sometimes a few minutes is all you need. Many of us started with low-end equipment and then spent a lot more to get to a āfinalā destination. Some also say ābuy nice or buy twice.ā
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Thatās what Iām going to do. Although I donāt think I can try out Schiit products here in Hungary, it will however give me a good comparison between gear at different levels.
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Lou, I have not powered down the Bifrost or Jot for over a week now. As I showed above, I added additional space between the shelves and also put some silicone heat sink pads on the tops of the unit. I covered the top of the Bifrost pretty much completely and just put pads on the Jot on one side to keep the vent holes exposed.
Both units are noticeably cooler with the Bifrost still running hotter than the Jot. Both really just warm to the touch now.
Thanks again for the feedback.
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Glad itās working well for you, Tom.
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I has an SMSL H300 that was running hot on the bottom. I went to Amazon for a 15" monitor riser thatās black matte metal with little slots on it for ventilation. It transfers heat really well and the feet adjust for height. They have them on sale for $11 with coupon now at:
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