JOTUNHEIM

MODULAR NEXUS™ AND CONTINUITY S™ BALANCED HEADPHONE AMP AND PREAMP

Unique technology, unrivalled flexibility, and modular design—the Jotunheim 2 sets the standard for balanced headphone amps and preamps. It’s ready for any headphone—and fully enabled to be the centerpiece of a complete desktop system.

The Best $2400 Headphone Amp—For $400?
If you’re talking fully discrete, truly balanced headphone amps, you’re usually talking big, big money. Not with Jotunheim 2. It meets—or even exceeds—the insane parts and build quality of boutique amps. A true balanced, 4-gang, silky-smooth Alps RK27114 potentiometer and 1% “supermatched” JFET inputs, 10% matched, paired BJT gain stage and output devices, and zero capacitors in the signal path is just a start. Jotunheim 2 also features our exclusive Nexus™ current-feedback, inherently differential, input/output agnostic topology. It also includes our Continuity S™ output stage for exceptional linearity and efficiency at high output. Or, in English, Jotunheim 2 connects seamlessly to all your sources without compromise, puts out an incredible amount of power, and is whisper-quiet on even the most sensitive IEMs.

• ES9028 DAC. Choose the ES9028 module with Unison USB™ for a world-class delta-sigma DAC for $100.
• MM Phono. Or, choose the MM phono input module, for 42dB of gain and passive RIAA, for great phono sound, for $100.

So this “best $2400 amp for $400” is a bit of hype, isn’t it?
Hmm, well, you look some of the big-dollar amps and let us know.

I’d prefer a less smartass answer, please.
Gotcha. But please have a look at what’s available that is (a) really truly balanced, (b) fully discrete, (c) using parts like Alps RK27114 “Blue Velvet” potentiometers (d) has a 100% internal, 100% linear power supply, (e) has insane attention paid to parts quality, including using matched parts throughout—in the input, voltage gain, and output stages, (f) provides tons of power for hard-to-drive headphones AND is super-quiet for the most sensitive IEMs. We think you’ll find there isn’t much out there.

Well, Jotunheim 2 does cost more if you add an optional module.
Wow, tough audience. Yep, you can get it up to $499 or $599. But that also highlights the fact that it’s the only affordable, customizable, future-proof balanced headphone amp out there.

So how come you guys are the only ones who can do this super duper value balanced amp?
Because we make a lot of them. Because we make sure they are easy to make. Because we also make sure they are super reliable. That’s basically it. No magic.

There are other balanced amps in Jotunheim 2’s price range. What about them?
What about them? They use IC-based topologies, like our Magnius. And may we remind you that Magnius costs far less than these other affordable balanced amps, while (a) far outstripping them in potentiometer quality (using the 27mm Alps RK27114 versus their 9mm potentiometers), and (b) being designed and made right here in California.

But they measure better than Jotunheim 2.
So does Magnius. So if you’re going for measured performance versus cost, Magnius is the logical choice. Get a Magnius and save $200 over a Jotunheim 2. Done.

I don’t get it—why would I want a Jotunheim 2 then?
Because, like us, you think there is something to fully discrete designs. Or you want a product without a wall-wart. Or you drank the Schiit Kool-Aid and you just gotta have Nexus and Continuity. Or you want to add a module for a single-box desktop system. Or maybe you just got money to burn. It’s cool. You can buy one, the other, neither, or both, and we’ll be perfectly happy.

So this is now a Nexus™ amp?
Yes, it is. Like Ragnarok 2 and Jotunheim R, Jotunheim 2 is our unique, current-feedback, inherently differential, input/output agnostic topology using matched parts throughout.

Wow that’s a lot of words. What do they mean?
Fair enough. Let’s break it down:

• Unique: as far as we know, nobody else is using a topology like Nexus. It isn’t a circlotron, it isn’t supersymmetry, it offers two high-impedance input terminals, is inherently differential, offers single-ended output…but hell, that’s a lot of words too. Sorry about that.
• Current-feedback: as in, the feedback is taken to an inherently low-impedance node, which means the circuit is insanely fast and has very low noise.
• Inherently differential: feed it a balanced signal, it stays balanced. Feed it single-ended, and it emerges balanced, because it is a differential amplifier. There’s no conversion before or after the stage.
• Input/output agnostic: connect it to anything, and take anything out. Connect to balanced and use the single-ended outputs…that’s perfectly fine. SE to balanced…also fine. SE to SE and balanced to balanced…fine again.
• Matched parts throughout: Nexus requires obsessive parts matching. So instead of using any parts off the reel (which may vary up to 50-80%) the parts are either matched by the manufacturer to 10% in paired devices, or hand-matched by us to 1% for the input JFETs—literally the tightest matching on any audio device, at any price.

My head still hurts, can you break this down into non-technologese?
Unfortunately not much more, sorry. Basically, the thing to know is you can use any source, and connect to any headphone, powered monitor, or amp without nervosa.

• True Multibit™ DAC Module. This one uses Schiit’s unique time- and frequency-domain optimized DSP-based digital filter and deep multibit D/A converter architecture, with the AK5547 D/A converter.
• ES9028 DAC Module. This one uses an ESS ES9028Q2M D/A converter with our own Unison USB™digital input via a USB-C jack. Plan your cables accordingly on this one.

And the phono card?
It doesn’t play any digital at all, I’m afraid.

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, +/-0.01db, 2Hz-700KHz, -3dB