Thanks so much for this thorough review! It answered everything I was wondering about, and it's a good reminder to not buy into hype on forum threads. You're one of the few reviewers I know always takes the review process seriously.
Excellent Review. The M3 is HUGE!! I just don't have the room for a Unit that Big. (That's What She Said). I recently got the Nitsch Pietus Maximus Amp(No DAC Chip) and also have the LYR3 with Apos Ray Vacuum Tube 6SN7 Reserve and BOTH are a really good value for the $$$
I recently got the HE1000SE and it is now my favorite headphone. I got the Mjolnir 3 and it did pair very well with the HEKSE. But I wanted something that drives my 300 ohm headphones as well, so I decided to try the Violectric V281 which was just reissued since you said it is even better with the HEKSE and does well with higher impedance headphones. And I have to say that you will now be one of the sources I trust for gear reviews because I agree. The V281 is now the best amp for me that I've had in my system. I still like the Mjolnir 3 but the V281 ticks all the boxes for me.
@@wavetheorysound it’s a great snack indeed. Glad to see you pour some cold water on this one. I’m very happy with my current amps and was hoping to not have to spend another $1300 on another one.
@@aceofspades6667 based on your previous comments it seems you've moved beyond what a $1300 amp can be reasonably expected to deliver, so that makes sense. I didn't set out to be a pourer of cold water here. But when I heard that the M3 didn't match amps twice its cost (and seriously...why would it?) I knew I had to say that. Anyway, always appreciate your viewership and comments! 🍻
@@wavetheorysound yep I’ve got 6-7 amps at any given time just always looking for the pink unicorn sub $2k that is a world beater. Thus far it doesn’t exist but thought the mj3 might be It. On to the flux mentor stack which is like 33 watts into 30 ohms lol.
Great review, I think the punching up idea is more to say that is the Mjolnir is worth every penny you spent on it. I think in hifi audio diminishing returns is undeniable when you spend after a certain amount. So when people are saying the Mjolnir punches up. I think the reference is @1.3K I feel the full $1.3K spent as to where other companies would have said this is a $3K amp.
I appreciate your reviews, I do not believe you are a contrarian per se, but you are a person that can only state his true feelings - we need that. There are way too many reviewers that are afraid to give their true opinion (afraid to upset the Mfg's). This is a real problem in the motorcycle world, the reviewers get invited to a special track session for a new model, and they all praise it no matter what - probably because saying they don't like it would result in no more invitations to the special events.
@wavetheorysound, another great review- as a Susvara user on the path from mid-fi to hi(gher) fi, this was important information. I particularly appreciated the comparison of performance between different headphones of differing impedance and sensitivity. I wonder if Schiit’s Aegir 2 (30 W stereo, 100 w mono into 8 ohms), might achieve what MJ3 has not- or (even more enticing, if more risky) the Tyr monoblocks (200 W into 8 ohms). Some have used Tyrs for headphones with good effect- as it shares a lot of the topology of the MJ3 (one could even say that the Mj3 topology is ‘trickle down’from the more expensive Tyr). Those doing so with hard to drive headphones report that most of the issues you identified with the MJ3 are resolved given the greater power on tap. Of course, given it is a speaker amp, a lot of caution is needed. Perhaps the Hifiman Prelude is worth a closer look- thanks for helping me along my way! 😊
Thanks for the thorough review, my dude. I currently have what I consider my endgame can right now, HEkse. I'm looking at an MJ3 as an endgame amp. Sounds like they'd do well together. However, the Golden Wave has still got some of my attention...
Well…I had this on order and chose to go a different route after preordering the Tungsten DS with its notorious difficult load. Sounds like a great product offering from Schiit! Thanks for the in-depth impressions and analysis WaveTheory!
Well now I'm left with more to search, for a more impactful and less thick/stuffy V222, a true JOT2 at ~$1000. My V222 makes the clear and dynamic He1000 Stealth sound like a Grados... i want the warmth AND the dynamics
Hmmm. The top 3 upgrades for my headphone collection is, primarily listening to metal with questionable recordings lol. Atrium closed Aeolus Neon noir Lcd 2 MJ3 Gsx mini V222
Hello Mr WaveTheory, The Ragnarok is currently on sale for $999. How do you think this 32 lbs amplifier stacks up to the Mjolnir 3 and others you mentioned? Thank you for your beautifully thorough and thoughtful reviews.
how do you think the mjolnir 3 would compare to a cayin HA 1A mk2( which you reviewed) when driving high impedance cans like beyers and hifiman HE6SE v2 ?
This review makes perfect sense based on other reviews of the V222. Seems like most people call it a tube sounding solid state amp. And the mjoilner 3 is known for being super transparent for any type of music (per forums). So yes the people saying this review is bias I think are missing the point. High impedance headphones like Sennheisers or ZMF’s have always been known to sound great with tubes. So it makes logical sense that a tube sounding amp would sing with those type of headphones where the mjoilner 3 is not going for that sound at all. Great review! I wish you did review both amps using an R2R dac and a solid state dac as I wonder if that changes your preferences. For example if I’m considering one of those 2 amps and I have a Gustard R26 I wonder if the V222 would be incredible with the HD660S2 or if it would be too much of that type of sound and Mjolinar 3 would balance out the sound perfectly. Hard to know without someone directing comparing both options.
HE6se v2 is 64ohm btw and tend to measure around 79-81db/mw of sensitivity, the advertised specs never got changed from the 4/6 screw variants, but they did go up in impedance and slightly down in sensitivity. I still need to send you an amp that shows you what those things can do. With an amp that can drive it well, the stage size and detail is very near the HE1000v2. The HE1000se pulls ahead in detail and absolute stage size by a decent amount, but the v2 is really close to the detail and stage of the HE6se v2 driven well. It's a really deceptive load. It seems like its at its maximum potential on a lot of amps but the leap in technicalities you get cresting that plateau going to something like a pair of Parasound A21+ is a pretty massive leap and on those same amps, the Susvara gets a pretty substantial leap as well, but not nearly the leap the HE6se v2 gets. As much as I hate ASR, the graphs he has for the HE6se v2 and Susvara show it maxing out the AHB2, and that amp does full Class A 100wpc @8ohm, and it's pretty interesting in that you can tell he's not driving them to their maximum potential because the distortion graphs show them both having lower distortion at 114db than at 94db and to me that just shows how much more they have to give with more power and raw control from an amp. There's no reason they should have half the distortion at 20db (100x) the volume, it just means the amp is providing more control with that extra power and there's still more to give because it runs out of voltage, but if the current bias is better, like on an A21+, you get substantially less distortion at realistic volume levels and that's before you even take the 4x (or 8x on a pair in dual mono) better damping factor on the A21+ over the AHB2. There's something waiting to be figured out in all of this, but I just lack the tools to measure and document it all and I really wish I could articulate better how massive the difference is once you get over the plateau both the Susvaras and HE6se v2 have from sheer driving difficulty.
@@ayushbhaumik7980 Whatever you do, buy directly from Hifiman. They're the only ones left that you can get a warranty out of and you have to buy refurbished pairs, which retain the warranty. The load they present on a lot of amps causes some actual problems and of the 6 HE6se v2 I've owned, 5 have died, most within minutes of first time use. The current pair I'm on has held up for a little over 2 years, and I am actually currently waiting for 2 pairs (that were my backups with very little use time on them) back from Hifiman. They were backup pairs that I sent to people to try that killed themselves presumably due to the amps having issues driving the load they put out. There's some absurdly powerful amps out there (at least rating wise) that don't come close to driving them well, and that list includes things like the Flux Volot/FA-10/FA-12, Schiit Ragnarok 2, Topping A90d, Benchmark AHB2/HPA4, Enleum AMP-23r, Burson Soloist 3xp, and dozens of pretty high power speaker amps under $4000 MSRP which also tend to run the risk of DC offset which can also be something that can just instantly kill the driver with no warning. Of all the headphone amps I've personally tried up through ~$7000, the only one that gets pretty close to the pair of Parasound A21+ monoblocks is the 2023 update of the Burson Soloist 3X GT (and presumably the Burson Voyager, which I haven't tried) with full opamp and Silent Power module upgrades and even though the Soloist GT has a slight bit more detail, clarity, and sharper imaging, the dynamics on the Parasound monoblocks are still a good bit better. I've sold the Susvaras 4 times now, and even though I've had 5 pairs of HE6se v2 die on me, they're still my all around favorite headphone I've ever owned with the help of a pad swap, honeycomb grills, cup bracing, and a little EQ. Nothing out there can slam like they do while maintaining absolute clarity, no matter how hard you scour the market, but getting there is an absolute nightmare. I'm glad I stuck it out with them, but damn it was frustrating. I've also had them kill 2 pairs of class A monoblocks, 4 or 5 Chinese speaker amps, and probably 6 headphone amps. They have a ton of potential that I think very few people have ever been able to really pull out of them, it's a real shame they're so damn hard to drive.
@@ayushbhaumik7980 Whatever you do, buy directly from Hifiman. They're the only ones left that you can get a warranty out of and you have to buy refurbished pairs, which retain the warranty. The load they present on a lot of amps causes some actual problems and of the 6 HE6se v2 I've owned, 5 have died, most within minutes of first time use. The current pair I'm on has held up for a little over 2 years, and I am actually currently waiting for 2 pairs (that were my backups with very little use time on them) back from Hifiman. They were backup pairs that I sent to people to try that killed themselves presumably due to the amps having issues driving the load they put out. There's some absurdly powerful amps out there (at least rating wise) that don't come close to driving them well, and that list includes things like the Flux Volot/FA-10/FA-12, Schiit Ragnarok 2, Topping A90d, Benchmark AHB2/HPA4, Enleum AMP-23r, Burson Soloist 3xp, and dozens of pretty high power speaker amps under $4000 MSRP which also tend to run the risk of DC offset which can also be something that can just instantly kill the driver with no warning. Of all the headphone amps I've personally tried up through ~$7000, the only one that gets pretty close to the pair of Parasound A21+ monoblocks is the 2023 update of the Burson Soloist 3X GT with full opamp and Silent Power module upgrades and even though the Soloist GT has a slight bit more detail, clarity, and sharper imaging, the dynamics on the Parasound monoblocks are still a good bit better. I've sold the Susvaras 4 times now, and even though I've had 5 pairs of HE6se v2 die on me, they're still my all around favorite headphone I've ever owned with the help of a pad swap, honeycomb grills, cup bracing, and a little EQ. Nothing out there can slam like they do while maintaining absolute clarity, no matter how hard you scour the market, but getting there is an absolute nightmare. I'm glad I stuck it out with them, but damn it was frustrating. I've also had them kill 2 pairs of class A monoblocks, 4 or 5 Chinese speaker amps, and probably 6 headphone amps. They have a ton of potential that I think very few people have ever been able to really pull out of them.
@@ayushbhaumik7980 Whatever you do, buy directly from Hifiman. They're the only ones left that you can get a warranty out of and you have to buy refurbished pairs, which retain the warranty. The load they present on a lot of amps causes some actual problems and of the 6 HE6se v2 I've owned, 5 have died, most within minutes of first time use. The current pair I'm on has held up for a little over 2 years, and I am actually currently waiting for 2 pairs (that were my backups with very little use time on them) back from Hifiman. They were backup pairs that I sent to people to try that self destructed presumably due to the amps having issues driving the load they put out. There's some absurdly powerful amps out there (at least rating wise) that don't come close to driving them well, and that list includes things like the Flux Volot/FA-10/FA-12, Schiit Ragnarok 2, Topping A90d, Benchmark AHB2/HPA4, Enleum AMP-23r, Burson Soloist 3xp, and dozens of pretty high power speaker amps under $4000 MSRP which also tend to run the risk of DC offset which can also be something that can just instantly kill the driver with no warning. Of all the headphone amps I've personally tried up through ~$7000, the only one that gets pretty close to the pair of Parasound A21+ monoblocks is the 2023 update of the Burson Soloist 3X GT with full opamp and Silent Power module upgrades and even though the Soloist GT has a slight bit more detail, clarity, and sharper imaging, the dynamics on the Parasound monoblocks are still a good bit better. I've sold the Susvaras 4 times now, and even though I've had 5 pairs of HE6se v2 die on me, they're still my all around favorite headphone I've ever owned with the help of a pad swap, honeycomb grills, cup bracing, and a little EQ. Nothing out there can slam like they do while maintaining absolute clarity, no matter how hard you scour the market, but getting there is an absolute nightmare. I'm glad I stuck it out with them, but damn it was frustrating. I've also had them break 2 pairs of class A monoblocks, 4 or 5 Chinese speaker amps, and probably 6 headphone amps. They have a ton of potential that I think very few people have ever been able to really pull out of them.
I appreciate your effort, and detailed approach to asses the gear you review. You mentioned synergy, and punching up, aka scaling. The MJ3, is a step up from the Jot2 for my other gear. I've only had it two weeks, and tried it with two headphones and my Adam Audio S2V monitors. There is nothing I don't like about the MJ3, it's more balanced, has more resolution, deeper soundstage layers, and I really love the difference in the gain output vs the Jot2. In Lo gain, the Jot2 drove the S2V monitors with more mid bass, it put too much air pressure into the room. Now, the Lo gain on the MJ3 is more balanced, I don't get that overpressure in the mid bass. Every other metric is better from the MJ3, and I suspect the S2V are now the weak link in that chain, and/or my room of course. The HD800S and LCD-X have never sounded better, to me. Somehow, the MJ3 in Hi gain, has added a new dynamic punch to the HD800S, and a low end that was not there using the Jot2. I need to experiment with the Bifrost 2 some more, it's using the balanced inputs to the MJ3, and has a Sony 4K player plugged in via coaxial. My SACD player is the Denon DCD-A110, it's using the RCA outs to the MJ3. Is it 3x better than the Jot2, that's hard to measure, diminishing returns and all. Mostly, it's back to synergy with the gear you have. For me, it's an obvious step up with no downside to the sound quality. My Jot2 is now being used in the other room, I still think it's a great amp, although it's being used as a preamp for a different pair of powered monitors.
Interesting stance. How do you like the MJ3 as a preamp into your S2V? Does it impart the same punch and dynamics that you'd find in the headphone amp section of the MJ3? In any case, I don't think your S2V is the weak link as they are quite a fine pair of active speakers
@@datbaguettedoe6436 The MJ3 seems to have less output, via XLR, when on Lo gain, than the Jot 2. Or, the whole frequency range is more balanced, either way it's better for my room and music. The S2V are converting my analog signal to digital and back to analog. They are great, but the converters in them are the ceiling of my system. With headphones I'm hearing the analog signal, at least after my SACD player's DAC(s), it has 4 DAC's.
Your reviews are fantastic man! Seems this is the 'other half' of the Vioelectric V222. I do have the V222 and love it so far, but I cant get both. I need my next amp to be a big step up/next level or Ill have too many boxes 😂
I just got an Oor back in for reasons that will become clear in the near future. So I'll be able to answer this question in the near future, but not right now.
Hi WaveTheory, thanks for another great review, really appreciate your effort covering synergy between sources, amps and headphones. I have the MJ3 on order, might be here next month, to use with my Pontus II. My plan was to buy the HEKse and good to hear you think it is a good paring. Now I'm considering the Stealth instead. Do you think it would pair just as well as HEKse? I think I know the answer to my own question. Since both are low impedance they will sound fine, just a matter of which is preferred. Each will exhibit their unique sound characteristics with the MJ3.
My hd600/650/800S have never sounded better than on the mj3 with my yggy, while my Elex have never sounded worse, so im quite flip-flopped from your opinion. What a hobby this is
I wonder if it matters what dac you use as Yggy is not an R2R but multibit is in the same ballpark. Perhaps the Mjolinar 3 balances out the sound perfectly for you. I would love people to compare a solid state dac vs a multibit/R2R dac with both the V222 and Mjolinar 3 as I own the Gustard R26 and I’m curious if I would agree with you Yggy assessments or not. I own the HD660S2.
Thanks for the review. Combined with low impedance Hifiman and due to its slightly mid-forward presentation, the MJ3 appears to be a good deal. Since I also own the Dan Clark Stealth, I was wondering which DAC I should add to the Stealth + MJ3 combo: 1. One aspect is to tame the mid-forwardness of the DCA Stealth a bit, since the MJ3 might add even more to that. 2. A Denafrips Ares 12th might help the closed back design with soundstage a bit and adds a tiny bit of warmth. Then again, since the Stealth is not a very dynamic headphone, I was wondering if the Bifrost 2/64 is the better option. I'm just not a fan of the Bifrost soundstage, since you perceived it as closer to "wall of sound", at least compared to Denafrips (also I'm not a fan of the Sennheiser 6xx soundstage or imaging in particular). -> With the Stealth, I don't listen to heavy metal or rock that much, but a bit more dynamics would be great, without boosting the mid range even more trough the Schiit MJ3.
Although I’m a fan of the channel, what alarms me that he is the only one who feels the way he feels about the MJ3 and V281…I’ve had 3 non-reviewers who’s owned both amps tell me that they feel that the MJ3 is the superior amp. Keep in mind that not many people have owned both. One of them has neither amp today and still sides with the MJ3. Tuning is one thing, and we are all entitled to our preferences there, but when you start comparing things like detail, separation, holography, etc…well, those things aren’t associated with preference and really makes me wonder what wavetheory’s ears are hearing. I’ve heard both the MJ3 and V281 and i can’t make a real decision as to which amp is superior because the V281 at the time was being fed by the internal dac of the V226 and the MJ3 was fed by a Bifrost 2/64 but i certainly think the Schiit stack was superior.
Not to be a nag (well, yeah I am being a nag), but I'd like to know as well (though I think we can draw a conclusion from the lack of responses to this and similar comments in multiple reviews). Currawong is reviewing it, but I don't know when; he's been moderately active in the S17 thread on Head-fi and seems initially positive.
@@marlowe1537 I have the s17 and I think it's excellent in the sound department. Just wondering how the comparisons will go. S17 is very good minus the volume relay issues and all that. Should have probably just used a good pot and cost 499.
@@ancientalien815 I also have an S17 and agree, but remain very curious to get the opinions of a couple of my most trusted reviewers, especially since Wave Theory and Currawong have recently reviewed the Mjolnir 3. (Just about all the reviews of the S17 have been raves but IIRC none have compared those two.) BTW newer firmware (not user installable) largely resolved the volume issue in all but the earliest production units. Though the heat issue persists (if internal temps reach 69°C in high current mode, the unit automatically shifts into lower current mode which lowers temps) it is fairly easily solvable.
I have owned the MJ3, and am currently testing the V222 vs the S17 Pro (setup = BF2/64 + E3). No matter how much research you do, you will never know unless you test for yourself. I had mind blowing sessions with the MJ3, I could hear panning of instruments, deep bass, depth, emotive vocals and instruments, but let it go due to repeated issues with the unit. I got the V222 and it sounded nice, good clarity, details, some depth, but a bit closed in feeling sometimes. Curiosity led me to get an S17 Pro, it is similar to the MJ3 in some respects, very tubey with deep bass and open sounding, but way less details. Neither the V222 nor S17 Pro have been able to blow my mind like the MJ3, so get the MJ3 if you want the best sounding unit. The difference between the S17 Pro and V222 can be vast, listening to Depeche mode, the V222 sounds tight and detailed, the S17 Pro sounds bloated. They sound so different on Depeche Mode that you hardly recognize they are playing the same tracks. But, the S17 Pro fights back with amazing guitar sounds on Blues and slow rock, the S17 Pro has more magic like the MJ3, the V222 is more clinical in its presentation. The MJ3 couldn't make badly recorded music sound good, though, the S17 Pro is the most forgiving of the 3 amps. Finally, don't think a G111 MK2 is going to get you close to a V222, the G111 MK2 is unpleasant in comparison to the V222.
Hi wavetheory, sometimes you give contrarian reviews , do you think the signal chain behind the amplifier( DAC and DDC) plays a role in how big the differences between amplifiers are? i noticed you use some singxer ddc and a berkley alpha series 2 DAC ( which cost like $20000 on release? ) which is better than what most other reviewers have I guess. Could you try using some cheaper DAC with no DDC and see if the differences in mjolnir 3 and vio v222 still hold ?
The Alpha S2 was a $5500 unit when it was launched. The core design dates back to 2012. My unit is one of the revised units that launched around 2017 that is an MQA renderer - a feature I don't use but let's you know what its feature set is like. Having not heard the front end portions of the signal chains my fellow reviewers use, I'm not qualified to say whether or not mine is better. I will say that even during the life of this channel I've moved away from direct connections to PCs and toward streamers as those are superior sources, when well done, to my ears. I've put significant work into getting the source end to be as clean as possible for the funds I've had available to do so. But even so, I try to use price-appropriate combinations of gear as part of my reviews. Don't forget I also used the Musician Pegasus II here. As far as being contrarian...that's not something I set out to be but does come out sometimes, agreed. I don't like hype trains and hyperbole, particularly when thousands of dollars are on the line for people. If I think something has been overstated, I feel I owe it to the audience to say so.
@@wavetheorysound hmm, i guess the difference in opinions can stem from the fact that most other reviewers test their audio gear with less demanding music, you are one of the few reviewers I have seen who listens to rock and metal genres which are more complex and need a lot of bass and you mentioned how the mjolnir 3 would not resolve tracks as well as the V222 on some complex passages with high impedance phones. I guess thats why some of your reviews are contrarian.
@@Maver1ck911 I think the other reviewers didnt have a v222 on hand to compare it with mj3. I used to think wavetheory has a schiit bias instead based on his previous reviews of schiit products but now not anymore after this review.
@@ayushbhaumik7980 he also thinks its only appropriate to use low impedance headphones on it. He also has an entirely different impression of subjective sound than everyone else. I have one and use 300 Ohms, 150 Ohms, 60 Ohms, and IEM's on it. This is like listening to the British Audiophile compare everything to his Proac's but at least he is completely transparent and acknowledges his bias. Vioelectric makes over priced simple amps and the cope is real.
@@Maver1ck911 unless others also compare the MJ3 directly with V22 we cant form any consensus on that matter. You might use it with all sorts of phones but you didnt tell me what other amps you have compared it with.
most audiophiles think the gear they bought must be the best thing since sliced bread and only watch reviews which lets them stay in their echo chamber when the truth is gear synergy always plays a huge role in sound quality no matter the price bracket.
I choose the V222 for the Tunstens vs. the Mjolnir. I LOVE the Violectric V222 with the Tungstens!! The $949 doesn't hurt vs. $1300...
I own the HE6SEV2 and HE1000SE and absolutely love them on my Mjolnir 3... this confirms my impressions. Excellent pairings.
What DAC are you paring with your amp? I’m running the same cans, thanks!
Thanks so much for this thorough review! It answered everything I was wondering about, and it's a good reminder to not buy into hype on forum threads. You're one of the few reviewers I know always takes the review process seriously.
Have you tried it?
Excellent Review. The M3 is HUGE!! I just don't have the room for a Unit that Big. (That's What She Said). I recently got the Nitsch Pietus Maximus Amp(No DAC Chip) and also have the LYR3 with Apos Ray Vacuum Tube 6SN7 Reserve and BOTH are a really good value for the $$$
Eagerly anticipating your Tungsten review
Happily listening to my Atrium Open on the MJ3, definitely elevated them over my Jot2 to my ears, satisfied customer.
I HAVE JOUTINHEIM 1 NOW WITH HD650 , DO U ADVISE ME TO BUY MJ3
@@silence5232 YES, BUY IT, BUY IT NOW
I recently got the HE1000SE and it is now my favorite headphone. I got the Mjolnir 3 and it did pair very well with the HEKSE. But I wanted something that drives my 300 ohm headphones as well, so I decided to try the Violectric V281 which was just reissued since you said it is even better with the HEKSE and does well with higher impedance headphones. And I have to say that you will now be one of the sources I trust for gear reviews because I agree. The V281 is now the best amp for me that I've had in my system. I still like the Mjolnir 3 but the V281 ticks all the boxes for me.
What are the differences in sound and what type of music do you listen ?
Gets popcorn for this one… Currawong and Lachlan gave glowing reviews recently .
Now I want popcorn 😆
@@wavetheorysound it’s a great snack indeed. Glad to see you pour some cold water on this one. I’m very happy with my current amps and was hoping to not have to spend another $1300 on another one.
@@aceofspades6667 based on your previous comments it seems you've moved beyond what a $1300 amp can be reasonably expected to deliver, so that makes sense. I didn't set out to be a pourer of cold water here. But when I heard that the M3 didn't match amps twice its cost (and seriously...why would it?) I knew I had to say that. Anyway, always appreciate your viewership and comments! 🍻
@@wavetheorysound yep I’ve got 6-7 amps at any given time just always looking for the pink unicorn sub $2k that is a world beater. Thus far it doesn’t exist but thought the mj3 might be It. On to the flux mentor stack which is like 33 watts into 30 ohms lol.
I haven't tried the Violectric amps. I'm curious now though!
Great review, I think the punching up idea is more to say that is the Mjolnir is worth every penny you spent on it. I think in hifi audio diminishing returns is undeniable when you spend after a certain amount. So when people are saying the Mjolnir punches up. I think the reference is @1.3K I feel the full $1.3K spent as to where other companies would have said this is a $3K amp.
I appreciate your reviews, I do not believe you are a contrarian per se, but you are a person that can only state his true feelings - we need that. There are way too many reviewers that are afraid to give their true opinion (afraid to upset the Mfg's). This is a real problem in the motorcycle world, the reviewers get invited to a special track session for a new model, and they all praise it no matter what - probably because saying they don't like it would result in no more invitations to the special events.
I appreciate you not keeping me in the dark on determining whether or not you are MC Hammer
would be interesting if you could get ahold of the new Burson Voyager and see what you think of it...
@wavetheorysound, another great review- as a Susvara user on the path from mid-fi to hi(gher) fi, this was important information. I particularly appreciated the comparison of performance between different headphones of differing impedance and sensitivity. I wonder if Schiit’s Aegir 2 (30 W stereo, 100 w mono into 8 ohms), might achieve what MJ3 has not- or (even more enticing, if more risky) the Tyr monoblocks (200 W into 8 ohms). Some have used Tyrs for headphones with good effect- as it shares a lot of the topology of the MJ3 (one could even say that the Mj3 topology is ‘trickle down’from the more expensive Tyr). Those doing so with hard to drive headphones report that most of the issues you identified with the MJ3 are resolved given the greater power on tap. Of course, given it is a speaker amp, a lot of caution is needed. Perhaps the Hifiman Prelude is worth a closer look- thanks for helping me along my way! 😊
Thanks for the thorough review, my dude. I currently have what I consider my endgame can right now, HEkse. I'm looking at an MJ3 as an endgame amp. Sounds like they'd do well together. However, the Golden Wave has still got some of my attention...
What are your impression about the mjolnir with hekse ? What type of music are you listening ?
@@pierrelafaille3117 sorry, dude, I never got one. I settle on a WA22 instead 👌
Well…I had this on order and chose to go a different route after preordering the Tungsten DS with its notorious difficult load.
Sounds like a great product offering from Schiit! Thanks for the in-depth impressions and analysis WaveTheory!
I've really been loving this thing. It's got a really nice warmth, especially in winter 😂
Happy listening ❄️!!!
So I guess it would be a bbq pit in tropical countries?
@@kato2395 😂
Well now I'm left with more to search, for a more impactful and less thick/stuffy V222, a true JOT2 at ~$1000.
My V222 makes the clear and dynamic He1000 Stealth sound like a Grados... i want the warmth AND the dynamics
Hmmm. The top 3 upgrades for my headphone collection is, primarily listening to metal with questionable recordings lol.
Atrium closed
Aeolus
Neon noir
Lcd 2
MJ3
Gsx mini
V222
Hello Mr WaveTheory,
The Ragnarok is currently on sale for $999. How do you think this 32 lbs amplifier stacks up to the Mjolnir 3 and others you mentioned?
Thank you for your beautifully thorough and thoughtful reviews.
As usual nice real world review minus the hype, for HE1000SE is Vio V550 a big jump than MJ3 or just slightly better.
Outstanding review as always 👌🏾🙏🏾👍🏾🫡
how do you think the mjolnir 3 would compare to a cayin HA 1A mk2( which you reviewed) when driving high impedance cans like beyers and hifiman HE6SE v2 ?
This review makes perfect sense based on other reviews of the V222. Seems like most people call it a tube sounding solid state amp. And the mjoilner 3 is known for being super transparent for any type of music (per forums). So yes the people saying this review is bias I think are missing the point. High impedance headphones like Sennheisers or ZMF’s have always been known to sound great with tubes. So it makes logical sense that a tube sounding amp would sing with those type of headphones where the mjoilner 3 is not going for that sound at all. Great review!
I wish you did review both amps using an R2R dac and a solid state dac as I wonder if that changes your preferences. For example if I’m considering one of those 2 amps and I have a Gustard R26 I wonder if the V222 would be incredible with the HD660S2 or if it would be too much of that type of sound and Mjolinar 3 would balance out the sound perfectly. Hard to know without someone directing comparing both options.
HE6se v2 is 64ohm btw and tend to measure around 79-81db/mw of sensitivity, the advertised specs never got changed from the 4/6 screw variants, but they did go up in impedance and slightly down in sensitivity. I still need to send you an amp that shows you what those things can do.
With an amp that can drive it well, the stage size and detail is very near the HE1000v2. The HE1000se pulls ahead in detail and absolute stage size by a decent amount, but the v2 is really close to the detail and stage of the HE6se v2 driven well. It's a really deceptive load. It seems like its at its maximum potential on a lot of amps but the leap in technicalities you get cresting that plateau going to something like a pair of Parasound A21+ is a pretty massive leap and on those same amps, the Susvara gets a pretty substantial leap as well, but not nearly the leap the HE6se v2 gets. As much as I hate ASR, the graphs he has for the HE6se v2 and Susvara show it maxing out the AHB2, and that amp does full Class A 100wpc @8ohm, and it's pretty interesting in that you can tell he's not driving them to their maximum potential because the distortion graphs show them both having lower distortion at 114db than at 94db and to me that just shows how much more they have to give with more power and raw control from an amp. There's no reason they should have half the distortion at 20db (100x) the volume, it just means the amp is providing more control with that extra power and there's still more to give because it runs out of voltage, but if the current bias is better, like on an A21+, you get substantially less distortion at realistic volume levels and that's before you even take the 4x (or 8x on a pair in dual mono) better damping factor on the A21+ over the AHB2.
There's something waiting to be figured out in all of this, but I just lack the tools to measure and document it all and I really wish I could articulate better how massive the difference is once you get over the plateau both the Susvaras and HE6se v2 have from sheer driving difficulty.
Thank you for the insight, it helps me in choosing HE6se V2 as my next headphones
@@ayushbhaumik7980 Whatever you do, buy directly from Hifiman. They're the only ones left that you can get a warranty out of and you have to buy refurbished pairs, which retain the warranty. The load they present on a lot of amps causes some actual problems and of the 6 HE6se v2 I've owned, 5 have died, most within minutes of first time use. The current pair I'm on has held up for a little over 2 years, and I am actually currently waiting for 2 pairs (that were my backups with very little use time on them) back from Hifiman. They were backup pairs that I sent to people to try that killed themselves presumably due to the amps having issues driving the load they put out. There's some absurdly powerful amps out there (at least rating wise) that don't come close to driving them well, and that list includes things like the Flux Volot/FA-10/FA-12, Schiit Ragnarok 2, Topping A90d, Benchmark AHB2/HPA4, Enleum AMP-23r, Burson Soloist 3xp, and dozens of pretty high power speaker amps under $4000 MSRP which also tend to run the risk of DC offset which can also be something that can just instantly kill the driver with no warning. Of all the headphone amps I've personally tried up through ~$7000, the only one that gets pretty close to the pair of Parasound A21+ monoblocks is the 2023 update of the Burson Soloist 3X GT (and presumably the Burson Voyager, which I haven't tried) with full opamp and Silent Power module upgrades and even though the Soloist GT has a slight bit more detail, clarity, and sharper imaging, the dynamics on the Parasound monoblocks are still a good bit better. I've sold the Susvaras 4 times now, and even though I've had 5 pairs of HE6se v2 die on me, they're still my all around favorite headphone I've ever owned with the help of a pad swap, honeycomb grills, cup bracing, and a little EQ. Nothing out there can slam like they do while maintaining absolute clarity, no matter how hard you scour the market, but getting there is an absolute nightmare. I'm glad I stuck it out with them, but damn it was frustrating. I've also had them kill 2 pairs of class A monoblocks, 4 or 5 Chinese speaker amps, and probably 6 headphone amps. They have a ton of potential that I think very few people have ever been able to really pull out of them, it's a real shame they're so damn hard to drive.
Seconding this: my HE6se V2 measures 62 ohms on a multimeter, so the 50 ohm spec is inaccurate.
@@ayushbhaumik7980 Whatever you do, buy directly from Hifiman. They're the only ones left that you can get a warranty out of and you have to buy refurbished pairs, which retain the warranty. The load they present on a lot of amps causes some actual problems and of the 6 HE6se v2 I've owned, 5 have died, most within minutes of first time use. The current pair I'm on has held up for a little over 2 years, and I am actually currently waiting for 2 pairs (that were my backups with very little use time on them) back from Hifiman. They were backup pairs that I sent to people to try that killed themselves presumably due to the amps having issues driving the load they put out. There's some absurdly powerful amps out there (at least rating wise) that don't come close to driving them well, and that list includes things like the Flux Volot/FA-10/FA-12, Schiit Ragnarok 2, Topping A90d, Benchmark AHB2/HPA4, Enleum AMP-23r, Burson Soloist 3xp, and dozens of pretty high power speaker amps under $4000 MSRP which also tend to run the risk of DC offset which can also be something that can just instantly kill the driver with no warning. Of all the headphone amps I've personally tried up through ~$7000, the only one that gets pretty close to the pair of Parasound A21+ monoblocks is the 2023 update of the Burson Soloist 3X GT with full opamp and Silent Power module upgrades and even though the Soloist GT has a slight bit more detail, clarity, and sharper imaging, the dynamics on the Parasound monoblocks are still a good bit better. I've sold the Susvaras 4 times now, and even though I've had 5 pairs of HE6se v2 die on me, they're still my all around favorite headphone I've ever owned with the help of a pad swap, honeycomb grills, cup bracing, and a little EQ. Nothing out there can slam like they do while maintaining absolute clarity, no matter how hard you scour the market, but getting there is an absolute nightmare. I'm glad I stuck it out with them, but damn it was frustrating. I've also had them kill 2 pairs of class A monoblocks, 4 or 5 Chinese speaker amps, and probably 6 headphone amps. They have a ton of potential that I think very few people have ever been able to really pull out of them.
@@ayushbhaumik7980 Whatever you do, buy directly from Hifiman. They're the only ones left that you can get a warranty out of and you have to buy refurbished pairs, which retain the warranty. The load they present on a lot of amps causes some actual problems and of the 6 HE6se v2 I've owned, 5 have died, most within minutes of first time use. The current pair I'm on has held up for a little over 2 years, and I am actually currently waiting for 2 pairs (that were my backups with very little use time on them) back from Hifiman. They were backup pairs that I sent to people to try that self destructed presumably due to the amps having issues driving the load they put out. There's some absurdly powerful amps out there (at least rating wise) that don't come close to driving them well, and that list includes things like the Flux Volot/FA-10/FA-12, Schiit Ragnarok 2, Topping A90d, Benchmark AHB2/HPA4, Enleum AMP-23r, Burson Soloist 3xp, and dozens of pretty high power speaker amps under $4000 MSRP which also tend to run the risk of DC offset which can also be something that can just instantly kill the driver with no warning. Of all the headphone amps I've personally tried up through ~$7000, the only one that gets pretty close to the pair of Parasound A21+ monoblocks is the 2023 update of the Burson Soloist 3X GT with full opamp and Silent Power module upgrades and even though the Soloist GT has a slight bit more detail, clarity, and sharper imaging, the dynamics on the Parasound monoblocks are still a good bit better. I've sold the Susvaras 4 times now, and even though I've had 5 pairs of HE6se v2 die on me, they're still my all around favorite headphone I've ever owned with the help of a pad swap, honeycomb grills, cup bracing, and a little EQ. Nothing out there can slam like they do while maintaining absolute clarity, no matter how hard you scour the market, but getting there is an absolute nightmare. I'm glad I stuck it out with them, but damn it was frustrating. I've also had them break 2 pairs of class A monoblocks, 4 or 5 Chinese speaker amps, and probably 6 headphone amps. They have a ton of potential that I think very few people have ever been able to really pull out of them.
I appreciate your effort, and detailed approach to asses the gear you review. You mentioned synergy, and punching up, aka scaling.
The MJ3, is a step up from the Jot2 for my other gear. I've only had it two weeks, and tried it with two headphones and my Adam Audio S2V monitors. There is nothing I don't like about the MJ3, it's more balanced, has more resolution, deeper soundstage layers, and I really love the difference in the gain output vs the Jot2.
In Lo gain, the Jot2 drove the S2V monitors with more mid bass, it put too much air pressure into the room. Now, the Lo gain on the MJ3 is more balanced, I don't get that overpressure in the mid bass. Every other metric is better from the MJ3, and I suspect the S2V are now the weak link in that chain, and/or my room of course.
The HD800S and LCD-X have never sounded better, to me. Somehow, the MJ3 in Hi gain, has added a new dynamic punch to the HD800S, and a low end that was not there using the Jot2.
I need to experiment with the Bifrost 2 some more, it's using the balanced inputs to the MJ3, and has a Sony 4K player plugged in via coaxial. My SACD player is the Denon DCD-A110, it's using the RCA outs to the MJ3.
Is it 3x better than the Jot2, that's hard to measure, diminishing returns and all. Mostly, it's back to synergy with the gear you have. For me, it's an obvious step up with no downside to the sound quality. My Jot2 is now being used in the other room, I still think it's a great amp, although it's being used as a preamp for a different pair of powered monitors.
Interesting stance. How do you like the MJ3 as a preamp into your S2V? Does it impart the same punch and dynamics that you'd find in the headphone amp section of the MJ3? In any case, I don't think your S2V is the weak link as they are quite a fine pair of active speakers
@@datbaguettedoe6436 The MJ3 seems to have less output, via XLR, when on Lo gain, than the Jot 2. Or, the whole frequency range is more balanced, either way it's better for my room and music.
The S2V are converting my analog signal to digital and back to analog. They are great, but the converters in them are the ceiling of my system. With headphones I'm hearing the analog signal, at least after my SACD player's DAC(s), it has 4 DAC's.
Your reviews are fantastic man! Seems this is the 'other half' of the Vioelectric V222. I do have the V222 and love it so far, but I cant get both. I need my next amp to be a big step up/next level or Ill have too many boxes 😂
Great review as always wave theory! Where does the Oor sits in the prelude, v281, Mjolnir comparison?
I just got an Oor back in for reasons that will become clear in the near future. So I'll be able to answer this question in the near future, but not right now.
Hi WaveTheory, thanks for another great review, really appreciate your effort covering synergy between sources, amps and headphones. I have the MJ3 on order, might be here next month, to use with my Pontus II. My plan was to buy the HEKse and good to hear you think it is a good paring. Now I'm considering the Stealth instead. Do you think it would pair just as well as HEKse?
I think I know the answer to my own question. Since both are low impedance they will sound fine, just a matter of which is preferred. Each will exhibit their unique sound characteristics with the MJ3.
My hd600/650/800S have never sounded better than on the mj3 with my yggy, while my Elex have never sounded worse, so im quite flip-flopped from your opinion. What a hobby this is
Literally use it with 300 ohms cans exclusively 🤣 buts it's probably my source not being good enough to appreciate the owner bias of the Vioelecteic
I wonder if it matters what dac you use as Yggy is not an R2R but multibit is in the same ballpark. Perhaps the Mjolinar 3 balances out the sound perfectly for you. I would love people to compare a solid state dac vs a multibit/R2R dac with both the V222 and Mjolinar 3 as I own the Gustard R26 and I’m curious if I would agree with you Yggy assessments or not. I own the HD660S2.
@@Ray-dl5mpI have a Chord Dave and the MJ3 actually manages to let the Dave’s plankton shine thru which it struggles with on some amps
For the hekse, would you recommend the prelude or mj3 if one prefers brightness/clarity?
Thanks so much for such material. Really helpful video.
how does it compare to the S17 Pro?
s17pro low level, but other prise, 700$ s17pro best, 1200$ best mjolnir
Thanks for the review. Combined with low impedance Hifiman and due to its slightly mid-forward presentation, the MJ3 appears to be a good deal. Since I also own the Dan Clark Stealth, I was wondering which DAC I should add to the Stealth + MJ3 combo: 1. One aspect is to tame the mid-forwardness of the DCA Stealth a bit, since the MJ3 might add even more to that. 2. A Denafrips Ares 12th might help the closed back design with soundstage a bit and adds a tiny bit of warmth. Then again, since the Stealth is not a very dynamic headphone, I was wondering if the Bifrost 2/64 is the better option. I'm just not a fan of the Bifrost soundstage, since you perceived it as closer to "wall of sound", at least compared to Denafrips (also I'm not a fan of the Sennheiser 6xx soundstage or imaging in particular). -> With the Stealth, I don't listen to heavy metal or rock that much, but a bit more dynamics would be great, without boosting the mid range even more trough the Schiit MJ3.
My favorite headphone amp. Followed closely by the new Vali 3. How’s that for a price swing between amps?
Although I’m a fan of the channel, what alarms me that he is the only one who feels the way he feels about the MJ3 and V281…I’ve had 3 non-reviewers who’s owned both amps tell me that they feel that the MJ3 is the superior amp. Keep in mind that not many people have owned both. One of them has neither amp today and still sides with the MJ3. Tuning is one thing, and we are all entitled to our preferences there, but when you start comparing things like detail, separation, holography, etc…well, those things aren’t associated with preference and really makes me wonder what wavetheory’s ears are hearing. I’ve heard both the MJ3 and V281 and i can’t make a real decision as to which amp is superior because the V281 at the time was being fed by the internal dac of the V226 and the MJ3 was fed by a Bifrost 2/64 but i certainly think the Schiit stack was superior.
Is there a Aune s17 review coming?
Not to be a nag (well, yeah I am being a nag), but I'd like to know as well (though I think we can draw a conclusion from the lack of responses to this and similar comments in multiple reviews). Currawong is reviewing it, but I don't know when; he's been moderately active in the S17 thread on Head-fi and seems initially positive.
@@marlowe1537 I have the s17 and I think it's excellent in the sound department. Just wondering how the comparisons will go. S17 is very good minus the volume relay issues and all that. Should have probably just used a good pot and cost 499.
@@ancientalien815 I also have an S17 and agree, but remain very curious to get the opinions of a couple of my most trusted reviewers, especially since Wave Theory and Currawong have recently reviewed the Mjolnir 3. (Just about all the reviews of the S17 have been raves but IIRC none have compared those two.) BTW newer firmware (not user installable) largely resolved the volume issue in all but the earliest production units. Though the heat issue persists (if internal temps reach 69°C in high current mode, the unit automatically shifts into lower current mode which lowers temps) it is fairly easily solvable.
I have owned the MJ3, and am currently testing the V222 vs the S17 Pro (setup = BF2/64 + E3). No matter how much research you do, you will never know unless you test for yourself. I had mind blowing sessions with the MJ3, I could hear panning of instruments, deep bass, depth, emotive vocals and instruments, but let it go due to repeated issues with the unit. I got the V222 and it sounded nice, good clarity, details, some depth, but a bit closed in feeling sometimes. Curiosity led me to get an S17 Pro, it is similar to the MJ3 in some respects, very tubey with deep bass and open sounding, but way less details. Neither the V222 nor S17 Pro have been able to blow my mind like the MJ3, so get the MJ3 if you want the best sounding unit. The difference between the S17 Pro and V222 can be vast, listening to Depeche mode, the V222 sounds tight and detailed, the S17 Pro sounds bloated. They sound so different on Depeche Mode that you hardly recognize they are playing the same tracks. But, the S17 Pro fights back with amazing guitar sounds on Blues and slow rock, the S17 Pro has more magic like the MJ3, the V222 is more clinical in its presentation. The MJ3 couldn't make badly recorded music sound good, though, the S17 Pro is the most forgiving of the 3 amps. Finally, don't think a G111 MK2 is going to get you close to a V222, the G111 MK2 is unpleasant in comparison to the V222.
@@ipman8646can I ask what issues made your return the mjolnir 3?
Please review the CenGrand Silver Fox!
I have a LCD X, Liric, and 109 Pro. Should I get this or something else?
Did I miss the E3 pairing part? Or was it just a side passing mention?
I can’t believe Jason made something of this size and quality but left out remote volume control. Big sad :/
Hi wavetheory, sometimes you give contrarian reviews , do you think the signal chain behind the amplifier( DAC and DDC) plays a role in how big the differences between amplifiers are? i noticed you use some singxer ddc and a berkley alpha series 2 DAC ( which cost like $20000 on release? ) which is better than what most other reviewers have I guess. Could you try using some cheaper DAC with no DDC and see if the differences in mjolnir 3 and vio v222 still hold ?
The Alpha S2 was a $5500 unit when it was launched. The core design dates back to 2012. My unit is one of the revised units that launched around 2017 that is an MQA renderer - a feature I don't use but let's you know what its feature set is like. Having not heard the front end portions of the signal chains my fellow reviewers use, I'm not qualified to say whether or not mine is better. I will say that even during the life of this channel I've moved away from direct connections to PCs and toward streamers as those are superior sources, when well done, to my ears. I've put significant work into getting the source end to be as clean as possible for the funds I've had available to do so. But even so, I try to use price-appropriate combinations of gear as part of my reviews. Don't forget I also used the Musician Pegasus II here. As far as being contrarian...that's not something I set out to be but does come out sometimes, agreed. I don't like hype trains and hyperbole, particularly when thousands of dollars are on the line for people. If I think something has been overstated, I feel I owe it to the audience to say so.
@@wavetheorysound hmm, i guess the difference in opinions can stem from the fact that most other reviewers test their audio gear with less demanding music, you are one of the few reviewers I have seen who listens to rock and metal genres which are more complex and need a lot of bass and you mentioned how the mjolnir 3 would not resolve tracks as well as the V222 on some complex passages with high impedance phones. I guess thats why some of your reviews are contrarian.
can anyone explain why preamps without 12V outputs exist at all?
How does this compare to the Bryston BHA-1?
I haven't heard the Bryston
@emotive you can get a used bryston for around the same price i think.
@@chronometa exactly!
Came to the review to ask the same thing.
Any plans to review zmf homage?
Sssshhhh, it's on my desk right now. Don't tell anyone 😆
@@wavetheorysound That Bokeh hangin' there too... 👀
Can it drive Tungsten DS?
You have derailed the hype train.....
No he just has a violectric bias and owns one
@@Maver1ck911 I think the other reviewers didnt have a v222 on hand to compare it with mj3. I used to think wavetheory has a schiit bias instead based on his previous reviews of schiit products but now not anymore after this review.
@@ayushbhaumik7980 he also thinks its only appropriate to use low impedance headphones on it. He also has an entirely different impression of subjective sound than everyone else. I have one and use 300 Ohms, 150 Ohms, 60 Ohms, and IEM's on it.
This is like listening to the British Audiophile compare everything to his Proac's but at least he is completely transparent and acknowledges his bias. Vioelectric makes over priced simple amps and the cope is real.
@@Maver1ck911 unless others also compare the MJ3 directly with V22 we cant form any consensus on that matter. You might use it with all sorts of phones but you didnt tell me what other amps you have compared it with.
@@ayushbhaumik7980 Oor, SA-1, Silver Fox, Piety Max, Bliss
👍😉
Ahahahahahaha. STOP ✋️............ITS HAMMER ITME 🔨
Flat out wrong across the board. Stay meatriding the Violectric.
most audiophiles think the gear they bought must be the best thing since sliced bread and only watch reviews which lets them stay in their echo chamber when the truth is gear synergy always plays a huge role in sound quality no matter the price bracket.
Someone has buyers remorse.
@c34webb someone's going to buy a v22 so he can watch wolf of Wall Street for the 20th time on the Tungstens he doesn't have 🤣
I'll be staying with my iFi Phantom, methinks. 🤓
14:35
Just ordered my Tungsten this morning. 🎧😁🎧
There you go, being a contrarian who goes against what most others are saying again. 🤣
Me?!?! I'm NOT a contrarian! 🤣
@@wavetheorysound, keep-up the excellent (CONTRARIAN) reviews!! 🎧🎶🎧
@@wavetheorysoundyou’re walking a thin line my friend lol
It looks like something sold at walmart for 40 bucks