OVERHYPED? Is this amp really worth all the fuss? Schiit Mjolnir 3 review

Schiit Mjolnir 3 review

A review of the Schiit Audio Mjolnir 3 headphone amp and preamp including comparisons with the Aune S17 Pro, HiFiMan Prelude, fully upgraded Burson Soloist 3X GT 2023 version, and references to the Linear Tube Audio MZ3 and Enleum AMP-23R. Is this the best amp on the market right now? What about the best value?

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00:00 Introduction
01:32 Pricing & basic specs
02:32 Sound quality
03:22 Transparency vs TT2 headphone output
05:30 Operating modes
06:10 Push-Pull vs Single Ended
08:41 Feedback on / off
12:47 Pre-amp quality
13:39 XLR vs 6.3mm output
16:02 But how good is it?
17:11 Mjolnir 3 vs Burson Soloist 3X GT
25:08 Mjolnir 3 vs HiFiMan Prelude
25:56 What's actually better?
27:55 Features and functions
31:52 Hum & vibration
33:07 Wrap-up

#audiophile #audioreview #headphoneamp

[DaSixSixOne]

Got my MJ3 this week and it’s running my DCA E3s beautifully. Absolutely love it. Fair warning, wait times are very long right now and I almost went with Aune so thanks for letting me know I made the right choice. It’s worth the wait.

[RocketLauncherwithInfiniteAmmo]

What a great video again, covered everything you might think of. That was really good of both Aaron for sending the amplifier, and also of Lachlan for offering to collect donations. So between the two of you, managed to bring us this review, so thank you.

[beefsupreme]

Great review! I also really liked how you listed out your chain including cables. That helps!

[JTB--]

Excellent Review. I've considered the MJ3 but I just don't have the space for bigger units like it. I recently got the Nitsch Pietus Maximus which is a collaboration with Schiit and it is also an excellent amp that punches above its price tag ala the MJ3. Schiit products are a very good value

[StreamlneJMoose]

Lachlan, Mjolnir 3 handles both versions of Tungsten quite well. I sent Ryan mine directly from Schiit last year for a few weeks and then we compared it to his OG Mjolnir, both were great with it. If you have a TON of negative EQ applied and really need to boost volume then maybe you might need something else, but in a typical setup with XLR in from the Bifroggy 64 I sit at around 1-2 o'clock on high gain, no feedback, SE Class A mode and it gets plenty loud.

[jeffhampton]

I really enjoy your reviews, they're always thorough, informative, and well-grounded. Thanks for making them!

[kurb]

I got my mj3 the moment it drop back beginning of November ly. It arrived very quick back then but know all the hype and reviews have long waits. That being said it’s great it powers my hd800 well. Also in high gain can drive my he:6 too which I was not expecting tbh. What is cool is the power it can deliver is ready to go with no dips so a constant flow. That’s what pure class a can deliver along with the choke lps it deploys. I’m currently in the moment replacing all my cables to triode wire labs for everything in my chain. I also run the Yggdrasil mib which is a good pairing with the mj3 imo.

[jerryodom]

Another fantastic review! Its so refreshing to hear how your understanding of audio is evolving as you learn.

[AQUPAS]

This beautiful behemoth of an amp is definitely on the very top of my wishlist! Great thorough review. Thanks.

[DoctorPPants]

Excellent and very well-thought-out review! Thanks for posting!

[NeilBlanchard]

In my experience, it is often capacitors that are slightly grainy in the treble at first - burn-in time varies. It can change rapidly after a few days or a week, and then it can continue to smooth/get cleaner at a slower rate for another week or two.
I may have missed it if you mentioned it, but this is a choke input unit, similar to the Tyr monoblock power amps. And it has dual linear power supplies.
Another detail - they don't say this in the spec (maybe you can ask?) is the volume pot looks like an Alps Blue Velvet; which is a conductive plastic wiper pot.

[brandonburr]

I don't buy into the hype with gear like I have in the past but this place seems to back it up with many positive reviews so far. Unfortunately I just added a centrance hifim8 v2 to go along with my centrance ampersand amp. Finally able to drive my hard to drive lcd 4 to a level I'm happy with. The dac and Bluetooth implementation are great. No ldac support but that's ok. I will still be keeping my eye on this amp and expect to it to have a waiting list with the number if positive reviews so far. Thank you for the review !

[brianthomas]

Thank you Aaron for sending this to Lachlan! The MJ3 in silver looks great too. Great review, thank you!

[bunnygal]

Thanks for the review Lachlan! I'm curious how your Atriums sound on these, I know you like them paired with the folkvangaar but was wondering about solid state options you have enjoyed or would an OTL be a better bet? Btw the "ruff" gag at 6:35 was great but unexpected, thought a dog somehow got into my hotel room lol

[jonnyotter]

Great review. I agree with your assessment and description of the sound. I have had a MJ3 since shortly after it came out. Regarding the use of feedback, for modern well recorded material, definitely leave it off. However, for older recordings (I have a bunch from the 1960's), I find turning on feedback makes them a bit more pleasant to listen to. Those recordings have a higher level of distortion than modern ones. I suspect that that distortion is exacerbated by the no feedback mode so that it makes it more noticeable.

[kurthertel]

Thanks Lachlan. Enjoy your work greatly, and I also absolutely love my MJ3. It is end-game for me, as $1200 was a stretch. Between it and the Cayin C9, my hp amp needs are more than met, until one of them quits totally. Keep up the good work, and thanks for your efforts.

[ArmandD]

How does it compare to the Jotunheim 2 / Bifrost 2 64 stack?

[silence]

I HAVE NOW THE JOUTINHEIM WITH HD650 AND BIFROST, WHAT CAN I DO TO UPGRADE

[Nephilim-]

Thank you, Lachlan. I know going forward that this is an amplifier for me. I’ve already unloaded one amp to make space on my rack. It is gonna happen. I’ll be joining the Mjölnir 3 family very shortly. ❤. I’ve been waiting for an amp like this for such a long time.

[mtnmankeith]

How do the xlr inputs compare to the rca? I have a chord mojo 2. Would I have to upgrade my dac to get the most out of the mjolnir?