Schiit Jotunheim R User manual

DIRECT DRIVE RIBBON HEADPHONE AMP
IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY, JOTUNHEIM IS THE LAND OF THE GIANTS.
OUR JOTUNHEIM R ISN’T EXACTLY GIANT IN DIMENSIONS.
BUT IT HAS GIANT CURRENT OUTPUT FOR LOW-IMPEDANCE RIBBONS!
THE WORLD’S FIRST AND ONLY DIRECT DRIVE RIBBON HEADPHONE AMP
DRAMATICALLY SIMPLIFIES YOUR SYSTEM.
JOTUNHEIM R
OWNER’S MANUAL

Jotunheim R is the world’s rst and only direct-
drive ribbon headphone amplier. Created for the
demanding Raal/Requisite ribbon headphones,
Jotunheim R cranks out up to 14A RMS per
channel at visible clipping—plenty to run your
Raals. No speaker amp, no interface box, just
pure drive...in a tiny, convenient package.
INTRODUCTION
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
(1) Jotunheim R
(1) Power cord
The following is required by the roughly 9,542
government agencies and regulations we have to
comply with. If you have some common sense, they
should seem pretty straightforward. In any case, read these
instructions before proceeding farther, follow all instructions,
and heed all warnings. Or else!
1. If you don’t know how to install audio devices, get a
qualied professional to help.
2. Never use this device near water, and clean only with a
dry cloth.
3. Assure adequate ventilation, do not block any ventilation
openings, or place near heat sources.
4. Use only the supplied power cord or suitable replacement.
Route cords away from trafc areas and protect them from
being pinched. Unplug the cord from the outlet if the apparatus
is unused for a long period of time.
5. To prevent electric shock, do not use the plug with an
extension cord, receptacle, or outlet unless blades can be
fully inserted.
6. Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Service is
required when the device has been damaged, including cord or
plug damage, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into
the device, the device has been exposed to rain or moisture,
does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS DEVICE TO
RAIN OR MOISTURE.

GETTING STARTED
1. If you chose Jotunheim R as an amplier only
(no DAC), simply:
a. Plug it in with the supplied power cord
b. Connect an input or inputs to the XLR and RCA
inputs on back.
c. Turn on the amp, select the correct input, wait
25-35 seconds for the relay protection to engage
the output, and enjoy.
2. If you chose Jotunheim R with the internal
True Multibit DAC card, you’ll also need to con-
nect your source to the DAC module.
a. Use a high-quality, USB 2.0-rated cable of 2M
or less in length.
b. If you are using a version of Windows prior
to Windows 10, you may have to install drivers,
which are available at schiit.com/drivers.
ABOUT UPGRADES
Additional cards for Jotunheim R may be
released in the future. When this happens, you
can return the Jotunheim to us to have the card
installed, or have it installed by a qualied elec-
tronic tech. If you’d like to be the rst to know
about upgrades as they become available, sign
up on the SPAM link on our site.

3 Preamp Enable. Up turns on the passive preamp
outputs, off turns them off. Note: the preamp is
passive, it has no gain and doesn’t convert bal-
anced to SE or vice-versa.
4 Volume Knob. Turn it to the right to make the
music louder. Stop before it hurts.
5 Balanced Male 4-Pin Jack. Plug your Raal/
Requisite headphones in here. It’s designed only
for these headphones. Don’t try it with other
headphones. Don’t make adapters. Seriously, this
is just for Raals, and that is all.
1 Input Switch. If the name wasn’t clue enough,
this selects the input. All the way up for the
internal card (DAC), middle for balanced input,
bottom for SE input. Hint: if you don’t have a card
installed, you won’t hear anything when the card
is selected.
2 Baffle Compensation Switch. Up is on, down
is off. Turn this on when using open-baffle
headphones like the SR1a. Turn it off if using
circumaural headphones.
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115VAC 30W
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4
5
CONTROLS

5 Balanced Passive Preamp Output. Connect to
powered monitors or a speaker amp with XLR
cables. Remember, this is passive, it doesn’t have
gain or convert types of inputs.
6 On-Off Switch. Up is on. Down is off. Pretty
simple, right?
7 AC Input. Plug the power cord in here. Plug the
other end into an outlet of the correct voltage.
Trying to run a 115V product on 230V will blow
the fuse and generally make for a bad, bad day.
1 Card Input. If you have the DAC module
installed, the USB input will be here. If you don’t
have a module installed, it will be covered.
2 Balanced Input. Connect a balanced source
here with XLR cables.
3 SE Input. Connect a standard source here with
RCA cables.
4 SE Passive Preamp Output. Connect to powered
monitors or a speaker amp with RCA cables.
Remember, this is passive, it doesn’t have gain or
convert types of inputs.
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115VAC 30W
1
2 3 4 5 6
7
CONNECTIONS

I hear hum through the headphones, what
do I do to x it?
You may have a ground loop. To x a ground loop,
try a ground loop isolator or an EbTech HumX.
There’s no sound for a while after I turn
Jotunheim R on.
That’s perfectly normal. Jotunheim delays the
headphone output for 25-35 seconds after you
rst turn the amp on to allow it to stabilize.
There’s no sound with the input switch
in the top position.
Do you have the optional DAC? If you don’t, you
won’t get any sound.
The Jotunheim R clicks and mutes, then turns
back on again, then clicks and mutes again.
You’re triggering the overcurrent protection.
Check your cables for shorts.Jotunheim R is
intended for use only with Raal/Requisite head-
phones, and should not be used with adapters
for other headphone types, which may short the
output and cause it to go into protection.
FAQ
The Jotunheim clicks and mutes, and stays off
for several minutes, and it’s really hot.
You’re triggering the overtemperature protection.
Reduce the output level or increase ventilation.
Also see the previous comment about not using
adapters for other headphones, and checking your
cables for shorts.
My Windows computer doesn’t see the DAC.
You may need to download and install Windows
drivers. Go to schiit.com/drivers to get them.
I installed the USB drivers, but Windows still
doesn’t see the DAC.
You may be running into USB port power
management problems or bad cables.G o to
schiit.com/faq/dac-problems and schiit.com/faq/
usb-problems for troubleshooting.
It doesn’t turn on, what do I do?
Plug it in to a different AC socket. Ensure you are
not currently in a blackout. Then email us if it still
doesn’t work.

Schiit Audio warrants to the original purchaser that this product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship for
ve (5) years from the date of purchase. If a defect covered by this warranty occurs during this period, Schiit Audio will repair
the defective product, free of charge. Date of purchase will be based on customer receipts, otherwise date of manufacturing
will be used.
If you believe you need warranty service, contact us rst. Schiit Audio products sent back to us without a Return Authorization
(RA) will be returned to the sender without repair. To contact us and obtain an RA, email [email protected].
Warranty Limitations. This warranty shall not apply if a product: (a) is modied or tampered with; (b) is damaged by
negligence, accident, unreasonably use, or other causes unrelated to defective materials or workmanship, or (c) has had the
serial number altered or removed.
Any implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and tness for a particular purpose, are hereby limited in
duration to the warranty period of 2 years. In no event shall Schiit Audio be liable for consequential or incidental damages
resulting from the breach of any implied or expressed warranties. Some states do not allow these limitations, so they may not
apply to you. You may also have other rights which vary from state to state or province to province.
5-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
Application for Council Directives 72/23/EEC
Conformity declared for EN60065, EN50082-1

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