[kopczas]

I hope you are not suggesting to ignore the problem until an (and this is the key wording) actually impacted amp may or may not start showing signs of failure.

No, it is not my suggestion but imo it is good to know if those caps in fact failed which could be confirmed by schiit or independent measurement.

 

[Voxata]

No, it is not my suggestion but imo it is good to know if those caps in fact failed which could be confirmed by schiit or independent measurement.

A bulging/leaking cap is a failed cap by all industry standards. Given the consistent location of the failures it could be excess current causing the electrolyte to heat to unsafe temps, or slowly boil internally. This causes the bulging and leakage. Some extra can cause a slow failure, a lot extra and you'll know . Less of a chance that there are random bad caps is what I'm saying. Just keep an eye out for it if you own the amp, Schiit will take care of it (and seemingly already has going forward). This is a small batch amp, things happen and it could be a bad part feeding these caps causing the problem. If your caps are good and remain that way as you periodically check every so often - you have no problem.

I still think my PSA was helpful, as folks have found out they are impacted and Schiit can take care of them so the amps can live a long life. Time for me to jam on, and jam out!

 

[kopczas]

Dude it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that something looks out of the norm. Your practically telling them to ignore their leaking capacitors lol now again, i don’t know about them and how they work, but i know for a fact they aren’t supposed to leak, or are they Mr. Capacitor?

Again, did anyone confirmed this leakage by measuring those caps?

 

[quawn0418]

Again, did anyone confirmed this leakage by measuring those caps?

Ahhh i get it lol he’s joking people, you almost had me there lol

 

[betula]

5-year warranty is definitely reassuring and shows Shiit's confidence and dedication. Hopefully newer batches are completely unaffected by this cap issue.

 

[Currawong]

I was prepared to do things of this nature (coming from my PC builder background) as I lusted after Class A amps like MJ3 and Aune s17 but then I went with the Flux Mentor and somehow it being class A means nothing to Mentor bc it's design somehow remains cool. Some special sauce going on with it.

Only the heatsinks on the MJ3 get hot. Audio-gd, for example, uses large, thick aluminum cases as the heatsink, so you get a more even heat.

But I got fatigued from listening to the Mentor not because it was bad, but because it has so much more details than the MJ3. I wasn’t used to have so many details in a song so it tired me out. For others who loves metal, fast songs, and orchestra, the Mentor is perfect for them.

More detail isn't fatiguing. More distortion is. When you have genuinely more detail, it is less fatiguing, as types of distortion that actually mask detail aren't there.

Do you do this? Is it necessary? I mean it is normal for class-A to get hot. Many folks panic if their amps get around 45°C/115°F, but in fact even 65°C/150°F is completely normal.

Only if you're going to place it in a narrow space without adequate ventilation. I do, because I'm doing something Jason says not to, which is use the LCD-R with them (though not at loud volumes, so I'm pretty sure I'm safe). But actually also because it was helping keep my room warm in winter.

 

[psy472]

More detail isn't fatiguing. More distortion is. When you have genuinely more detail, it is less fatiguing, as types of distortion that actually mask detail aren't there.

You must not have ADHD. More details can get fatiguing for me. I hate distortion with a passion. I EQ any distortion or just throw the amp/headphone away if it has too much distortion.

There is a reason why I enjoy smooth jazz much more than orchestra. But hey, that’s just me. My music tastes are different from others. I am getting more used to the details now though. I appreciate the holographic and large soundstage it has. Still I go back to my MJ3 just for the intimate and slow music.

 

[Smoothstereo]

I just checked my MJ3 which was purchased during the first batch, so far no bulge or leakage on those four blue 47uf caps.

Now that this topic of real true Class A output has cone up, I was also curious how other amps can get double digit wattage output per channel and not get hot like MJ3. If Schiit over built the MJ3 and only able to squeeze out 2W of real class A per channel, makes me wonder how other manufacturers can accomplish the higher output without getting hot. Aren't true class A design always on, hence the power consumption is high even at idle? If an amp is idling at low consumption, wouldn't that be a sign its not real class A?

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

I just checked my MJ3 which was purchased during the first batch, so far no bulge or leakage on those four blue 47uf caps.

Now that this topic of real true Class A output has cone up, I was also curious how other amps can get double digit wattage output per channel and not get hot like MJ3. If Schiit over built the MJ3 and only able to squeeze out 2W of real class A per channel, makes me wonder how other manufacturers can accomplish the higher output without getting hot. Aren't true class A design always on, hence the power consumption is high even at idle? If an amp is idling at low consumption, wouldn't that be a sign its not real class A?

You can find all the answers here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...most-improbable-start-up.701900/post-17354025


JC

 

[Slackaveli]

@Currawong idk how I never knew of Audeze LCD-R before but those are some interesting cans! And I absolutely love the choice of Lichtenberg; it's beautiful.

I'm curious how it's pairing with MJ3 since it's supposed to be run from that custom Jot.

 

[psy472]

I just checked my MJ3 which was purchased during the first batch, so far no bulge or leakage on those four blue 47uf caps.

Now that this topic of real true Class A output has cone up, I was also curious how other amps can get double digit wattage output per channel and not get hot like MJ3. If Schiit over built the MJ3 and only able to squeeze out 2W of real class A per channel, makes me wonder how other manufacturers can accomplish the higher output without getting hot. Aren't true class A design always on, hence the power consumption is high even at idle? If an amp is idling at low consumption, wouldn't that be a sign its not real class A?

Schiit’s MJ3 is a singled ended class A, (your room heater is singled ended class A).
There are other types of class As which is more efficient, cancels out distortion, and over all sounds better. What Schiit did is not so much go for the best sound but go for the craziest technology setup. Who would have thunk that a Schiit “room heater” sounds better than most Amps out there?

 

[MisterRogersHaus]

There are other types of class As which is more efficient, cancels out distortion, and over all sounds better.

Yea, not sure Jason (or many of us) would agree with that; the 'other types...over all sounds better' part. Many of us believe there are sonic benefits for SE Class A. This article by Nelson Pass touches on a few of them: Single-Ended Class A

 

[psy472]

Yea, not sure Jason (or many of us) would agree with that; the 'other types...over all sounds better' part. Many of us believe there are sonic benefits for SE Class A. This article by Nelson Pass touches on a few of them: Single-Ended Class A

The question is the actual sound quality and not just faith that it should sound better. Best just to A/B among different amps. MJ3 sounds great and it has its own sound signature but you can’t say it’s the best amp just because it’s a SE class A while others are not.

Just ask anyone who listened to the MJ3 and to the Mass Kobo. The Mass Kobo wins hands down on all aspect. As for the Flux, it wins in quiet background, clarity, and soundstage. The MJ3 does have a small sound in the background during playback that most won’t notice unless listening carefully.

 

[betula]

Yea, not sure Jason (or many of us) would agree with that; the 'other types...over all sounds better' part. Many of us believe there are sonic benefits for SE Class A. This article by Nelson Pass touches on a few of them: Single-Ended Class A

Great article from an experienced and clearly knowledgeable designer. I have to admit, my knowledge is limited to fully understand all paragraphs, still it was an interesting read.
I would love to highlight this part for all those who worship measurements more than music itself:

"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. We should no more let numbers define audio quality than we would let chemical analysis be the arbiter of fine wines. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment.
Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not."

 

[quawn0418]

The question is the actual sound quality and not just faith that it should sound better. Best just to A/B among different amps. MJ3 sounds great and it has its own sound signature but you can’t say it’s the best amp just because it’s a SE class A while others are not.

Just ask anyone who listened to the MJ3 and to the Mass Kobo. The Mass Kobo wins hands down on all aspect. As for the Flux, it wins in quiet background, clarity, and soundstage. The MJ3 does have a small sound in the background during playback that most won’t notice unless listening carefully.

Yea push-pull is certainly quieter than SE but SE mode has this fluidity with it while still maintaining great placement and detail, the MJ3 is just really well rounded. Its not the best at any specific thing (well maybe timbre for a SS), but its doing everything very well.