Short answer
Both are desktop amplifiers, $399 against $499.
The Schiit Jotunheim 2 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the Schiit Valhalla 3 on 566.
| Specification | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Schiit Valhalla 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 2.0 W | 750 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 496 mW | 286 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 330 mW | 250 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 165 mW | 125 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.1 Ω | 25 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | 6.32 µV |
| Price | $399 | $499 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | 566 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Schiit Valhalla 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | XLR4 | no separate rating |
| Power into 32Ω | 6.0 W | — |
| Power into 300Ω | 1.2 W | — |
| Output impedance | 0.1 Ω | — |
| Output noise | not published | — |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | — |
Only the Schiit Jotunheim 2 has a separate balanced rating from its maker; through it, it reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here. The Schiit Valhalla 3 may still have a balanced socket — its spec sheet simply gives no figure for one, so there is nothing to put beside it.
| Load | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Schiit Valhalla 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Published | Published |
| 600 Ω | Published | Derived |
Both makers publish a power rating. Schiit Jotunheim 2 publishes at 32 Ω, at 300 Ω and at 600 Ω; Schiit Valhalla 3 at 32 Ω and at 300 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.
So the two columns are not equally firm row by row: at 600 Ω only the Schiit Jotunheim 2 figure is the maker’s own. On those rows the derived number is the one to doubt first.
1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the Schiit Jotunheim 2 but not on the Schiit Valhalla 3 — Symphonium Titan.
535 headphones are left alone by the Schiit Jotunheim 2 under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the Schiit Valhalla 3 (64 Audio Aspire 1, 64 Audio Fourte, 64 Audio Nio, 532 more).
566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the HiFiMAN HE400se: Schiit Jotunheim 2 has +23 dB of headroom there against +19 dB. 4 dB is about 2.7 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Schiit Jotunheim 2 because that maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Schiit Jotunheim 2 headroom | Schiit Valhalla 3 headroom | Schiit Jotunheim 2 hiss | Schiit Valhalla 3 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +42 dB | +37 dB damping | not published | 30 dB |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +22 dB | +17 dB damping | not published | 10 dB |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +31 dB | +27 dB damping | not published | 9 dB |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +28 dB | +26 dB | not published | 4 dB |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +23 dB | +19 dB damping | not published | 3 dB |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +21 dB | +20 dB | not published | -3 dB |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +17 dB | +16 dB | not published | -7 dB |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +13 dB | +10 dB damping | not published | -9 dB |
The Schiit Valhalla 3 costs $100 more than the Schiit Jotunheim 2, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the Schiit Valhalla 3 handles and the Schiit Jotunheim 2 does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper Schiit Jotunheim 2 drives one model to 100 dB and leaves 535 alone under the one-eighth rule that the Schiit Valhalla 3 does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: Schiit Jotunheim 2 and Schiit Valhalla 3.