Both are desktop amplifiers, $1199 against $149. This page puts them side by side on the only three things a maker can be held to — power, output impedance and noise — and then asks the question that actually matters: which headphones do they treat differently?
The Schiit Vali 3 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here, the Schiit Mjolnir 3 on 566.
| Specification | Schiit Mjolnir 3 | Schiit Vali 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 1.0 W | 1.5 W |
| Power into 150Ω | 488 mW | 496 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 500 mW | 400 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 250 mW | 200 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.13 Ω | 0.5 Ω |
| Output noise | 25 µV unverified | not published |
| Price | $1199 | $149 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | 567 |
A figure marked not published is missing from the maker’s own material, which is not the same as being good or bad. Where one of these two publishes a number and the other does not, the comparison on that axis cannot be made at all — and saying so is more useful than guessing.
1 headphone reaches 100 dB on the Schiit Vali 3 but not on the Schiit Mjolnir 3 — Symphonium Titan.
1 headphone is left alone by the Schiit Mjolnir 3 under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the Schiit Vali 3 (Symphonium Titan).
566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both. That is a power count and nothing more; whether either source suits a given headphone also depends on the two lines above.
Each has a page of its own with every power figure traced to what the maker published and a full headphone list: Schiit Mjolnir 3 and Schiit Vali 3. Or put either against your own headphones in the source comparison tool.