JDS Labs Atom DAC Atom DAC is built to pair with the enormously popular JDS Labs Atom Amp, adopting our latest XMOS based USB Audio Class 2 input stage with MEMS oscillator and support for future firmware updates. Atom DAC is powered by a dedicated 15VAC transformer, ensuring consistency of noise performance when paired with […]
Strange Measures for Strange Times – Atom Amp Status
A customer this morning wrote: I have put my email on the notification list several times for the Atom Amp to try and purchase one, each time I follow the site daily close to the in stock date and each time I find it to be sold out and never receive an email for a […]
On COVID-19
UPDATE – June 4, 2020: Also see Strange Measures for Strange Times – Atom Amp Status UPDATE – April 15, 2020: We appreciate the kind words, patience, and support everyone has provided during these past four weeks. Our team is still safe and largely working from home, while limited staff has managed to ship about […]
JDS Labs Element II — Official Release & Benchmarks
JDS Labs Element II The Element is a timeless mechanical design which has remained in demand for over four years with only minor electronics improvements. While we could keep building the same, we’re excited to share more of our best work. Element II has been re-engineered as the flagship JDS Labs amp+DAC and amplifier. If […]
JDS Labs EL Amp II + EL DAC II — Official Release & Benchmarks
JDS Labs EL Amp II + EL DAC II Our mission has always been to help you enjoy the world’s best headphones. We know there is more to appreciating music than benchmarks alone, and the Element Line has been our outlet to create the system we want to hear, see, feel, and use. We’re absolutely […]
How Atom Amp has Improved in 2019
Atom Amp has been an enormous success in its first 11 months, with around 7000 amplifiers in the wild, and thousands more in production. At this rate, Atom Amp is on track to exceed 8 years worth of Objective2s in just 18 months. We are full of gratitude to have so much community support! Thank […]
JDS Labs Atom Amp – Official Release & Benchmarks
JDS Labs Atom Amp JDS Labs has been the face of Objective audio throughout the decade. To us, making headphone listening enjoyable starts with honest designs in which measurements come first. Make no mistake: We do not create to be another car on a hype train, or for the sake of a predictable release schedule, […]
Chromecast Audio + DAC: Affordable HiFi Streaming Audio
Pairing Google’s Chromecast with a DAC During development of the JDS Labs OL & EL DACs, we went a little optical crazy around the office. You can see the results of some of these experiments in this post from last year. We received an email late last year from Erik, who mentioned that he uses […]
EL DAC Measurements – Optical vs Coaxial vs USB
A number of requests for EL DAC benchmarks have popped up lately. Below you’ll find our usual set of tests, conducted in each digital input mode. Test Setup EL DAC v1.01, no DIP switches (filters: SD High, SLOW Low, SSLOW Low) JDS Labs 16VAC, 1000mA US transformer 3ft USB cable with TDK ZCAT2035-0930 ferrite, connected […]
How to Connect a Headphone Amplifier to an Audio Interface
We often hear from musicians and recording engineers who need to boost listening volume of their headphones. I recently tried a set of Sennheiser HD-650s using the headphone output of a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface and completely agree. Volume on the interface can be turned to 100% without threatening my ears. A headphone amplifier is the answer. […]