“Hey, I was just wondering what the major differences were between the ODAC and the OL DAC.” This fine question continues to pop up in emails, on the phone, on reddit, on Head-Fi, etc. I was excited to push OL DAC into the wild last November for a number of reasons. I’ve always placed great […]
Author: John Seaber
Announcing EL DAC, EL Amp, OL DAC, and OL Switcher by JDS Labs
Today’s announcement of the Element Line and Objective Line makes most sense when viewed alongside our mission: JDS Labs enables exceptional listening experiences, with underlying objectivity in our designs and transparency in our interactions. JDS Labs is strongly associated with audio measurements these days–perhaps to an excessive degree. Still, the subjective experience certainly matters. Each […]
Power is Volume
Edit (8/24/2023): Check out Sterling’s summary: Announcement of The Element has reminded us that output power is widely misunderstood. Most confusion can be resolved by understanding that Volume sets Power. In the world of audio, Power is the amount of energy that an amplifier can deliver into a specific load (ohms), at a specific frequency (Hz), […]
Introducing The Element by JDS Labs
JDS Labs has worked tirelessly to share this day with fellow headphone enthusiasts. We are proud to introduce The Element: We designed The Element to enjoy our headphones without compromise. Its amplifier renders shocking power, driven by an ultra clean DAC, all housed in a precision machined chassis with a comfortable knob. The Element beautifully drives […]
Releasing ODAC RevB
Today we’re announcing a chipset update to ODAC. Revision B improves general reliability, while meeting or exceeding the original performance criteria set forth by NwAvGuy. This announcement will come as a surprise to many, considering ODAC was declared as the be-all and end-all of DAC transparency by a now absent engineer. This article explains who owns the ODAC design, why […]
Custom Engraving Examples
Custom engraving is free with any new JDS Labs amplifier or DAC ordered through jdslabs.com. It’s a fun process, both for us, and for you. When you click the “Engrave” button during checkout, our production staff receives and pastes your custom text or image into Adobe Illustrator, then prints to one of our two laser engraving machines. Here’s our […]
Fischer Headphones In Stock
We select a few fun headphones to display at each audio show to demonstrate our amps and DACs. Fischer’s FA-011 attract curious visitors, and have earned a spot on both my home and office desks. So, we exchanged messages with Fischer and now stock their most popular models. We’re extremely pleased with the FA-003Ti-W. Sound […]
How to Connect Android, iPad, or iPhone to a DAC
There are three basic requirements to connect a USB DAC to any Android or iDevice: Power: The DAC must not consume more power than the phone or tablet permits. Support: The phone or tablet must be able to stream digital audio over USB. Cables: You must use an appropriate cable for your device. Below we’ll […]
Cyber Monday 2013 @ JDS Labs
After a busy Black Friday sale, we bring you Free Shipping this Cyber Monday. All amplifiers and DACs ship free today, including international orders. Free shipping applies to all orders weighing 3+ ounces Orders placed with free shipping will be mailed via USPS First Class or USPS First Class International. If your order is too heavy […]
C5D Shipments Continue
This morning we’re glad to resume production of C5D! UPS delivered parts at 10am and I’ve been listening to C5D for more than two hours with a smile on my face. In case you missed the drama, we caught a tiny error in the first batch of C5D and temporarily halted production. Our terrific engineers, George […]