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, […]
Category: Audio Performance
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 […]
DACs: External Power vs USB Power
This question originally appeared on reddit/headphones. I’m re-posting a longer response below, as the discussion commonly arises. “Is an external power supply . . . an inherently easier design?” Designing a sufficiently low noise supply from a USB +5V rail is economical and easy. Most manufacturers build entry-level DACs with this approach, relying on 3.3V […]
Element vs Objective2
Recent discussions reminded me that misconceptions also surround Element, such as: ‘Element is an O2+ODAC in a nicer box / Element has an ODAC inside’ False: While both are designed for transparency, performance and features differ: 1.5W vs 0.6W output power is substantial. ‘Element clips’ False: Of course not! Like any good design, gain is […]
ODAC vs OL DAC
“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 […]
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), […]
Best DAC?
Lately we’ve received several phone calls which start like this: Customer: “Hi, I’m new to high end audio. Does [insert product] have a DAC in it? Do I need a DAC?” From these discussions, two observations are clear. DACs are suddenly “hot” on the market. The majority of prospective DAC buyers, especially those new to […]
Digital Audio vs. DPC Latency
Quick note: Our office will be closed this Thursday and Friday while we spend time with our families for the Thanksgiving holiday. Orders placed Nov 22-23 will ship on Cyber Monday. We need to thank Steve Guttenberg for his fantastic review last month. Site traffic spiked that week, crippling my blogging time as I pitched in […]