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JDS Atom Amp+ Review (Headphone Amplifier)

THW

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You must be slow cause overlooking a companies lies is retarded. I have no clue how you think it's dumb to demand a product actually deliver what's it's advertised as having. People paid for this amp thinking it produced x amount of power when it doesn't. Future buyers should be made aware of this so they can avoid buying Toppings products.

for me I had no problem reading the specs to know that you basically need 3V in to get max power (input sensitivity spec points that out I think) so I have no idea wtf you’re even on about. the only thing they could’ve done better IMO would’ve been to add an additional note at the bottom for further clarity, saying “maximum power is obtained with 3V in” or something like that.

now tell me what exactly is the difference between a 100 mW and 300 mW amp when you’re really only using 20 mW?
 

THW

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It's input sensitivity right?

I think so?

also for the more technically minded I don’t think you even need that number, high gain is 9dB aka x3 and the specs basically tell you max output level is 13V peak so 9Vrms, divide by 3 and you get input as 3Vrms
 
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the only thing they could’ve done better IMO would’ve been to add an additional note at the bottom for further clarity, saying “maximum power is obtained with 3V in” or something like that.

I went through the published specs of the L30 in this posting. To recap, Topping publishes unusually complete and honest specs. There is no "lying." All the information is there for the buyer to determine whether the amplifier is suited to his or her purposes.

While it's not exactly rocket science, it takes some engineering insight to understand the different specs and their relationships. For instance, how much power an amplifier can make has nothing to do with the position of the volume knob. You can have a very powerful amplifier that won't play loudly on a particular headphone if the system gain distribution isn't right.

I think the focus on numbers here may give some people the impression that things are simpler than they actually are. With respect to this topic, the first thing you need to get right, given a source, an amplifier, and headphones, is the gain distribution. You want the volume knob to be roughly in the middle of its range when listening at your preferred level. After that, you want enough power to avoid clipping, and maybe a little extra for headroom.

The rankings on this forum might lead to specsmanship. If Topping makes an amp that puts out 3500mW, they're going to advertise it as such. It's a legitimate spec and there's no deceit because the sensitivity is clearly spelled out. It's also largely irrelevant, for reasons I explained in my earlier post.

To repeat what I said at the end of the other post, my purpose isn't to defend Topping, but to respond to incredibly rude comments by people who evidently have no idea what they are Topping about.
 

Doodski

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Anyone have fotos of disassembled Atom Amp+ ?
atom amp+.jpg
 

Cacophony

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Oh wow just saw that the Atom has 3.5mm input, I've been looking for a cheap volume controller for my turntable -> 305Ps but this should function as that I believe?

Would there be any audible advantage to go for an L30 and try to get something like a Nobsound or another balanced preamp, I just have a pair of EMU Teaks and occasionally some HD 25 Aluminiums to drive with the headphone amp.
 

Sicaris

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Oh wow just saw that the Atom has 3.5mm input, I've been looking for a cheap volume controller for my turntable -> 305Ps but this should function as that I believe?

Would there be any audible advantage to go for an L30 and try to get something like a Nobsound or another balanced preamp, I just have a pair of EMU Teaks and occasionally some HD 25 Aluminiums to drive with the headphone amp.

The atom+ will definitely work as a volume control between your TT and 305s the only thing to note is that the front headphone jack needs to be unplugged for the rear out to work (not a big deal imo). The EL amp has an output selector so you can leave everything plugged in. You can always send John of JDS an email and he usually gets back really quickly, I just got into this and he's been fantastic.

I can't speak too much to the audio quality of the L30 but John of JDS labs has an FAQ on balanced output which he doesn't believe is necessary for this kind of application.
 

Suppa92

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Do you guys think Atom+ would be good for Verum mk2 with 8ohm load? or is it good to have like 4,5watts to get the best out of it?
 

Suppa92

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Ask JDS, 8ohm is lower than limit of test here.
thanks for the reply.
is there a jds labs member/profile at ASR or you mean emailing them?
 

thyristor

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Atom Amp vs. Atom Amp+ - What's New?
  • Boosted performance using the same analogue integrated circuit employed in the matching Atom DAC+
  • Custom matched potentiometers with superior low volume imaging of up to 20dB better than the original Alps potentiometers
  • Upgraded input stage amplifier chips from NJM2068 to NJM5532 and small tweaks to supporting resistors
  • Achieves 119dB signal-to-noise-ratio of approximately 6dB improvement

Wonder why the change from NJM2068 to NJM5532?

According to NwAvGuy's measurements NJM2068 has significantly better noise performance than NJM5532.
 

Suppa92

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FYI: Atom+ kills headphones too: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/ozlrux
But Kudos to JDS for their excellent customer service.
oh shit, I ordered B Stock one two days ago. Still on package forwarder's US warehouse. Sending this back from Sri Lanka would be a pain. Just hope this won't happen to me. :(:confused:

how that happened though? relay got stuck during shipping? Can a relay be messed up by vibrations of shipping? & how bad relays causes esd? :rolleyes:
 

jseaber

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oh shit, I ordered B Stock one two days ago. Still on package forwarder's US warehouse. Sending this back from Sri Lanka would be a pain. Just hope this won't happen to me. :(:confused:

how that happened though? relay got stuck during shipping? Can a relay be messed up by vibrations of shipping? & how bad relays causes esd? :rolleyes:

Extremely unlikely! The above customer is the only person who has experienced damage to my knowledge. We would support any customer in the same way.

Stuck relays can happen after a rough shipment, and ordinarily pose no threat. If you have any doubt, you can check a newly received amplifier by powering on and off before connecting headphones.
 

Suppa92

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Extremely unlikely! The above customer is the only person who has experienced damage to my knowledge. We would support any customer in the same way.

Stuck relays can happen after a rough shipment, and ordinarily pose no threat. If you have any doubt, you can check a newly received amplifier by powering on and off before connecting headphones.
Thanks @jseaber . I have no doubt about best in class customer support with JDS Labs.

so if that particular relay works well, I should hear the relay clicks when I power on & off, right?
 

jseaber

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Thanks @jseaber . I have no doubt about best in class customer support with JDS Labs.

so if that particular relay works well, I should hear the relay clicks when I power on & off, right?

Yes, and you should see the LED turn off when the amplifier is switched Off. The visual queue is easier to follow since there are two relays inside which engage about 1 second apart.

If the power light remains on when it should not, try power cycling On and Off at least 25x to further break in the relay contacts. The initial strikes on a power relay are most stressful, especially if the relay was jarred in shipment and contacts are stuck in an unusual state.
 

Suppa92

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Yes, and you should see the LED turn off when the amplifier is switched Off. The visual queue is easier to follow since there are two relays inside which engage about 1 second apart.

If the power light remains on when it should not, try power cycling On and Off at least 25x to further break in the relay contacts. The initial strikes on a power relay are most stressful, especially if the relay was jarred in shipment and contacts are stuck in an unusual state.
That's a extremely helpful tip.
Another quick question, Is it OK to turn on/off the atom amp+ power directly using the wall power socket switch or it is must to on/off the device by the volume knob? If I power on/off it by wall socket would it mess up the relays or send a large voltage to headphone if I leave headphones connected to it all the time?
 

jseaber

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That's a extremely helpful tip.
Another quick question, Is it OK to turn on/off the atom amp+ power directly using the wall power socket switch or it is must to on/off the device by the volume knob? If I power on/off it by wall socket would it mess up the relays or send a large voltage to headphone if I leave headphones connected to it all the time?

Powering on and off from a wall socket is a good option. This bypasses the power relay, and the mute relay mechanically engages as soon as power is lost. In other words, you will be relying on only 1 relay to do its job instead of 2.
 
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