From JDS Labs atom to FiiO K11 R2R?

[WipeRZ]

I'm considering upgrading my current amp + dac system:

• JDS Labs atom amp + dac paired with 250ohm Dt990 headphones

Would you even consider it a upgrade?
My thoughts would be:

• FiiO K11 R2R + schiit audio vali 2++ either vali 3.

Saw some reviews about this pair and FiiO itself and it caught my eye.

 

[staticV3]

Hi @WipeRZ! Welcome to ASR.

Would you even consider it a upgrade?

Definite no.

If you want an upgrade, keep the JDS and buy new headphones

 

[WipeRZ]

@staticV3 Thanks for quick reply, how could I enhance my jds lab to better sound quality, would you recommend switching cables or leave it as it is? What would you recommend instead of dt990 to experiment

 

[win]

@staticV3 Thanks for quick reply, how could I enhance my jds lab to better sound quality, would you recommend switching cables or leave it as it is? What would you recommend instead of dt990 to experiment

Unless youre running out of power on the amp (maybe possible with those headphones?) highly unlikely you are going to get better 'sound quality' by changing things. That's a transparent dac/amp.

 

[Graph Feppar]

I hate this R2R snakeoil so much, I have cringe memories from decade ago when I was young clueless audiofool and believed many lies about audio devices such as digital to analog converters. Luckily I was too poor and never wasted money on obsolete R2R junk.

There is reason all modern DACs are sigma delta and its not conspiracy by chip manufacturers to suppress ths joys of "holographic organic warm R2R sound". R2R DACs arent organic or warm and sigma delta arent analytical and cold, even the first monolithic R2R DAC from 1982 had dynamic range of 96dB. You cant hear difference between DAC chips and even if you could, the difference would be extremely small.

If you want to upgrade, get JDS Labs Atom 2 with Atom Dac 2, thats in my opinion best bang for buck for Americans.

 

[WipeRZ]

Nah it would seem that best solution would be to change headphones into something newer. For me it would seem dt990 lacks clarity, some times it feel chunky and looks like I'm not even using amp/dac fully with those headphones. What would you recommend to look into upgrading it? Maybe there is discussion already about them or recommendations?

 

[Doodski]

would you recommend switching cables or leave it as it is?

I like the very short RCA cable from JDS and use it myself. There will be zero sound quality improvement but things look much tidier with the short cable and the cable has memory so if you bend it it will retain that shape unless bent back to straight.

Stack RCA Cables _ Shop JDS LABS

These are the RCA Interconnects you've been looking for! Ultra short length, premium gold-plated connectors, and custom cabling which holds its shape.

jdslabs.com

 

[VMAT4]

The HiFiMan HE 400SE is available here for about $110. With EQ these are recommended by Amir.

 

[WipeRZ]

@Doodski I'm using the same cables, but sometimes it just feels not right especially on higher volume, it might be dt990 fault.

@VMAT4 Got some recommendations to try out Aune Ar5000

 

[Doodski]

@Doodski I'm using the same cables, but sometimes it just feels not right especially on higher volume, it might be dt990 fault.

@VMAT4 Got some recommendations to try out Aune Ar5000

If something is amiss try PEQ or new headphones or both. Are you using PEQ?

EQ Software for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS/iPadOS and Android.

Any suggestions are welcome. Post suggestions here. I will gather the details and add them. Thanks. :D This will be organized as results come in. @sweetchaos made a guide for PEQ filter data input and operation. For crossover software go here. Windows: AutoEQ four easy steps to make your...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[WipeRZ]

@Doodski I'm using PEQ with oratory1990 recommendations

 

[Doodski]

@Doodski I'm using PEQ with oratory1990 recommendations

IC. Have you tested a setting that you make yourself for your own ears. Adjust the PEQ by ear?

 

[WipeRZ]

IC. Have you tested a setting that you make yourself for your own ears. Adjust the PEQ by ear?

Nope first time hearing it

 

[Doodski]

Nope first time hearing it

Oh... Well don't feel constrained by the Oratory settings. Everybody's ears are different in frequency sensitivity so feel free to adjust those setting by ear for your ears. For example I have a long history from a young age on the farm operating outdoor equipment for extended time periods so I enjoy a very bright sound as you can see in my PEQ settings. You may enjoy something more relaxed or midrangy or bassy. Everybody is different and a by the ear setup should be attempted as it is pretty easy to do and that way you customize the PEQ for your ears and not for somebody's ears that are different than yours.
Here you can see that I dropped the very low and high frequencies because the headphones do not even do those ranges and the others I adjusted for my ears needs. Mine is a bit of a oddball setup but it works well for me and you can do anything you like with the PEQ that makes you happy.

 

[WipeRZ]

Oh... Well don't feel constrained by the Oratory settings. Everybody's ears are different in frequency sensitivity so feel free to adjust those setting by ear for your ears. For example I have a long history from a young age on the farm operating outdoor equipment for extended time periods so I enjoy a very bright sound as you can see in my PEQ settings. You may enjoy something more relaxed or midrangy or bassy. Everybody is different and a by the ear setup should be attempted as it is pretty easy to do and that way you customize the PEQ for your ears and not for somebody's ears that are different than yours.
Here you can see that I dropped the very low and high frequencies because the headphones do not even do those ranges and the others I adjusted for my ears needs. Mine is a bit of a oddball setup but it works well for me and you can do anything you like with the PEQ that makes you happy.
View attachment 403046

Oh damn gotta play with it more, but what I notice that either I haven't setup properly the Peter or I can't notice difference tweaking. Sometimes it feels that I activated app itself but when I directly change something it doesn't affect. Always though what causes this problem is it the drivers of Jds labs or haven't I setup Peter app properly.

Also what about 250ohm maybe it's overkill for jds labs stack, never really dwelled on that. That's why I'm thinking about Aune Ar5000. The HiFiMan HE 400SE - maybe this one also worth the buck.

 

[Doodski]

Sometimes it feels that I activated app itself but when I directly change something it doesn't affect.

Other than the PEQ 20kHz range and the really low bass ranges all the other PEQ adjustments should be very easily audible and make very obvious changes. Can you test this thoroughly and if there is a issue then a reinstallation might be required. Also disable the auto updates because they sometimes cause the PEQ to lose it's setting and need fine adjustment of settings.

Also if you see the PEQ peak light indicator illuminating then use the Pre-amplifying level to reduce the level to avoid clipping or if it is too low then you can raise it till you get it where you need it.

Always though what causes this problem is it the drivers of Jds labs or haven't I setup Peter app properly.

It will most likely be that the PEQ software needs adjustment or a installation error happened. Mine has been operating for many months without a issue. So make sure the ON/OFF button is set to ON.

Also what about 250ohm maybe it's overkill for jds labs stack

The JDS Labs amp has lots of power and will suffice for near everybody unless they are some CraZY loud requirement person that is going deaf.

 

[WipeRZ]

Alright gotta play with PEQ a bit. But what about headphones itself should I even look into upgrading them?

 

[Doodski]

Alright gotta play with PEQ a bit. But what about headphones itself should I even look into upgrading them?

After you get the PEQ operating to your satisfaction then test drive the headphones that you have and determine if you want a different sound or stay with what you have. Headphones are a personal thing like speakers are and some people enjoy this or that and there is no right or wrong once a person is looking at quality transducers (Headphones and speakers.).

 

[staticV3]

Alright gotta play with PEQ a bit.

oratory1990 has measurements with both fresh and used ear pads:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Your pair should measure somewhere in between.

 

[WipeRZ]

@Doodski @staticV3 So it seems my EQ haven't worked since I installed it, I've even added oratory1990 measurements gonna have great weekend figuring out where the problem is. Also researched some measurements of Dt990 250ohm and Aune ar5000 god damnit my DT990: seriously poor frequency response which exaggerates the heck out of highs and dumps a bunch of distortion. But what I saw that with some tweaking of EQ it helps.