JDS Atom Amp+ Review (Headphone Amplifier)

[spigot]

I've got the previous Atom, it's better than my headphones and my hearing. If that ever dies I'll gladly get this.

 

[3rdShift]

Nice! I have the orginal atom and love it. I might grab the new one.

 

[Swtoby]

If this was released in 2018, it would've been number 1 in the chart.

 

[3125b]

The first one was more than good enough, still very happy with mine, but it's nice to see them improving it even further while keeping the price at 99$.

 

[Victorfabius]

If this was released in 2018, it would've been number 1 in the chart.

If it had, then I guess you could say that it’s been… Topped?

I’ll see myself out.

 

[GWolfman]

Would cleaning up that 60Hz hum in the output improve SINAD? If so, and it were flat, what's your guess for the new SINAD? Or is the limiting factor here the gentleness of the slope around the base of the 1kHz tone?

 

[JohnYang1997]

Would cleaning up that 60Hz hum in the output improve SINAD? If so, and it were flat, what's your guess for the new SINAD? Or is the limiting factor here the gentleness of the slope around the base of the 1kHz tone?

Answer is no. The SINAD is noise dominated, resistor thermal noise.

 

[Vini darko]

Nice work jds

 

[Spocko]

Just waiting for the JDS to update the Element II with a "pro" version to include the AES and XLR input options - that volume knob is so great

 

[Ron Texas]

Under $100 and with superb measured performance. Things keep improving. Thank you @amirm

 

[Jimbob54]

What's the difference between this and the last Atom amp?

A keyboard stroke

 

[modes]

Somebody, the EU perhaps? should cancel those nasty wasteful EI transformers. I use a tiny 14.4V toroidal from a 1990's ikea spotlight...drops my heresy's quiescent draw to 1.8W - instead of the obnoxious 3.8W of the stock transformer. A hp amp is something many keep running 24/7...over time the waste adds up.

 

[jams3223]

the only downside to the jds is the plastic casing, does it still have the same case also it's better than topping e30 why ? you ask, it doesn't sacrifice power for super clean signal while you can get the same cleanness with the high pass input filter on the jds now you get better power efficiency with high impedance headphone compared to the topping which sacrifice gain for cleanness which you can barely add gain to a high impedance headphone and incredible channel balance with very good power performance to drive most headphone without a problem and also with safety capacitor in the circuit to prevent from blowning up you headphone compared to the topping l30 and old shitt stuff and if shiit audio can fix the channel imbalance and bad headphone impedence problem and add a high pass filter it would probably beat out the jds but the jds win every ground without sacrificing any big factors.

 

[JohnYang1997]

the only downside to the jds is the plastic casing, does it still have the same case also it's better than topping e30 why ? you ask, it doesn't sacrifice power for super clean signal while you can get the same cleanness with the high pass input filter on the jds now you get better power efficiency with high impedance headphone compared to the topping which sacrifice gain for cleanness which you can barely add gain to a high impedance headphone and incredible channel balance with very good power performance to drive most headphone without a problem and also with safety capacitor in the circuit to prevent from blowning up you headphone compared to the topping l30 and old shitt stuff and if shiit audio can fix the channel imbalance and bad headphone impedence problem and add a high pass filter it would probably beat out the jds but the jds win every ground without sacrificing any big factors.

L30 has the most advanced protection scheme in the price range. Atom doesn't have any protection other than supply rail sensing. New schiit IEMagni has DC protection now, but still suspect to ESD failure.

 

[Swtoby]

L30 has the most advanced protection scheme in the price range. Atom doesn't have any protection other than supply rail sensing. New schiit IEMagni has DC protection now, but still suspect to ESD failure.

Not initially it didn't. That amp seemed to have a rough start. The Atom has been in the field a bit and if it suffered the same failure rate like the L30 did we would have heard about it by now.

 

[jams3223]

L30 has the most advanced protection scheme in the price range. Atom doesn't have any protection other than supply rail sensing. New schiit IEMagni has DC protection now, but still suspect to ESD failure.

if it has power current protection it seems to be recently as topping l30 gave a lot of problems by blowing up headphone also they sacrifice a lot of gain for cleanness i had one bought 4 months ago and it didn't provide enough gain to high impedance headphones as the atom did i don't if it changed now since they keep on changing the component since topping is a experimental Chinese company that works based on customers review

 

[SDX-LV]

Would be nice to get these in Europe for similar price.
This Atom gets almost twice as expensive if ordered to Europe.

 

[DanTheMan]

I'm actually angry that they didn't increase the price but they did increase performance. I have to console myself with the fact that they are just more inaudible than my version of the Atom. Once a truck fits under the underpass, it doesn't matter by how much. Still it makes me angry. I don't want to buy this for no reason other than an irrational desire to have 'better' performance in the same form factor. I think I will just start an internet rumor under a pseudonym that the original version has some sort of magical sound characteristic. That will make it all better.

 

[fieldcar]

I'm actually angry that they didn't increase the price but they did increase performance. I have to console myself with the fact that they are just more inaudible than my version of the Atom. Once a truck fits under the underpass, it doesn't matter by how much. Still it makes me angry. I don't want to buy this for no reason other than an irrational desire to have 'better' performance in the same form factor. I think I will just start an internet rumor under a pseudonym that the original version has some sort of magical sound characteristic. That will make it all better.

Call them up and ask if you can upgrade by exchanging your old unit. They are a group of enthusiasts rather than a soulless corporation. The worst they will tell you is 'no'.

 

[Brianc]

Call them up and ask if you can upgrade by exchanging your old unit. They are a group of enthusiasts rather than a soulless corporation. The worst they will tell you is 'no'.

I thought about selling my Atom and getting the new one. I guess if I could get 60 or 70 I'd do it. Maybe.