JDS Labs EL DAC II Review

[Deleted member 24508]

Not so, consider buying a car, you don't buy it it if you don't like how it looks, similarly with hifi, you don't buy it if you don't like how it sounds. Vinyl by all measurements possible is grossly inferior to digital yet people prefer vinyl. Measurements play no part in the preference.

 

[bokolobs]

Hi, I just got a Allo Digone to use as a Roon endpoint. I have an E30, but short one DAC. I'm planning on getting either another Topping E30 or the JDS Labs EL DAC II. I saw the coax input is worse than the USB input in the E30, although below audibility. I did an A/B test (not blind) on the RPi4/USB vs Digione/coax inputs of the E30. The difference is so subtle in my system (Rega IO + Elac Debut Reference DBR62). It is a bit more airy, the low end a bit thinner but faster, and the top end a little clearer on the using the Digione. Is the coax input in the EL DAC II better than the E30? I couldn't find any measurements of the EL DAC II coax input. Thanks in advance!

 

[Liberte]

Are there any plans to test the EL DAC II+ which has the upgraded ESS DAC?

 

[idiomatically]

Are there any plans to test the EL DAC II+ which has the upgraded ESS DAC?

I too would love to see this tested with the optional balanced outs.

 

[Liberte]

I too would love to see this tested with the optional balanced outs.

They do share new measurements on their blog, comparing the EL II+ DAC to the EL II, they don't provide any details mentioning balanced but I have seen them say they make no claims about their new balanced options being superior.

I'm personally holding out for their III iterations as would like a JDS stack but in no rush.

 

[audiosciencestudent]

Need some help here , I'm just making sure I'm reading the charts correctly and and making the right deductions from the graphs.
I'm trying to figure out - on paper which has a better chance of being linear/transparent and true to the source ?
Comparing the specs to the Atom DAC II - the El DAC does everything better in all other areas or equals the Atom other than THDD+N and the SINAD measurements.

Atom's SINAD is at 112 and EL DAC is 106.. understood. This means that distortion and noise floor is a bit higher so the overall SINAD ratio is affected
Now how important is this compared to other factors like below :

• Dynamic range : Both of the DACs in comparison have similar dynamic range even thought the El DAC has a higher noise floor.
  As per my understanding - the difference in decibels (dB) between the loudest undistorted signal the DAC can produce and the quietest sound it can reproduce above the level of its noise floor is the range. So this would make a difference to how well it sounds.
  Since both have range of 19 bits , its a tie between the 2 DACs ? did I interpret this correctly ?
• IMD : EL DAC has a lesser IMD as compared to the Atom, there is a slight hump for the Atom.
  Also when compared against a Topping DAC for reference purpose , the EL DAC is better , the graph shows less distortion for El DAC
  I understand this may be inaudible but engineering wise the EL DAC is better in this aspect ?
• Jitter : Again the graph shows the EL DAC being very clean , EL DAC is better in this aspect
• Linearity : EL DAC is better based on the graphs
• DAC reconstruction filter : If I understood this right , this is the final reconstruction of the wave, the smoother the antialiasing of the small steps, the more accurate the final reconstruction of the wave, more closer to the original Analog signal ?
  in this aspect the EL DAC does a better job than the Atom

Now based on all the above does the EL DAC seem like a better choice as compared to the Atom or should I go by the SINAD ranking if I'm looking for just accuracy and transparency ? Any inputs will be very appreciated.

 

[Jimster480]

Need some help here , I'm just making sure I'm reading the charts correctly and and making the right deductions from the graphs.
I'm trying to figure out - on paper which has a better chance of being linear/transparent and true to the source ?
Comparing the specs to the Atom DAC II - the El DAC does everything better in all other areas or equals the Atom other than THDD+N and the SINAD measurements.

Atom's SINAD is at 112 and EL DAC is 106.. understood. This means that distortion and noise floor is a bit higher so the overall SINAD ratio is affected
Now how important is this compared to other factors like below :

• Dynamic range : Both of the DACs in comparison have similar dynamic range even thought the El DAC has a higher noise floor.
  As per my understanding - the difference in decibels (dB) between the loudest undistorted signal the DAC can produce and the quietest sound it can reproduce above the level of its noise floor is the range. So this would make a difference to how well it sounds.
  Since both have range of 19 bits , its a tie between the 2 DACs ? did I interpret this correctly ?
• IMD : EL DAC has a lesser IMD as compared to the Atom, there is a slight hump for the Atom.
  Also when compared against a Topping DAC for reference purpose , the EL DAC is better , the graph shows less distortion for El DAC
  I understand this may be inaudible but engineering wise the EL DAC is better in this aspect ?
• Jitter : Again the graph shows the EL DAC being very clean , EL DAC is better in this aspect
• Linearity : EL DAC is better based on the graphs
• DAC reconstruction filter : If I understood this right , this is the final reconstruction of the wave, the smoother the antialiasing of the small steps, the more accurate the final reconstruction of the wave, more closer to the original Analog signal ?
  in this aspect the EL DAC does a better job than the Atom

Now based on all the above does the EL DAC seem like a better choice as compared to the Atom or should I go by the SINAD ranking if I'm looking for just accuracy and transparency ? Any inputs will be very appreciated.

EL DAC is great, if this is what you are looking at I think it will serve you well.
Their best product right now is the ELement 3 but it has an Amp and is more expensive. If you don't need those features; don't feel bad getting the EL DAC. Its a great product!

 

[audiosciencestudent]

EL DAC is great, if this is what you are looking at I think it will serve you well.
Their best product right now is the ELement 3 but it has an Amp and is more expensive. If you don't need those features; don't feel bad getting the EL DAC. Its a great product!

Thanks, I was just looking for a starter DAC and could not decide between the Atom Vs the EL DAC
I'll get the JDS atom Amp separately , I like to keep it modular easy to upgrade the setup.

 

[audiosciencestudent]

I also just realized this review is for the EL DAC II and JDS already has a newer version called EL DAC II plus which is better in terms of SINAD also as compared to the Atom DAC..

 

[Swtoby]

Thanks, I was just looking for a starter DAC and could not decide between the Atom Vs the EL DAC
I'll get the JDS atom Amp separately , I like to keep it modular easy to upgrade the setup.

Between the two, the EL Dac is the only one that has a coax spdif input if that matters to you. Edit: and there is an optional Bluetooth module you can get with the EL Dac, not offered with the Atom.

 

[audiosciencestudent]

Between the two, the EL Dac is the only one that has a coax spdif input if that matters to you. Edit: and there is an optional Bluetooth module you can get with the EL Dac, not offered with the Atom.

Thanks for that !! yes EL DAC has those extra features.

I was actually hoping to get some comments on my understanding of the SINAD ranking and all the other measurements in my post over here original query
Any thoughts on that ? I was opting for a DAC with a lower SINAD in context of all the other supporting measurements

 

[Swtoby]

Thanks for that !! yes EL DAC has those extra features.

I was actually hoping to get some comments on my understanding of the SINAD ranking and all the other measurements in my post over here original query
Any thoughts on that ? I was opting for a DAC with a lower SINAD in context of all the other supporting measurements

Unlikely you would hear any difference. I would buy based on features, cost, etc.

 

[audiosciencestudent]

Unlikely you would hear any difference. I would buy based on features, cost, etc.

Thx, at least its a good start in the right direction for me.. instead of wasting more time time on useless crap.

 

[audiosciencestudent]

Need some help here , I'm just making sure I'm reading the charts correctly and and making the right deductions from the graphs.
I'm trying to figure out - on paper which has a better chance of being linear/transparent and true to the source ?
Comparing the specs to the Atom DAC II - the El DAC does everything better in all other areas or equals the Atom other than THDD+N and the SINAD measurements.

Atom's SINAD is at 112 and EL DAC is 106.. understood. This means that distortion and noise floor is a bit higher so the overall SINAD ratio is affected
Now how important is this compared to other factors like below :

• Dynamic range : Both of the DACs in comparison have similar dynamic range even thought the El DAC has a higher noise floor.
  As per my understanding - the difference in decibels (dB) between the loudest undistorted signal the DAC can produce and the quietest sound it can reproduce above the level of its noise floor is the range. So this would make a difference to how well it sounds.
  Since both have range of 19 bits , its a tie between the 2 DACs ? did I interpret this correctly ?
• IMD : EL DAC has a lesser IMD as compared to the Atom, there is a slight hump for the Atom.
  Also when compared against a Topping DAC for reference purpose , the EL DAC is better , the graph shows less distortion for El DAC
  I understand this may be inaudible but engineering wise the EL DAC is better in this aspect ?
• Jitter : Again the graph shows the EL DAC being very clean , EL DAC is better in this aspect
• Linearity : EL DAC is better based on the graphs
• DAC reconstruction filter : If I understood this right , this is the final reconstruction of the wave, the smoother the antialiasing of the small steps, the more accurate the final reconstruction of the wave, more closer to the original Analog signal ?
  in this aspect the EL DAC does a better job than the Atom

Now based on all the above does the EL DAC seem like a better choice as compared to the Atom or should I go by the SINAD ranking if I'm looking for just accuracy and transparency ? Any inputs will be very appreciated.

I got my answer from a post over here https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...ers-about-sinad-measurements.7375/post-170177

SINAD is a good indicator of the general level of engineering put into the DAC. Its is a good starting point on how good the rest of the system can be,
We need to still look at all the other parameters .. so even of the Atom does well in SINAD it loses out to the El DAC in some other areas

 

[panther]

Do we know what ESS chip they moved to?
Never mind I see it’s the ESS 9018k2m from their blog.