JDS Labs Element III Review (DAC & Amp)

[Veri]

P.S. John if you're reading this I will happily upgrade my Element III if you make an Element IV that includes 10-band parametric EQ built-in where I can upload profiles via an app, like the Qudelix-5K. I don't need all the pro audio features of the RME ADI-2 and it only includes 7 bands of EQ.

@jseaber is this on the roadmap somewhere?

 

[Swtoby]

Parametric bass and treble EQ now available in the v2.5.0 firmware.

Element III MK2 _ Shop JDS LABS

We’ve reimagined our flagship amp+DAC to create a listening experience you will notice and appreciate. Element III operates on our second-generation XMOS hardware and firmware, blissfully integrated with a custom encoder. You’ll hear perfect channel balance down to the black noise floor...

jdslabs.com

 

[jseaber]

Parametric bass and treble EQ now available in the v2.5.0 firmware.

Element III MK2 _ Shop JDS LABS

We’ve reimagined our flagship amp+DAC to create a listening experience you will notice and appreciate. Element III operates on our second-generation XMOS hardware and firmware, blissfully integrated with a custom encoder. You’ll hear perfect channel balance down to the black noise floor...

jdslabs.com

More details coming later this week on the blog.

 

[Jimster480]

Parametric bass and treble EQ now available in the v2.5.0 firmware.

Element III MK2 _ Shop JDS LABS

We’ve reimagined our flagship amp+DAC to create a listening experience you will notice and appreciate. Element III operates on our second-generation XMOS hardware and firmware, blissfully integrated with a custom encoder. You’ll hear perfect channel balance down to the black noise floor...

jdslabs.com

Oh shoot, that is awesome!

 

[Jimster480]

More details coming later this week on the blog.

Looking forward to it, might pick up one of these for my other machine!

 

[Robbo99999]

More details coming later this week on the blog.

Post back with a link to it in this thread when it goes live, I'd like to take a look!

 

[pablolie]

Wow I am still on 2.2.

Didn't remember you have to use the official driver (not the standard one in Win10) to upgrade FW, but shall try later.

Thx for the heads-up!

 

[jseaber]

Post back with a link to it in this thread when it goes live, I'd like to take a look!

Finally posted at:

Element III MK2 = New Knob and EQ Firmware – JDS Labs Blog

blog.jdslabs.com

The rendered view took far longer than planned!

 

[Robbo99999]

Finally posted at:

Element III MK2 = New Knob and EQ Firmware – JDS Labs Blog

blog.jdslabs.com

The rendered view took far longer than planned!

Nice, thanks for posting that up! For me the bass boost implementation looks perfect, because as it says in the blog it's a Low Shelf Filter with Q0.707, which is the same Low Shelf that Oratory uses in his headphone EQ's - if you pick the 100Hz option then you're effectively mimicking Oratory's Low Shelf (he uses 105Hz, but I guess 5Hz doesn't make much difference!) - and this is the best frequency and Q value to use so that you can apply bass boost without making it muddy and without really effecting areas beyond the bass. For me, the treble EQ option is probably less useful as it starts very high up in the frequency range - I don't really see the implementation of the bass & treble being used together to create an ideal tone control, as the more central frequencies are not being affected (as it's doing almost nothing up to 6kHz for instance). But for sure the bass EQ is super useful, and I personally wouldn't want that Bass EQ changed beyond what you've done with it, I think that aspect is perfect.

EDIT: this is the EQ options taken from your blog, so people can know what we're talking about:

EDIT #2: If you had the option to select 3 parametric High Shelf filters with Q0.5 at 63Hz / 632Hz / 6324Hz then those can be combined together to create an almost perfect linear tone control through the whole frequency range, as long as you set each of the 3 High Shelf Filters to the same dB value. That might not be possible for you to implement, but that would be a basically perfect Tone Control - but of course that's not the same as the specific bass boost EQ option you've got currently (which is very useful as well in itself).

 

[Owl]

That's great news!. I hope they are able to implement this feature with the spdif input.

 

[jseaber]

Nice, thanks for posting that up! For me the bass boost implementation looks perfect, because as it says in the blog it's a Low Shelf Filter with Q0.707, which is the same Low Shelf that Oratory uses in his headphone EQ's - if you pick the 100Hz option then you're effectively mimicking Oratory's Low Shelf (he uses 105Hz, but I guess 5Hz doesn't make much difference!) - and this is the best frequency and Q value to use so that you can apply bass boost without making it muddy and without really effecting areas beyond the bass. For me, the treble EQ option is probably less useful as it starts very high up in the frequency range - I don't really see the implementation of the bass & treble being used together to create an ideal tone control, as the more central frequencies are not being affected (as it's doing almost nothing up to 6kHz for instance). But for sure the bass EQ is super useful, and I personally wouldn't want that Bass EQ changed beyond what you've done with it, I think that aspect is perfect.

EDIT: this is the EQ options taken from your blog, so people can know what we're talking about:

EDIT #2: If you had the option to select 3 parametric High Shelf filters with Q0.5 at 63Hz / 632Hz / 6324Hz then those can be combined together to create an almost perfect linear tone control through the whole frequency range, as long as you set each of the 3 High Shelf Filters to the same dB value. That might not be possible for you to implement, but that would be a basically perfect Tone Control - but of course that's not the same as the specific bass boost EQ option you've got currently (which is very useful as well in itself).

Thanks for the feedback! The selectable corner frequency values and Q values are easily altered in code. Custom options can be compiled upon request.

Non-volatile memory is the limitation, and we chose to maintain compatibility with the original Element III for this release. Definitely plan to iterate as we gather more impressions.

 

[Jagamov]

Any upgrade path for Element III owners to get the new encoder knob?

Thanks.

 

[jseaber]

Any upgrade path for Element III owners to get the new encoder knob?

Thanks.

Please keep in mind the entire assembly changed (main chassis, knob, shaft components, and PCBs). Retrofitting an MK2 knob into the original build is not possible.

Early Element IIIs used an aluminum 9mm encoder. We'll continue to stock 9mm steel encoders for Element IIIs built prior to June 2022. And firmware upgrades will always be free.

 

[Robbo99999]

Please keep in mind the entire assembly changed (main chassis, knob, shaft components, and PCBs). Retrofitting an MK2 knob into the original build is not possible.

Early Element IIIs used an aluminum 9mm encoder. We'll continue to stock 9mm steel encoders for Element IIIs built prior to June 2022. And firmware upgrades will always be free.

It's good that the firmware updates for Element III mean that the parametric EQ is available to all Element III users that upgrade their firmware. Initially I had thought that the parametric EQ was only available to new buyers of the Mk2, but it's just a simple firmware upgrade for all Element III users.

 

[pablolie]

Thanks to the JDS team. I was about to buy a second EIII, so this is awesome (even though the small wobble on mine never even made me think twice about it :-D).

 

[MightEMatt]

I just wanted to mention this as a Mk1 and briefly a Mk2 owner. I believe he'll be updating this information, but the 2.5 firmware and therefore the Mk2 does not support >192Khz over USB. This is fine in my case. However it caused me a bit of concern as I was just dropping it in as a replacement, and it started screaming static at me until I dropped to 192Khz. The driver didn't lock me out of trying 384.

Edit: The knob was definitely firmer to turn and click as well as some additional issues, but John is under the impression that mine might not be representative of the intended feel. I'll hold my feedback on that for now.

 

[jseaber]

Sorry, Matt. To be quite clear, MK2 knobs can be built to spin loosely like the original knob. The vertical force is related to turning force as well. Push force is firmer than the original. "Loose" turning/pushing force is easily accommodated upon request.

Edit: Static at 384 kHz static is a bug in v2.5.0. I rolled back to an internal DSP build (alpha build v2.4.B) and 384kHz works correctly with or without DSP enabled. Feel free to use v2.4.B if you happen to need 384kHz. It's a stable build, but does not support DSD bypass when using equalization.


So, expect firmware v2.5.1! We'll also change the treble corner frequency options and see what other DSP features will fit into remaining memory.

 

[jseaber]

Firmware v2.5.1 is now available, following successful testing which began late last week. Changes include:

• DSP Performance Updates
  • Optimized DSP stages to achieve static-free PCM 352.8kHz and 384kHz support
  • Adjusted DoP detection state machine within DSP stages to improve performance
• Corrected volume compensation for negative DSP gains (was set 2dB below nominal in v2.5.0)
• Changed Treble DSP Frequency options to: [3k, 4k, 6k, 8k, 9k, 10k, 12k, 14k]

Revised treble frequency response limits are shown below (note only a few gains are plotted between +/-12 dB):

 

[remlemasi]

@jseaber your blog specifically mentions the HD-650. Can you share your team’s EQ preference(s) for it?

 

[jseaber]

@remlemasiv - Keep in mind everyone's perspective is unique. I find +12dB @ 100Hz enjoyable with HD-650s. Others may prefer less. For instance, Amir applied 3dB @ 75Hz in this review. There is no right answer.