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Review and Measurements of JDS The Element DAC and Headphone Amp

I had a suspicion the element would not be very impressive. supposedly it has an older (and much lower quality) DAC chip, something from the ODAC era.

EL DAC + EL AMP should be much better.
 
@amirm do you do your listening tests before or after all the measurements you do?
It varies but mostly after. My listening tests are blind. I will randomize the AB selector and then play until I have a preference for one or the other device. Once there, I then identify which it is. I will then randomize and repeat again to make sure the difference is repeatable.

Given the level match on top of that, it is kind of controlled testing but lacks rigor.
 
I had a suspicion the element would not be very impressive. supposedly it has an older (and much lower quality) DAC chip, something from the ODAC era.

EL DAC + EL AMP should be much better.
I just received an answer from owner of EL DAC and it is coming!
 
@amirm , when you said rHead has more distortion than Element, I assume you were talking about the clipping range, right? My doubt is because you said you noticed distortion as evident in the graph, but the noise level of rHead in the graph is climbing over Element's only after hitting the clipping region. Or, am I misreading the graphs?
 
@amirm , when you said rHead has more distortion than Element, I assume you were talking about the clipping range, right?
Correct. It is clipping range. As I noted in the review, at lower volumes they sound the same.

If you look at the THD+N versus power, the rHead runs out of juice and clips before JDS Element does:

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The rhead is in purple. The Element is in green. Notice that where the green curve stops is well past the point that rHead clips.
 
I like the fact that JDS still make good, solid down to earth equipment that offers good performance at affordable prices. And avoid the asinine marketing and flummery of another company that makes its gear in the US. I don't think I've ever really heard anything bad about JDS and everybody I know with any experience of buying and using their products has been extremely positive about them.
 
I like the fact that JDS still make good, solid down to earth equipment that offers good performance at affordable prices. And avoid the asinine marketing and flummery of another company that makes its gear in the US. I don't think I've ever really heard anything bad about JDS and everybody I know with any experience of buying and using their products has been extremely positive about them.
It is definitely a proper company. They measure everything professionally which means the device does what they say it does. If other companies did the same, I would be out of business! :)
 
Awesome. An El Amp would be good too. Seems a lot of people are trading in their NFB's for that combo.
 
My understanding has been the main difference in the separates is the DAC but I don't see where in that link it says the amps are the same.
I'd rather have a one piece unit unless the seperate DAC is amazingly better.
 
My understanding has been the main difference in the separates is the DAC but I don't see where in that link it says the amps are the same.
I'd rather have a one piece unit unless the seperate DAC is amazingly better.
Well, if you look at the product pages on JDS Labs' site, they list the exact same performance specifications for the EL Amp and the Amplifier section of the Element. Considering they actually measure their own products, I'd assume them to be identical. If you want the surest confirmation, you can always ask them.
 
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