Review and Measurements of New JDS Labs Atom Headphone Amp

[xadmin]

Any new experiences with the JDS Atom?

 

[confucius_zero]

Any new experiences with the JDS Atom?

Getting mine this week hopefully. Will report back!

 

[KR8NUX]

That is one reason some companies use higher gain settings. Another reason is that it makes some people (Like Zeos Pantera apparently) think amps that use higher gain have more power because they are louder at any given knob setting.

Groch perfectly points out why reviewers with so little knowledge and interest in learning the actual science behind Audio equipment are just good entertainment and subjective as 'reviewers' but their opinions are to be taken with a huge dollop of salt.

 

[Silou]

I ordered one aswell. Is the Atom giving the signal to the RCA outputs when a headphone is plugged in, or is the signal only beeing passed throug when the headphone is unplugged? Is it somehow possible to set the output to just lineout without amplification?

 

[Roen]

Yes, if low gain is enough to power your headphones, use it since it is usually better (as long as it is not <1.0x gain, such as on "Gain I" in the THX AAA 789). Check out this study done by Amir: thread link.

He compares the Magni 3 and the JDS Labs Atom on low and high gains.

Gain 1 crosswalk issue is a non-issue as pointed out by both @amirm and @AndrewMason

 

[Tatteredmidnight]

I ordered one aswell. Is the Atom giving the signal to the RCA outputs when a headphone is plugged in, or is the signal only beeing passed throug when the headphone is unplugged? Is it somehow possible to set the output to just lineout without amplification?

Line out is muted when the headphones area connected and unmuted when they are disconnected. There are no additional adjustments (on the exterior of the unit) outside of source select, gain select, and volume control. RCA output is always preamp (volume controlled), and I believe it even goes through the amplification stage in some way (there are details in the earlier bits of this review).

 

[KR8NUX]

Zeos did a comparison review of the Atom along with the Liquid Spark, and tangentially the Magni 3. Kind of a quirky review but he seems to be in line with what DMS and some others were saying with some subjectivity thrown in. Anyway, the Atom seems to be exactly what I've been looking for to upgrade my system. Now for a DAC... Oh, I guess this is my first post here. I'm Rick - just an audio n00b looking to learn. See ya around the forums.

Zeos is my go to podcast for entertainment, when I am doing other work. I take nothing he says seriously, because he has 0 qualifications in any form of audio engineering and goes purely off his 'ear' . Most of his technical knowledge is completely wrong, almost ignorant. But it's superb fun to listen to rants about cables and pads. His pad suggestions are 90% on point and work the way he says they do. That guy is the best pad and comfort reviewer for headphones.

 

[drewfIr]

Received the Atom headphone amp from JDS Labs and wow. What a great
value; feels, works and performs great. Was a bit hesitant because of
the plastic build. The plastic used does not feel/look cheap and looks
great. The volume knob tracks well and feels smooth. The buttons and
jacks are also of good quality. The AC power adapter seems well made and
is not super bulky, depending on placement it can block an outlet
though. The cable on AC power adapter measures about 65", just the right
length, for my needs.

As we all know it measures very well, more importantly sounds great. Do
not hesitate to buy this gem of an headphone amp. Should have ordered
one sooner.

Thank You, JDS Labs - John Seaber.

 

[Boromirka]

I wonder if i can place Khadas Tone Board bare PCB on top of it since Atom's case is made of plastic. Shouldn't cause a short circuit, right?

 

[drewfIr]

I wonder if i can place Khadas Tone Board bare PCB on top of it since Atom's case is made of plastic. Shouldn't cause a short circuit, right?

It should not cause a short circuit.

 

[Dogen]

The Atom is a superb achievement, at any price point. JDS is doing great work bringing near-perfection within reach of virtually anyone. But because of my irrational preferences, I’ll wait until this performance is offered by JDS in metal casework, and happily pay more for it. Take my money...

 

[amirm]

I wonder if i can place Khadas Tone Board bare PCB on top of it since Atom's case is made of plastic. Shouldn't cause a short circuit, right?

Sure although I would put something under it to not scratch the atom case. Then tape it down good so that the cables don't pull it off and cause a short.

 

[fljoe]

Need some help .. I am thinking of buying the atom. I need to use it with my Dell XPS 15 laptop, particularly streaming Tidal MQA tracks & also Spotify. Can someone please recommend a decent DAC to use with the laptop? Thanks!

 

[ascorbyl]

Need some help .. I am thinking of buying the atom. I need to use it with my Dell XPS 15 laptop, particularly streaming Tidal MQA tracks & also Spotify. Can someone please recommend a decent DAC to use with the laptop? Thanks!

Do you have a particular budget in mind?

 

[Fregly]

DMS declared the Senn 660 considerably above the Massdrop 58x. Another conclusion from price and perceiving backwards. Granted I don't own either but had the 580 600 650 and they are all comparatively the same and not an upgrade laddar.

 

[ascorbyl]

Sure although I would put something under it to not scratch the atom case. Then tape it down good so that the cables don't pull it off and cause a short.

Would it be a terrible idea to remove the jacks on the Tone Board and solder wires directly to the inputs on the Atom internally? (This is assuming there is space to actually mount the tone board properly.)

 

[amirm]

Would it be a terrible idea to remove the jacks on the Tone Board and solder wires directly to the inputs on the Atom internally? (This is assuming there is space to actually mount the tone board properly.)

I personally wouldn't. If you want an all-in-one package just get a Topping DX3 Pro.

 

[fljoe]

Do you have a particular budget in mind?

Looking to spend around $200 including the atom.

 

[bakker_be]

Looking to spend around $200 including the atom.

Topping D10? Don't know the current price, but should be close.

 

[confucius_zero]

Just got my atom and oh god does this thing flies. You can throw any digital EQ into it and it will render it without flinching. It adds nothings, it removes nothing, it just goes and transmits fully what's being fed into it.

Anyone wondering if this amp is IT shouldn't wonder for very long anymore.

It's being fed with the REGA DAC.