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Review and Measurements of New JDS Labs Atom Headphone Amp
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
20mm, I posted the link to the part a couple of messages back. The screw seems to be a bit too short though, so I need to do some minor DIY hacking to get it attached. Shouldn't be a problem...
Yeah, but silver is MUCH more transparent... and antibacterial as well
The original is 1-2 mm wider yes and also some mm thinner / not as deep
There is already an atom on the way home!
They are again on sale in Europe.
Now for the choice of the dac, while connecting it to Shanling M3s in DAC mode.
I have in mind Topping D50 and Smsl....
They are again on sale in Europe.
Now for the choice of the dac, while connecting it to Shanling M3s in DAC mode.
I have in mind Topping D50 and Smsl....
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Just got my Atom and my SDAC should arrive tomorrow. Since the DAC isn't here I've only tried it just running of my iPhone X (through the lightning adapter) and there seems to be plenty of power and more volume range seems usable vs my O2 + SDAC on low gain. This might be due to lower output of the iPhone vs SDAC so I'll see if that changes. So far my only complaint, which is minor, is the volume knob others have noted. Mine also seems kinda wobbly as you turn through the range. I do kinda wish they offered a premium version of this amp in an AL enclosure with a nicer knob. I'd probably pay $50 more for that tbh.
Yeah it kinda shocked me how cheap it felt. I have o2 and el amp, they genuinely feel really solid. Not something i can say about atom. If I were to choose again, I choose o2 and mod it.
Can anyone tell me how noticeable the channel imbalance @ low volume on Atom amp is? I'm currently using ATH AD-700x right now, very sensitive cans. Just for reference, using it with my Fiio e10k @ volume 1, low gain is enough and no noticeable channel imbalance.
Just to be clear, I would like to buy Atom amp to pair with my Topping d10 and use it for my PC, not as an upgrade from my e10k. I will still use e10k with my laptop.
Just to be clear, I would like to buy Atom amp to pair with my Topping d10 and use it for my PC, not as an upgrade from my e10k. I will still use e10k with my laptop.
You should have absolutely no problem with those phones using the low gain mode. JDS chose their gain settings very well I think, a good bit lower than those on the Liquid Spark, so you should have excellent control at any volume with the AD-700x.
10 o clock for mine. Which is not really good. 8 o'clock is considered good for me. But you can use the combination of analog pot and digital volume.
Compare to graph of magni 3 and liquid spark, the Atom channel matching is worse at low volume, but I'm not sure if that is noticeable. I can't find any test to see how sensitive my ear is so It's kinda tough for me.
I don't want to adjust digital volume, just personal preference.
That's depending on how loud you like to listen. For critical listening, sure not a problem. Casual listening, it's an issue for me so I swapped out the volume pot for bourn 1kohm 10% pot. The problem is there isn't really good solution here. It's more of a luck thing. Almost all companies use alps pots, and the deviation is most likely due to luck. 0db gain option making it a better option overall unless using digital volume in combination.
Thanks for your response, but why did you say it is not a problem for critical listening but casual one? Shouldn't it be in the opposite way?
My point was that because the liquid spark has a much higher gain than the JDS (3x vs. 1x in low gain modes) you will use a higher volume setting on the JDS to attain the same volume as the Liquid Spark. Amir's measurements indicate a 1/2 dB difference worst case on high gain mode, which certainly in low gain mode would be a none issue. Of course, he tested only 1 unit, and certainly results could vary. Mine sounds perfectly balanced on all the headphones I have used.
Equally important to me, is being able to adjust to a precise volume using high efficiency phones. I hate high gain amps that restrict you to 1/10th rotation of the volume knob.
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Generally critical listening means around 85db loud and usually not very long listening session ~30mins. Casual listening normally is much longer session 2+ hours and at much lower volume around 70db or lower. Low volume imbalance of course will affect the low volume. At least this is how I see it and from my experience.
Got mine today, using my FiiO X5iii as a source, gotta say, this amp is great. Can get my Beyer T1.2 cans to uncomfortable levels in low gain at about 3 o'clock, and to painful almost ear bleeding levels in high gain. Very transparent, sounds really good.
Gonna have to try some other cans.
Gonna have to try some other cans.
Here's D50 and Atom stacked. MUCH better than KTB imo.
ishmeister
Active Member
I'm getting some powered monitors soon. They have two single ended 10k ohm line level inputs: mono 6.35mm TRS and stereo 3.5mm that is daisy chained from one speaker to the other.
What's the best way to connect the Atom? I have an RCA to 3.5mm cable. Will that be ok? Or is are separated RCA to TRS cables better?
Presumably I have to set the Atom to low gain, but how much voltage is that putting out of the preamp outputs?
Do I need to watch out for clipping?
What's the best way to connect the Atom? I have an RCA to 3.5mm cable. Will that be ok? Or is are separated RCA to TRS cables better?
Presumably I have to set the Atom to low gain, but how much voltage is that putting out of the preamp outputs?
Do I need to watch out for clipping?
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