Review and Measurements of New JDS Labs Atom Headphone Amp

[Hugo9000]

Mine is supposed to be delivered tomorrow by UPS.

 

[Hugo9000]

My Atom is here, RCA inputs connected to one set of outputs from my Denon DVD-2910, and with the 3.5mm input connected to my SMSL iDEA from my computer. Using high gain to my KEF Space One headphones (original wired version). Noise cancelling off as always. Gorgeous, detailed, dynamic sound on this magnificently recorded Hybrid SACD from BIS:

The dynamic range on this recording is pretty extreme, eliciting criticism from some quarters haha but I love it! Luckily, this house is pretty quiet, so I can hear the softest passages fine even on my regular speakers. Headphones will be best in a noisy environment for this one. I love the interpretation as well, not just the magnificent engineering of the recording. A demonstration disc of the greatest musical merit, unless you can't abide classical haha!

What a bargain this Atom Amp is! Many thanks to @amirm for testing it, and everyone here who has contributed to information on the product and JDS Labs as a company, else I'd probably never have considered it and spent a lot more! (or perhaps have just given up on headphone listening again, since I mostly use my speakers anyway!)

 

[confucius_zero]

I wish it had balanced inputs.

If it can be proven that it improves numbers that already rival the thx789...

 

[confucius_zero]

SMSL iDEA

I also have the idea as backup for my rega dac. It's great but does not explore full potential of the atom.

I suggest using the d10 or d30 measured here.

 

[Hugo9000]

@confucius_zero the iDEA is fine for now, as it's mostly for when using Spotify (320 Ogg setting on desktop app) for music discovery or casual listening, and the odd youtube video. Otherwise, I play my CDs and SACDs in the Denon player. At some point, I'd like a DAC with multiple inputs to use for everything, so I've been keeping a close eye on this forum. @amirm 's test reports are marvelous, and I like seeing the feedback from forum members on longevity issues. Benchmark would be nice, but I really can't justify the cost for my systems, especially with RME in the picture. I'll probably end up getting their ADI-2 DAC down the road, as it seems to do everything I would want (and then some) and is well-supported by a serious company. But right now, I'm more concerned with my upcoming neurosurgery and the stress involved with contemplating that haha!

 

[Roen]

I'll be using whichever headphone amp I buy in an electrically noisy environment. Balanced cabling will help me sleep better at night.

THX AAA 789?

 

[Dialectic]

THX AAA 789?

If you know how I can order one and not wait six months for it.

 

[Roen]

On the last drop, I got mine within a week or two.

 

[Stump909]

Looking to spend around $200 including the atom.

Based on the limited measurements, I went with the Grace SDAC. Seems to be comparable to the D10/D30, with slightly fewer features. I also like that they aesthetically match well.

 

[vladstef]

Thank you @amirm for this and other reviews! This forum is the best discovery ever!!



Ever since I've seen this review I knew that I wanted one of these. But I have similar problem as pretty much everyone else outside of US.

Shipping cost... To my country it's 99$ + 38$(shipping) + 32%*137$(customs) = 181$
Customs in my country are 32% of the combined price of the product and its shipping cost. Now, I can't avoid these 32% but it gets quite insane when the shipping cost is this high.

If it were, lets say, 20$, I'd end up paying 99 + 20 + 32%*119 = 157$ - this looks much more reasonable.

So I guess, the question is, is there some way for JDS Labs to provide better shipping options for the rest of the world?

 

[ascorbyl]

Thank you @amirm for this and other reviews! This forum is the best discovery ever!!



Ever since I've seen this review I knew that I wanted one of these. But I have similar problem as pretty much everyone else outside of US.

Shipping cost... To my country it's 99$ + 38$(shipping) + 32%*137$(customs) = 181$
Customs in my country are 32% of the combined price of the product and its shipping cost. Now, I can't avoid these 32% but it gets quite insane when the shipping cost is this high.

If it were, lets say, 20$, I'd end up paying 99 + 20 + 32%*119 = 157$ - this looks much more reasonable.

So I guess, the question is, is there some way for JDS Labs to provide better shipping options for the rest of the world?

I actually emailed them at some point asking, and it's due to the AC adapter weighing quite a bit. If you can source that locally somewhere you may save some money on shipping. In my case I saved $15 in shipping (to Vancouver). However it's still $22 to ship it.

You can try setting the quantity for the AC adapter to zero in the cart to see the lower shipping price.

 

[confucius_zero]

come on guys, it's much cheaper than what you'd normally pay for performance like this and you'd want to squeeze more pennies off it? (Montreal here).

 

[ascorbyl]

come on guys, it's much cheaper than what you'd normally pay for performance like this and you'd want to squeeze more pennies off it? (Montreal here).

Why throw away money though? And it's not pennies. Relative to the total cost the difference in cost is actually quite substantial.

A DX3Pro can go on sale for as low as $159 with free shipping. That's not much more than an Atom with shipping, and you get a DAC included.

 

[confucius_zero]

Relative to the total cost the difference in cost is actually quite substantial

still cheaper than a thx789 or a benchmark hpa4. Want a product? can afford it? buy it.

 

[ascorbyl]

still cheaper than a thx789 or a benchmark hpa4. Want a product? can afford it? buy it.

Kind of makes the value proposition not as impactful when it becomes a $136+fees product (in my case) instead of a $99 product though don't you think?

 

[confucius_zero]

Kind of makes the value proposition not as impactful when it becomes a $136+fees product (in my case) instead of a $99 product though don't you think?

Until you find me a better performing headphone amp for that price, I rest my case.

 

[ascorbyl]

Until you find me a better performing headphone amp for that price, I rest my case.

An O2 amp can be built for ~$50. I'd say that's pretty close.

 

[confucius_zero]

An O2 amp can be built for ~$50. I'd say that's pretty close.

Then you know what to buy.

 

[vladstef]

Kind of makes the value proposition a moot point when it becomes a $136+fees product (in my case) instead of a $99 product though don't you think?

Although I agree with this, I mean, that's why I argued that shipping cost is a bit much, the +fees part will be true for anything we buy.

The shipping drops to 23$ for me when I remove the power adapter, I guess it's something to consider.

There is one EU distributor (Headsound Audio in Germany) for JDS that has Atom on pre-sale for 150e which covers VAT and shipping. After that it will be 170e. A bit crazy imho.


@confucius_zero , it's not the price exactly that is the problem when you compare it to something else, more the fact that some customs work in wrong ways that include shipping which is a bit disturbing in this case. In the end, you end up comparing what you have to pay to what someone else could be paying for the same thing and seeing a huge difference.

 

[confucius_zero]

In the end, you end up comparing what you have to pay to what someone else could be paying for the same thing and seeing a huge difference.

It's a localisation issue more than the value of a unrivaled product. One could ask jds to establish links with a local distributor if the demand is high enough. This could help soften the price difference.

I've never had problems paying more for what I need if there's no other solution at total price around.