[loki993]

Its not that bad but Im impatient. Plus in this day of amazon prime 10 days feels like a really long time.

 

[CuriousSkeptic]

So while protecting my wallet and waiting for more reviews on this thing (which looks really pretty!) I dug out an old EMU 0404 USB to see if it could be used as a headphone amp for my DT 880 (250 Ohm). Seems it can.
 
I'm using this with ASIO4All, which i think is kind of unstable as foobar seems to get stuck a lot, but this setup at least gets to uncomfortably loud, compared with the internal sound card, not sure about quality, feels a bit dull, but I have no way to know if that's the music, equipment or just me
 
So a question to someone with a bit more experience. If I were to exchange the this EMU thing with the Element, what should I expect the difference to be?

 

[sheldaze]

I admire your curiosity and skepticism

 
Would it be possible for you to bring your Creative box to a headphone meet? While there are a few folks here at Head-Fi who are familiar with the consumer grade products along with the professional grade products, your best bet would likely be to compare it directly - and while listening to something you are familiar with. Perhaps your local group will not have a Element, but it is rumored to sound close to other products such as Schiit Modi/Magni combination.
 
Without knowing what your box sounds like, I'd be hard-pressed to make exact comparisons. However I am first concerned with the high 22ohm output impedance, but that is of little concern for your DT 800 cans, which also have a high impedance. I am also concerned with the maximum output power of 20mW. But I too am guessing this is a low estimate - in comparison, the Element is quoted at 1500mW of output power. So you could potentially get much louder, cleaner volume.
 
In short, I think as you try out different headphones, you'll find many that will not mate well with your existing Creative box. That is the reason I personally bought the JDS Labs Element. You may immediately notice more and cleaner volume with your current headphones.

 

[Packdemon]

  So while protecting my wallet and waiting for more reviews on this thing (which looks really pretty!) I dug out an old EMU 0404 USB to see if it could be used as a headphone amp for my DT 880 (250 Ohm). Seems it can.
 
I'm using this with ASIO4All, which i think is kind of unstable as foobar seems to get stuck a lot, but this setup at least gets to uncomfortably loud, compared with the internal sound card, not sure about quality, feels a bit dull, but I have no way to know if that's the music, equipment or just me
 
So a question to someone with a bit more experience. If I were to exchange the this EMU thing with the Element, what should I expect the difference to be?

Well, if you were to wait a little longer and if we get a little bit more support then we can actually get this for a decent deal off a massdrop: https://www.massdrop.com/vote/jds-labs-dacamps

 

[Valens7]

I swear, the Element is just a monster with IEHs! I'm listening to my ASG-1Plus out of it right now, and the improvement over my iPhone is dramatic. Incredible soundstage depth/width, spot-on bass response, remarkable detail in the upper registers, and a squeaky clean midrange. Jointed together with my Therium cable from Norne Audio, I do believe that this pairing might be the best I've had the privilege of hearing!
 
I know that all probably reads like a load of hype and nonsense, but, still, I felt like weighing in again.

 The Element is such an immense value, that I don't mind giving it the attention.

 

[trappedintime]

  Well, if you were to wait a little longer and if we get a little bit more support then we can actually get this for a decent deal off a massdrop: https://www.massdrop.com/vote/jds-labs-dacamps

I voted for the Element weeks back. I hope more people do as well. I can wait on this, but it seems like for $250-$300, this would be a fantastic purchase and addition to my growing collection of gear.

 

[jseaber]

@trappedintime: The Element is $299 here. Also see discussion at post #107.

 

[trappedintime]

Appreciate the link, guess I missed that. And I see I can get the line out as well, which means I may add this to my Sony UDA-1 at work for a better DAC while still having an amp and speakers at my disposal. Sweet!

 

[Packdemon]

Appreciate the link, guess I missed that. And I see I can get the line out as well, which means I may add this to my Sony UDA-1 at work for a better DAC while still having an amp and speakers at my disposal. Sweet!

Well, technically if you used a cable or adapter like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GN76HAG or http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWQBMYS then you still would be able to do that.

 

[trappedintime]

Well, technically if you used a cable or adapter like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GN76HAG or http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWQBMYS then you still would be able to do that.

i just thought you wanted to avoid using the headphone out for passing the audio to an amp. Wouldn't there be a noticeable increase in the noise floor? Perhaps I don't know what I'm talking about as I haven't attempted such a setup before.

 

[Packdemon]

i just thought you wanted to avoid using the headphone out for passing the audio to an amp. Wouldn't there be a noticeable increase in the noise floor? Perhaps I don't know what I'm talking about as I haven't attempted such a setup before.

Not to the amp, out of it.

 

[trappedintime]

  Not to the amp, out of it.

No, I'm talking about running my iMac USB audio > Element > UDA-1 for my amp. I would be running the audio out of the Element's headphone jack, and that seems like it would add noise, and simply not be as good as adding RCA line out and feeding those to my amp.

 

[Packdemon]

 
No, I'm talking about running my iMac USB audio > Element > UDA-1 for my amp. I would be running the audio out of the Element's headphone jack, and that seems like it would add noise, and simply not be as good as adding RCA line out and feeding those to my amp.

I thought that the UDA-1 was a DAC? Besides, I'm pretty sure that you can't use the amp on the Element from it's built in ODAC, or at least that's what I've heard.

 

[trappedintime]

The UDA-1 is a DAC/amp, and not just a headphone amp, but a 2-channel stereo amp. I run bookshelf speakers to it when I'm not listening on my cans. So I want the Element to replace the single BB PCM1795 chip, and still be able to listen to music in my office with speakers. From what I can tell, this is a superior headphone amp, and probably a better DAC as well.

 

[Packdemon]

The UDA-1 is a DAC/amp, and not just a headphone amp, but a 2-channel stereo amp. I run bookshelf speakers to it when I'm not listening on my cans. So I want the Element to replace the single BB PCM1795 chip, and still be able to listen to music in my office with speakers. From what I can tell, this is a superior headphone amp, and probably a better DAC as well.

Ah, I see now. 
 
This is a fairly new amp (I'd have to agree that it is indeed superior), but the DAC is the same RevB ODAC used in their other products (not sure if it has been revised at all though).
 
@jseaber, would this work?:

 
No, I'm talking about running my iMac USB audio > Element > UDA-1 for my amp. I would be running the audio out of the Element's headphone jack, and that seems like it would add noise, and simply not be as good as adding RCA line out and feeding those to my amp.