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JDS Labs ATOM Amp
Jul 12, 2019 at 10:57 PM Post #302 of 641
@genck perhaps there is a chance somebody has experience with both and anyone looking for a new amp might find a 789 for sale.

Whether something is in the same ball park or not is up to the user.

Do you have experience with both either/or?
 
Jul 12, 2019 at 10:59 PM Post #303 of 641
I would also like to point out that if the Atom were to come in an aluminum enclosure of JDS design (and a good knob xD), I could see myself paying upwards of $250 for it. That is just my opinion. I have experience with the Atom alone.
 
Jul 12, 2019 at 11:03 PM Post #304 of 641
bequietjk said:
@genck perhaps there is a chance somebody has experience with both and anyone looking for a new amp might find a 789 for sale.

Whether something is in the same ball park or not is up to the user.

Do you have experience with both either/or?
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I'm not sure that it's up the the user, it's pure economics... it's how the system works. I do not have experience with either, I just found it an interesting comment. Carry on.
 
Jul 13, 2019 at 12:12 AM Post #305 of 641
The discussion is about an amp and whether one should consider it. People looking for help and opinions and you not having any experience with either how can you say that either amp is valued more than the other?

Now from my experience, I'd say the Atom provides a bit of warmth. I've read other people hearing the same and it always comes down to each ones setup. Hope this helps!
 
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Jul 13, 2019 at 8:59 AM Post #306 of 641
genck said:
Why is the atom being compared to something 4x the price which isn't even available right now?

They aren't even in the same ballpark, at all.
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Yeah because the price is the right measurement which amp is better than the other...:rolling_eyes:

As I’ve stated I’m curious about the actual sound differences regardless of the price, extra features and such.
 
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Jul 20, 2019 at 4:06 PM Post #309 of 641
JDS Labs Atom review

The Package

dZki5ix.png


My Atom came in two boxes where the Atom was in one and power brick in another. It's an interesting way in terms of logistics where JDS Labs doesn't need to pack different geographical versions into one box but rather 'pack them on the fly' to save time and money. Good job JDS Labs!

Being $99 amp the package was very limited in terms of accessories and I personally prefer it this way. There is no need to increase the price due to uneeded stuff like stickers, RGB!, flashy boxes and such. Kudos to JDS Labs for not including tons of paper very few would actually even read. :)


The Device

tHUw5R5.png


Atom's shape reminds me a lot of JDS Labs' other models like EL DAC, EL Amp an Element. Unfortunately the build quality is not up it's siblings. Atom's case, buttons and the volume knob are all plastic. The plastic itself feels a bit cheap which is understandable for such a cheap device. I'm glad JDS Labs went with the 'performance over beauty' tactics here. However it would be nice if we could have a bit pricier variants with eg. metallic case, maybe a couple of different colors (white/silver, black, etc) and maybe something like Element (with a huge volume knob on the top). The design has also brought me some nostalgia feelings of my O2 ODAC.

Front panel has a 1/4" headphone jack, volume knob, gain and input switches. The design looks nice and clean. Also there are no bright led lights but rather dimmed white light circle behind the volume knob to indicate that the vice is on. Very, very nice design JDS Labs! Please keep it this way! :)

KYIxC59.png


Rear panel has 4 RCA connectors (RCA IN and RCA pre-OUT), 3.5mm analog input and a 16V AC connectors. Connectors are placed well and plugging the cables is easy once you know which connector you want to use.


The Sound

Now the most important part of the whole device and amps in general. How does it sound? In short: Annoyingly good. Seriously it's that good. After seeing it's price of $99 at the release I was pretty sure it will be another O2 variant which would sound nice but nothing special indeed. I was so wrong with my guessing. JDS Labs seriosly pulled something out what can easly put many times costlier amps to shame in terms on noiseless clean sound at the maximum volume. The sound is very transparent, well controlled and clean. I've spent 3-4 weeks using my Atom listening to my Tidal Hifi playlists and it has never failed me. During my test sessions my Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro headphones never screamed for a better amp. :) Compared to my other amps like Burson Audio Fun and Burson Playmate Atom sounded as good as the Bursons. Burson Fun have maybe a little bit wider sound stage and more power but in terms of sound quality no difference at all. I have to admit that it's quite hard to justify it's 3 times bigger price unless you are into opamp switching and need that extra power.

After getting my unit this has been my 'go to' recommendation all over the Internet regardless of buyer's budget. JDS Atom + Khadas Tone Board are match made in heaven. For less than $250 it's very very hard to recommend anything else. Not to speak that this combo could easly beat some other combos which might cost at least two times more.

Little birds have singed that JDS Labs is releasing an updated version or model of Atom and maybe Atom-like DAC as well. I really hope it is true as the Atom is screaming for a DAC with the same case. I also hope JDS Labs updates the Element with something like Atom + a new DAC. How amazing that would be! :o2smile:


The Verdict

There isn't much left to say about this unexptected hit. I'm sure it's one of the best selling sub $100 amps at the moment and deservedly so. Unfortunately I don't own the THX AAA 789 to compare it with my Atom (THX being probably the most wanted amp atm) but as much experiences I could've ask around the Internet pretty much every Atom + THX owner has said Atom sounding as good as the THX so the main difference would be balanced output.

I have to admit JDS Labs left us wanting for more. More of Atom especially. I really hope we will soon see some better cases, JDS Labs DAC version 2019 and many other Atom-like hits.

Well done JDS Labs, well done! :clap::thumbsup:

Qavmde8.png
 
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Aug 5, 2019 at 9:31 PM Post #310 of 641
escalibur said:
JDS Labs Atom review

The Package

dZki5ix.png


My Atom came in two boxes where the Atom was in one and power brick in another. It's an interesting way in terms of logistics where JDS Labs doesn't need to pack different geographical versions into one box but rather 'pack them on the fly' to save time and money. Good job JDS Labs!

Being $99 amp the package was very limited in terms of accessories and I personally prefer it this way. There is no need to increase the price due to uneeded stuff like stickers, RGB!, flashy boxes and such. Kudos to JDS Labs for not including tons of paper very few would actually even read. :)


The Device

tHUw5R5.png


Atom's shape reminds me a lot of JDS Labs' other models like EL DAC, EL Amp an Element. Unfortunately the build quality is not up it's siblings. Atom's case, buttons and the volume knob are all plastic. The plastic itself feels a bit cheap which is understandable for such a cheap device. I'm glad JDS Labs went with the 'performance over beauty' tactics here. However it would be nice if we could have a bit pricier variants with eg. metallic case, maybe a couple of different colors (white/silver, black, etc) and maybe something like Element (with a huge volume knob on the top). The design has also brought me some nostalgia feelings of my O2 ODAC.

Front panel has a 1/4" headphone jack, volume knob, gain and input switches. The design looks nice and clean. Also there are no bright led lights but rather dimmed white light circle behind the volume knob to indicate that the vice is on. Very, very nice design JDS Labs! Please keep it this way! :)

KYIxC59.png


Rear panel has 4 RCA connectors (RCA IN and RCA pre-OUT), 3.5mm analog input and a 16V AC connectors. Connectors are placed well and plugging the cables is easy once you know which connector you want to use.


The Sound

Now the most important part of the whole device and amps in general. How does it sound? In short: Annoyingly good. Seriously it's that good. After seeing it's price of $99 at the release I was pretty sure it will be another O2 variant which would sound nice but nothing special indeed. I was so wrong with my guessing. JDS Labs seriosly pulled something out what can easly put many times costlier amps to shame in terms on noiseless clean sound at the maximum volume. The sound is very transparent, well controlled and clean. I've spent 3-4 weeks using my Atom listening to my Tidal Hifi playlists and it has never failed me. During my test sessions my Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro headphones never screamed for a better amp. :) Compared to my other amps like Burson Audio Fun and Burson Playmate Atom sounded as good as the Bursons. Burson Fun have maybe a little bit wider sound stage and more power but in terms of sound quality no difference at all. I have to admit that it's quite hard to justify it's 3 times bigger price unless you are into opamp switching and need that extra power.

After getting my unit this has been my 'go to' recommendation all over the Internet regardless of buyer's budget. JDS Atom + Khadas Tone Board are match made in heaven. For less than $250 it's very very hard to recommend anything else. Not to speak that this combo could easly beat some other combos which might cost at least two times more.

Little birds have singed that JDS Labs is releasing an updated version or model of Atom and maybe Atom-like DAC as well. I really hope it is true as the Atom is screaming for a DAC with the same case. I also hope JDS Labs updates the Element with something like Atom + a new DAC. How amazing that would be! :o2smile:


The Verdict

There isn't much left to say about this unexptected hit. I'm sure it's one of the best selling sub $100 amps at the moment and deservedly so. Unfortunately I don't own the THX AAA 789 to compare it with my Atom (THX being probably the most wanted amp atm) but as much experiences I could've ask around the Internet pretty much every Atom + THX owner has said Atom sounding as good as the THX so the main difference would be balanced output.

I have to admit JDS Labs left us wanting for more. More of Atom especially. I really hope we will soon see some better cases, JDS Labs DAC version 2019 and many other Atom-like hits.

Well done JDS Labs, well done! :clap::thumbsup:

Qavmde8.png
Click to expand...

It's an impressive sounding unit but the weight and enclosure leave A LOT to be desired. I understand trying to keep the cost down but if they had 2 versions and one in a sexy solid metal casework I'd happily pay more than double.
 
Aug 7, 2019 at 10:45 PM Post #312 of 641
 
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Aug 13, 2019 at 6:51 PM Post #314 of 641
Got mine yesterday, used it for a bunch of hours since. I have a Khadas tone board on order but its gonna take another 2 weeks until its delivered. Meanwhile I been feeding Atom from a modest onboard realtek chipset. Atom sounds so tight and clean Oo my portable source for headphones is an LG V30+ which I use at the gym, other high quality interfaces/sources for headphones I have around the house include Motu 8a, Motu Monitor 8, e-mu 1616m and echo audiofire8. Both at home and at the gym I use mostly Sennheiser Momentum 2 over-the-ear with a silver plated cable which couples really well with the Atom. I play lossless files or stream YouTube Music. This amplifier sounds very precise, the bass is tight and has great impact. I also use headphones often for gaming in Battlefield 5, where there's no more mild clipping during loud explosions :) Pretty sure this is the best sounding headphone setup I've used, and that's without the Khadas board..

Another satisfied customer here!
 
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Aug 13, 2019 at 7:07 PM Post #315 of 641
hypez604 said:
Got mine yesterday, used it for a bunch of hours since. I have a Khadas tone board on order but its gonna take another 2 weeks until its delivered. Meanwhile I been feeding Atom from a modest onboard realtek chipset. Atom sounds so tight and clean Oo my portable source for headphones is an LG V30+ which I use at the gym, other high quality interfaces/sources for headphones I have around the house include Motu 8a, Motu Monitor 8, e-mu 1616m and echo audiofire8. Both at home and at the gym I use mostly Sennheiser Momentum 2 over-the-ear with a silver plated cable which couples really well with the Atom. I play lossless files or stream YouTube Music. This amplifier sounds very precise, the bass is tight and has great impact. I also use headphones often for gaming in Battlefield 5, where there's no more mild clipping during loud explosions :) Pretty sure this is the best sounding headphone setup I've used, and that's without the Khadas board..

Another satisfied customer here!
Click to expand...
Try this combo Atom plus Khadas with better headphones then the Momentum to appreciate it even more. :)
 
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