JDS Labs C5/C5D (pg96) portable amp/amp+DAC

[kskwerl]

I know right its pretty awesome little amp!

 

[rckyosho]

Great to see this the C5D. I might just get one but my C5/UD100 amp dac mod is still going strong. Maybe I will just for fun. It'd be nice if a short micro to mini otg cable is included with the C5D like what ibasso does with the dzero.

 

[luisdent]

I just posted a quick review of the C5 on my youtube channel for anyone interested in this amp.  Keep an eye on the channel because I'll be adding more videos soon with more specific details and sound review.
 
C5 review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAXVyinIKvU
 
My channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/dentReviews/videos
 
I've had my C5 for a while and never want to listen to music without it.

 

[fnkcow]

Nice website revamp!
 
But that new logo looks... nerdy. Looks like a science lab logo 

 Much prefer the old music logo that really goes well with the c5.
 
Hopefully will get to hear impressions soon!

 

[ostewart]

Blog entry: http://blog.jdslabs.com/?p=722

 

[miceblue]

Wow. That is just so cool. I absolutely love reading JDS Labs' blog posts because of the sheer amount of information provided. I've always wondered how an external DAC receives power.

Also yay for making sense:

But ultimately, you can’t utilize 32/384 audio when your music collection is the bottleneck. It makes perfect sense from a marketing standpoint to enable the latest features on a new device. Fortunately, we’re engineers and not marketers

I'm still puzzled as to why people insist on getting 32/384-compatible DACs when in reality there are hardly any albums that use that format.

Congratulations for the release, JDS Labs.

 

[ostewart]

Yeah I love the way they don't buy into all the high res compatibility. They would rather it functioned well at lower bit rate than sub-par at high.
They have tried really hard to squeeze everything they could out of the DAC for normal functionality.

 

[ClieOS]

Excellent spec wise and the use of ADuM3160 is great. More manufacturer should put USB isolation on their amp.

 

[214324]

 C5D’s hardware actually supports DSD and 32-bit audio. We disabled both.

I'm just curious, but are we allowed to enable these through the Arduino code? I would guess so for those of us who are willing to.
 
I don't see a point in doing it but for those who want some more e-peen...

 

[ThurstonX]

  I'm just curious, but are we allowed to enable these through the Arduino code? I would guess so for those of us who are willing to.
 
I don't see a point in doing it but for those who want some more e-peen...

 
From a purely hypothetical POV, I'm curious as well.  My guess would be, No, it can't be enabled, as the C5D is a UAC1 device, and those features only become functional in a UAC2 device, and that would require drivers for Windows users (and portable devices, too, I'd guess).
 
But that's just my guess after reading the blog.  Big thanks to Jon for posting the link to NwAvGuy's site re: bit-depth and noise.  Fascinating stuff.

 

[luisdent]

Wow. That is just so cool. I absolutely love reading JDS Labs' blog posts because of the sheer amount of information provided. I've always wondered how an external DAC receives power.

Also yay for making sense:

But ultimately, you can’t utilize 32/384 audio when your music collection is the bottleneck. It makes perfect sense from a marketing standpoint to enable the latest features on a new device. Fortunately, we’re engineers and not marketers

I'm still puzzled as to why people insist on getting 32/384-compatible DACs when in reality there are hardly any albums that use that format.

Congratulations for the release, JDS Labs.

 
I've read a few articles that have shown that higher quality formats like that can actually sound worse than cd, because of the way some hardware interprets the data that it can't actually reproduce causing artifacts in the sound.  I'm not saying you can't have a dac/amp that shows the true sound, but even expensive ones usually aren't capable of the sound properties at the extreme frequencies and sample rates and thus that info is somehow turned into artifacts that effect the sound.
 
The funny thing is that so many people worry about the technical capabilities of the format and hardware, which is good, however the mastering of the music makes a hundred times the difference.  Super audio CD was a good example.  The format was touted as so amazing, but I've heard a few SACDs that were actually worse than the original CDs, because the music was dynamically compressed and noise reduced which resulted in a squished muffled overall sound.  That happens a lot more than people like to admit in "audiophile" recordings.  However, I think the trend is slowly changing.  But the point is that I would get the best setup you can, but focus also on getting the best master of an album you can, which isn't always easy without hearing each version.  Remasters are not always better, and usually aren't.  So be wary.
 
I personally like the approach jds labs takes with their equipment.  Make sure it is extremely high quality for the important aspects and then make it very compatible and user friendly.  That makes things easy and enjoyable, which is what music is for.  There are people who will want higher format specs, but I would just say they can get another setup.  For the rest, they get an amazing bang for their buck.  I can't believe the price really.  If you don't need a dac $60 or so is a good savings, but if you're not sure, $60 more is pretty cheap for an awesome dac to have in case you need it.
 

  Nice website revamp!
 
But that new logo looks... nerdy. Looks like a science lab logo 

 Much prefer the old music logo that really goes well with the c5.
 
Hopefully will get to hear impressions soon!

 
That's funny, I thought the old logo looked more like a science lab logo.  Ha.    The font and "look" is a lot like the equipments I actually support in my lab.  The new logo is more "modern" looking and cleaner.  But bother were good.  I think the new one is nice, because it can utilize less space if needed.

 

[tvolpe1600]

I am thinking of picking up a C5D for portable and travel use. It seems like such a solid product at a killer price point. [Sidebar: I'm not sure why competitors price similar units at $600-700. I assume those are geared towards balanced output for power hungry TOTL cans.]
 
I plan to use them with my UE Triple.fi 10 IEMs on the road, my AKG702s at work, and occasionally at home with my HD650s. Any thoughts on how the C5D scales between IEMs and dynamics? I might also get a closed back dynamic HP for travel down the road.

 

[Spadge]

I've just ordered one to use with my Surface Pro2 on the go. Will be interesting to see how this compares to my AK100+2stepdance.

I was considering an AK10, but love my ODAC enough to support these guys

 

[tvolpe1600]

Yes, they seem to have a great following, and I really appreciate the level of transparency regarding technical specs and detail they put out on their blog.

 

[ostewart]

Mine will be shipped out next week, review will follow as usual