JDS Labs Element 4 Released

[zilax002]

The peq makes this an interesting product, however switching between a few different headphones, I would love the option to store/preload a couple of different EQ profiles on the device itself and a easy way to switch between them. Then it would have been an instant buy from me, as I switch both headphones and between PC/Mac with a kvm switch all the time. Not having to think about EQ software would be nice!

I believe this feature has been confirmed as coming.

 

[zilax002]

From the JDS Labs blog

 

[dami1]

I believe this feature has been confirmed as coming.

Nice! Let’s hope they implement it soon

 

[Sunset1982]

Nice! Let’s hope they implement it soon

I have a good feeling about JDS Labs and their plans for this product, that's why I imported the Element IV to Germany for about 700€ ( I got 650€ for my used RME).

RME developed the ADI2 DAC FS' firmware and software for a long time and it is a very nice German company with a really good customer support and very good engineering and products. I would not have sold my RME for a company that is less consumer friendly. I strongly believe that JDS Labs is a very good company, too. My first conversations with John Seaber via the blog and email were very good. He is very nice and responds ultra fast on every question I asked. You feel it from the first seconds on that he is fully engaged in his products and wants to make his custumers happy with a good product.

I'm excited to see what the future fort the Element IV will bring. The base with the firmware and the Core software looks promising right now.

 

[emilsoft]

I have a good feeling about JDS Labs and their plans for this product, that's why I imported the Element IV to Germany for about 700€ ( I got 650€ for my used RME).

RME developed the ADI2 DAC FS' firmware and software for a long time and it is a very nice German company with a really good customer support and very good engineering and products. I would not have sold my RME for a company that is less consumer friendly. I strongly believe that JDS Labs is a very good company, too. My first conversations with John Seaber via the blog and email were very good. He is very nice and responds ultra fast on every question I asked. You feel it from the first seconds on that he is fully engaged in his products and wants to make his custumers happy with a good product.

I'm excited to see what the future fort the Element IV will bring. The base with the firmware and the Core software looks promising right now.

You sold your RME for less than what you paid for the Element IV - the RME gives you everything and more compared to the Element - remote, balanced outs, 20 slots to save EQ (7 bands eq is still more than sufficient), IOS app, and can even make you coffee.. I have GAS for the Element but I have the RME and i can't find an excuse to ditch it for the Element.. only if it has a more stellar sound quality, but judging from Element 3 reviews, it's just dry and neutral and doesn't have special sauce class A organic/smooth sound which I prefer.

 

[dougq]

You sold your RME for less than what you paid for the Element IV - the RME gives you everything and more compared to the Element - remote, balanced outs, 20 slots to save EQ (7 bands eq is still more than sufficient), IOS app, and can even make you coffee.. I have GAS for the Element but I have the RME and i can't find an excuse to ditch it for the Element.. only if it has a more stellar sound quality, but judging from Element 3 reviews, it's just dry and neutral and doesn't have special sauce class A organic/smooth sound which I prefer.

Better EQ
Bigger knob
More power
Better customer support.

 

[audionooby]

it's just dry and neutral and doesn't have special sauce class A organic/smooth sound which I prefer

Isn’t this what people say about the ADI-2 series as well? What gives you that organic sound?

 

[emilsoft]

Isn’t this what people say about the ADI-2 series as well? What gives you that organic sound?

It is indeed the same - just trying to find excuse to replace the ADI with this

 

[emilsoft]

Better EQ
Bigger knob
More power
Better customer support.

Definitely don’t need more power or bigger knobs - I’m more interested in the quality of power (the rme can sound a bit lean/glassy)

 

[dougq]

Definitely don’t need more power or bigger knobs - I’m more interested in the quality of power (the rme can sound a bit lean/glassy)

The quality of power is essentially perfect in terms of what is outputted to the headphone. You get perfect resolution out of both devices.

 

[emilsoft]

The quality of power is essentially perfect in terms of what is outputted to the headphone. You get perfect resolution out of both devices.

The RME ADI head out with hd800s for example is far less impressive over something like a schiit Asgard or other amplifiers I’ve tried. It sounds a bit lean, with somewhat crystalline treble. It can go very very loud, so power is not the issue there - there is enough of it, but it’s a matter of something else that I can only speculate - feedback circuits with plenty of op amps can create this kind of non musical slightly lean/clinical sound.

 

[dougq]

The RME ADI head out with hd800s for example is far less impressive over something like a schiit Asgard or other amplifiers I’ve tried. It sounds a bit lean, with somewhat crystalline treble. It can go very very loud, so power is not the issue there - there is enough of it, but it’s a matter of something else that I can only speculate - feedback circuits with plenty of op amps can create this kind of non musical slightly lean/clinical sound.

Huh? I can make it sound non lean by adding eq. More power is not going to make it sound different. I've compared the 2 directly and they were sonically close out put (why i ended up selling the asgard). Technically speaking the asgard was less performant due to slight channel imbalance and additional distortion.

If you want more warmth with these dac / amps, you can add it to the frequency response on demand. My HD800s sounded nowhere close to lean on either the RME or Element due to the ability to make it sound exactly how I prefer it.

 

[emilsoft]

Huh? I can make it sound non lean by adding eq. More power is not going to make it sound different. I've compared the 2 directly and they were sonically close out put (why i ended up selling the asgard). Technically speaking the asgard was less performant due to slight channel imbalance and additional distortion.

If you want more warmth with these dac / amps, you can add it to the frequency response on demand. My HD800s sounded nowhere close to lean on either the RME or Element due to the ability to make it sound exactly how I prefer it.

That’s the thing, eq helps but can’t change the inherent nature of it - it may be a time domain thing, the crystalline sound. the RME sounds like and RME no matter how much eq tweaking is done - imo. This is why we have class A amplification, eq or not it can sound more relaxed and muscular for example.

 

[dougq]

That’s the thing, eq helps but can’t change the inherent nature of it - it may be a time domain thing, the crystalline sound. the RME sounds like and RME no matter how much eq tweaking is done - imo. This is why we have class A amplification, eq or not it can sound more relaxed and muscular for example.

That is how you feel and experience it but it has no technical foundation in reality.

 

[emilsoft]

That is how you feel and experience it but it has no technical foundation in reality.

What technical foundation would that be - all low distortion dacs/amps sound the same? (including class A, discrete?) if you believe the simplistic tests we have nowadays (distortion, sinad and frequency response) are enough to discern then we are being lied to with costly hardware such as Holo Cyan or Schiit Mjolnir 3 - we can all just sell these and buy cheapo well measuring Topping.

Unfortunately this isn’t the case.