JDS Labs Element

[sheldaze]

  Thank you so much for this! Kind of a confusing read though I must admit. Couldn't really tell if you liked the sound of the element compared to the other 2 or not. Can't believe The Element has been out for more than a month and there isn't a single review. Kind of irritating to say the least. Thanks again for the comparison! Really appreciate it.

Sorry for the confusion. I loved it

I probably should have cleaned it up, but spent quite a few hours during the listening. That, or I should have picked fewer songs to compare, which would have made the listening time less and allowed more time for a careful, concise writeup.
 

Thanks..honestly I was just looking for the Shiits a bit bright and the element is more neutral or something to that effect..but thats given me a lot to think about, very good write up. Though you did pretty much confirm everything Ive heard about the Magni...its forward and a bit bright..Kinda stinks because I really did want a Magni but it just doesn't seem like it would be a good match with my main headphones, AKG K7XXs. While a bit warm is probably exactly what they need.

What you really sold me on was that Meridian DAC....damn I cant spend 300 bucks on a DAC though. ...seriously you make me wish they made an element without a DAC.
Yeah there definitely doesn't seem to be the hype I would have thought with this, especially since new things tend to get a lot of attention. .

As for the review I gathered that he really likes the sound of the element.

That was very surprising for me too. I always thought the Meridian had a nice sound, but I did not know how nice. I think it was held back during earlier listening by the amplifier section. This is particularly true when run with high impedance headphones such as the HD650.
I've posted to people in other threads that I think the Meridian is great for easy to drive headphones. This confirms it for me

 

[jseaber]

  Can't believe The Element has been out for more than a month and there isn't a single review. Kind of irritating to say the least. Thanks again for the comparison! Really appreciate it.

 
Review units finally ship this week. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[sheldaze]

  Well I said it before, the Element is a nice piece of audio equip.  I found it to be as good as any other equipment I've tried in the price range with just a different flavour. Smooth and linear with power for any headphone. Intimate, laid back sound.  Looks nice on the desk. My recommendations.
 
Probably not worth going from something else that costs as much to it or similar setups such as o2 + odac. Just sell that and upgrade if you're looking to improve on sound.

Your posts definitely contributed to my wanting to try this out.
Thanks!

 

[MLegend]

   
Review units finally ship this week. Thanks for the feedback!

Thank you for the info. Can't wait!

 

[Mihaidmg]

 
The jumpers are right there, on the bottom of the PCB. They are labelled SJ1 and SJ3. Just apply some solder.
 

Oke, thanks for your help and for the picture, will be helpful for others also. 

 

[Instinct]

Can anyone tell me exactly how the rca output works? I seen the post where you will need to turn the volume all the way down to mute the headphone volume but can we make it so that only 1 output is playing at a time? How do we mute the rca out when we have headphones plugged in?

 

[canthearyou]

Can anyone tell me exactly how the rca output works? I seen the post where you will need to turn the volume all the way down to mute the headphone volume but can we make it so that only 1 output is playing at a time? How do we mute the rca out when we have headphones plugged in?

I believe it will auto mute with RCA plugged in.

 

[Instinct]

I believe it will auto mute with RCA plugged in.

Auto mute the headphones? Then why do we need to turn the volume knob to 0?
 
I just want to know this: Can we switch from headphones to RCA out (speakers) without unplugging anything? I'm fine with turning a knob or pushing a button but I don't want to have to unplug my headphones or even worse, have to unplug my RCA out because they are in the back. Yes, these are 1st world problems but I've become accustomed to being able to switch from headphones to rca out(speakers) on the fly by a switch on the Audinst Dac/Amp combo.

 

[neurofone]

I'm putting Element up for sale in the market place in case anyone is interested.   Just a few weeks old.  I'm happy enough with my C5D, and I miss the C5D's bass boost option when I use the Element.

 

[asutt]

Any word on when the early August orders will go out?

 

[jseaber]

  Any word on when the early August orders will go out?

 
All outstanding orders will depart Wednesday (tomorrow) evening.

 

[asutt]

Fantastic! Can't wait.

 

[s0ckpupp3t]

  I'm putting Element up for sale in the market place in case anyone is interested.   Just a few weeks old.  I'm happy enough with my C5D, and I miss the C5D's bass boost option when I use the Element.

Hi neurofone,
 
Any more details on your comparison between the C5D and the Element?
 
I'm in a similar boat in that I have a C5D that I'm very happy with but am tempted by the Element.
 
Thanks!

 

[wim1983]

Anybody know how to remove the foot pads? I guess it's where the screw at? I plan to send to somebody to add in some components in order to utilize the big volume knob to control DAC volume passively, is that even possible?

 

[neurofone]

  Hi neurofone,
 
Any more details on your comparison between the C5D and the Element?
 
I'm in a similar boat in that I have a C5D that I'm very happy with but am tempted by the Element.
 
Thanks!

 
I'd say if you don't need the power that the Element provides, then the C5D is just as good.  In fact, I preferred the C5D with my IEMs because of the nice bass boost option.   If I had harder-to-drive cans, I would definitely go with the Element.