[Haris Javed]

did just watch the Zeos review, and now want to buy the dac? lol

 

[darmanastartes]

The amp in The Element is stronger than the DAC, but any measured improvement the El Dac has over The Element is unlikely to be audible imo.
https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...f-jds-the-element-dac-and-headphone-amp.4315/

 

[Seijuro]

If there is minimal to no audible difference between the Element and El Amp+El Dac, I would get the Element which is about $200 cheaper. They use the exact same amp so I wonder how different they could sound?

 

[PacoTaco]

They sound quite different. The EL Dac is quite a bit better than the Element's dac.

 

[chococya96]

Will Element be able to drive HD800s or T1 2nd gen without any problem?

I'm interested in getting either of these headphones which, I'm not sure if I need to "upgrade" my current amp/DAC setup or not.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Will Element be able to drive HD800s or T1 2nd gen without any problem?

I'm interested in getting either of these headphones which, I'm not sure if I need to "upgrade" my current amp/DAC setup or not.

It drives both fine, maybe not the best synergy though

 

[chococya96]

maybe not the best synergy though

Hmm, it looks like people are using tubes for these headphones, especially that produces fairly "warm" sound.

I'm ready to pull the trigger on either HD800s or T1 2nd gen but, at the same time, I don't think I can stretch my budget to get a decent tube amp to replace my Element.

 

[znev777]

Just got an element, love it so far. The second I saw that you can switch between headphones and speakers with the press of a button made me all giddy, incredibly useful for me! The knob is also amazing, best knob 10/10.

But I do have a question, what exactly is the purpose of the gain button? Does it just make the sound louder? I assume it's useful if your headphones just aren't quite adequately powered to the volume you need for listening, does the gain actually provide more power to the cans or does it just artificially boost the volume? I haven't needed to use it, I was just curious

 

[Seijuro]

Double post

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Just got an element, love it so far. The second I saw that you can switch between headphones and speakers with the press of a button made me all giddy, incredibly useful for me! The knob is also amazing, best knob 10/10.

But I do have a question, what exactly is the purpose of the gain button? Does it just make the sound louder? I assume it's useful if your headphones just aren't quite adequately powered to the volume you need for listening, does the gain actually provide more power to the cans or does it just artificially boost the volume? I haven't needed to use it, I was just curious

It purely boosts the signal, it does not provide more power

 

[prymortal]

Will Element be able to drive HD800s or T1 2nd gen without any problem?
I'm interested in getting either of these headphones which, I'm not sure if I need to "upgrade" my current amp/DAC setup or not.

Yes it works with the HD800s

It drives both fine, maybe not the best synergy though

^This
Image for reference but low gain is about 6, high gain is about 2. (Windows audio at 80) on the HD800s for (my) best listening volume.
For the Hd800s, i'd highly recommend high gain for the HD800s. I have found The Element seems to limit soundstage, good microdetails but not great "synergy" all the time.
A lot of songs sound fine....mostly, but theres defintly a sense after a week that there could & should be more! Also not all low quality audio sounds bad, but some that sounds "good enough" on other headphones even the HD650/600 e.t.c. don't always sound fine or even good, But thats the headphones not the device. I say this with certainty since i have tried them & more on the same device.
Absolutely shines with gaming though!

 

[MatthewK]

I'm only using my Element for headphones at present, I'm not using the RCA connections at all; would there be any issues with using a data-only USB cable? Would it cause any damage if it's only receiving power from the AC adapter? What about no power with or without ground?

 

[qsk78]

Hello,
Can anyone compare the Element with ifi audio micro iDSD Black Label sound wise? More similarity or difference is notifiable?
Thank you.

 

[Haris Javed]

Hello,
Can anyone compare the Element with ifi audio micro iDSD Black Label sound wise? More similarity or difference is notifiable?
Thank you.

sure, I can help with it. I have both units.
The highs are sharper on Black label. (this is not a negative or positive, but personal preference) With some headphones the treble on BL can become uncomfortable (e.g. Beyerdynamics DT 990)
The mids are better on the Element. This is very important when vocals are involved.
The Bass is amazing on the BL. This is the biggest difference between the two. Its very tight, and punchy. The Bass on element is relaxed. (not a negative or positive)
The sound on the BL is V - Shaped, and the sound on the Element is extremely neutral.
The Element pairs well with many headphones. (Audeze LCD - X, TH-X00, HD-650, DT990 and many others that I use). The BL can be tricky to pair with many headphones, but with some it is Pure magic (HE-560, HE-1000)

so basically you are comparing neutral vs v - shaped, and in the end it might just come down to the headphone selection you have.
BL is also portable so I use it in office, I use my element at home. Both are use daily, and you cant go wrong with any of them.

Good luck

 

[qsk78]

Thank you for you feedback. I was the owner of the micro idsd BL for 1.5 years and a loved it. Well, I do no find it really V-shaped. May be the Element is midcentric, no?)

And yes, the bass is just awesome on the BL. I switched to the xDSD and miss the level of SQ and resolution of the BL now but I would not come back to the micro due to a specific scenario of usage.

Details retrieval and resolution wise – is the Element somewhere close to the micro or BL is superior?