JDS Labs Atom Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by dematted, Dec 10, 2019.

  1. dematted

    dematted Friend

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  2. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    only worthy of a new thread if measurements of SINAD are more tiny than a cockroach penis,
    and sounds just as crappy as an O2.
     
  3. dematted

    dematted Friend

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    So, I've been A/B-ing this amp (not blind) with my Magni 3 on my Focal Elex. Paired with a D10 topping dac. Here are my initial impressions (not so good):

    -Noticeable improvement over the Magni 3 in micro detail and soundstage (particularly depth).
    -'Hollow' and 'lifeless' sounding. It sounds to me as if there is no 'Musicality' to the sound. I'm not particularly sure how to describe this, but it felt like it drew out the worst qualities of my Focal Elex, particularly the slightly metallic timbre. This was particularly evident on a lot of folk and acoustic music. 'Let's be Still' by the Head and the Heart was nigh unlistenable. There's a certain coherence to the overall presentation of the sound in the Magni 3 - I felt like this was lacking in the Atom.
     
  4. dematted

    dematted Friend

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    I agree. I would never choose to listen to these over my Magni 3. But I thought I'd start a thread to see if there were different opinions.
     

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