Tag Archives: Atom

JDS Labs Brand Story

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This is the JDS Labs Brand Story, they are known for creating objectively neutral headphone amps that don’t cost a fortune, with humble beginnings they have gone from strength to strength over the last 15 years.

John Seaber founded JDS Labs in 2007 in his college bedroom, disappointed in lack of power from his iPod, and the mediocre bass response from his headphones, he hacked Chu Moy’s open source (cMoy) portable headphone amp design and added a bass boost circuit. He started building these and selling them on eBay as the cMoyBB – this was the birth of JDS Labs as we know it. John now holds a BSEE from Missouri S&T and is still the lead electronics engineer on all JDS Labs designs, he works with a team of talented developers and fellow audio enthusiasts.

Fully built cMoy BB:

JDS Labs designed a few portable amps in the early years, the C421 was an excellent portable amp that was well received within the community, later they released the C5 and C5D which included an internal DAC too. All of these were slim portable amps at a time where using a source with an amp strapped to it was all the rage (the golden years of portable audio if you wish).

JDS Labs C421 – came with either AD8620 or OPA2227 op-amps installed for different sound signatures:

In 2011 “NwAvGuy” created the design of the Objective2 Headphone amplifier – there was however growing dissonance between this blogger and the HiFi community. JDS Labs decided however to fully support the Objective2 amplifier and helped secure its position as the face of the objective movement. This gamble paid off, JDS Labs tripled in size within a year due to the popularity of the Objective2 and ODAC models, moving out of a basement and in to a much larger office space. In just a year, JDS Labs moved again to a larger space and set up CNC machining facilities to help keep up with the growing demand for their products.

Fast forward and JDS Labs have cemented themselves as a top player in the Headphone amplifier and DAC market – releasing the Element line that is gorgeous to look at, measures well and is a pleasure to use, along with their Atom line which are more basic in terms of looks, but still provide that JDS Labs signature sound that is neutral and linear. The Atom Amp for example quickly became the go-to headphone amp recommendation at it’s price point, offering up leading benchmark performance for an affordable price.

JDS Labs Atom Amp+:

JDS Labs Atom Amp+

In 2020 COVID19 hit – and it hit hard – JDS Labs had to battle with supply chain issues which delayed the release of the Atom DAC. They invested deeper in to robotic automation too, which helped keep up with the manufacturing side of things as the company continued to grow – new CNC machinery helped triple their manufacturing productivity. To top all this off there was a fire at the AKM factory – the supplier of DAC chips used in JDS Labs products. This led to JDS Labs acquiring an Audio Precision ApX555 audio analyzer that has allowed them to redesign their digital products in record time.

JDS Labs are an innovative company, they have an excellent team behind them along with a solid product lineup – they are also known to have some of the best customer support in the industry. All their products are engineered, machined and assembled at their facilities in Collinsville, IL, USA.

Full history: https://jdslabs.com/true-performance

The LDS Labs lineup currently consists of:

Atom Amp+ Headphone Amplifier

Atom DAC+ Optical and USB DAC

EL Amp II+ Headphone Amplifier

EL DAC II+ Optical, Coaxial and USB DAC

JDS Labs Element III Headphone Amplifier with built in DAC

JDS Labs Atom Review

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Review: The JDS Labs Atom

 

Aesthetics and Build Quality:

The Atom is sort of built to be the new Objective2, and it sure looks better from an aesthetic point of view. The Atom is very simplistic, yet the curved edges make it look quite premium for the price. The overall finish and attention to detail is excellent, and it looks really neat sat on a desk.

 

The build quality is really good, it may not have a nice CNC machined chassis but everything is well finished and put together. The push buttons, volume control, inputs and outputs all feel great. I have no complaints about the build quality whatsoever.

 

 

 

Features:

The Atom incorporates everything the Objective2 should have had. Rear power socket and RCA inputs, front gain and input switch along with a ¼” headphone output. On the back you have both RCA and 3.5mm inputs, along with RCA outputs so you can use the Atom as a pre-amp when you don’t have headphones plugged in.

 

 

 

Sound:

As I have said the Atom was conceived as the next generation Objective2, so is it worthy of that title? In short, Yes, it is.

 

First off, we have the fact that the Atom is more powerful, nearly twice as powerful at 32 Ohms, so it can drive a wider range of headphones. But with this could come more noise, luckily the Atom shares the same black background and pure reference sound of the Objective2. The output impedance remains less than 1Ohm, so there are no issues using sensitive IEM’s with the Atom.

 

It is really difficult to describe the Atom, as it really doesn’t anything apart from amplify the sound. It doesn’t add its own character, and this is what JDS Labs were aiming for. Feed it with a good source and you have an excellent system on a budget. Either the EL or OL DAC would be the perfect partner for the Atom.

 

Lets just face the fact that the Atom does a lot right for the price, and I personally cannot pick any flaws in the design or sound of this little amp. I do not think anything comes close if you are looking for a neutral, uncoloured headphone amp under £200.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

The Atom sets a new standard when it comes to budget headphone amps, it has a clean and reference sound, with plenty of power on tap, it does justice to most headphones. All neatly wrapped up in a well-thought-out chassis, the Atom really is hard to beat.