JDSlabs EL II Stack _(Z Reviews)_

[@ZReviews]

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[@DREDKNOT2063]

to z sorry if i sound the noob but is the Max Continuous Power, 32 Ω 1.3 W (6.53 VRMS) at both hi an low gain or is it less at low an if so what is it ive recently got the m570 cans an i fell that ther are not as loud as id like on low gain at 12:00 on the dial my previous m565 an my ad500x were both satisfying loud at noon on low gain maybe they got enough power on low an the m570 are not i dont like how any of my cans sound on high so would this new jds do me better on low gain then my current one or should i spend a little more an get the DROP + THX AAA™ 789 LINEAR AMPLIFIER

[@ChigbunduO]

It’s really been JDS Labs customer service that has been the main selling point for me.

[@JSym92]

I don't care if you're overhyping these or not, no DAC/Amp manufacturer deserves such praise more than JDS Labs. Great people, great products, great prices.

[@epicmike3915]

Agreed. Even with the pandemic they delivered the element 2 to me fast. Both Mayflower and Schiit have given me terrible experiences. For now on I'm only buying JDS products.

[@grandmasteraj855]

When so many people say things like this it just makes me want to buy stuff from them.

[@JSym92]

​@@grandmasteraj855 It's because they don't sell any false promises, and they're fully transparent about their development process. They are serious about what we as headphone enthusiasts need, but also what we don't or shouldn't need. Look at the Element line for example. There is a high demand for balanced audio nowadays, but JDS Labs chooses to focus on optimizing single-ended operation to where balanced circuitry doesn't improve anything we'd truly benefit from. Instead of that, they invest in optimizing ergonomics, usability (simplicity), build quality and aesthetics. And if you just want good sound and can live without those non-essentials, meet the Atom! Furthermore, technical issues with their products are rare, but when they do occur their technical support has the ability to make you thankful for having an issue. Because that's when you'll experience their royalty treatment. They take it personal if a product of theirs isn't working as intended, and prioritize on finding and fixing the problem instead of fishing for reasons why it's not their product malfunctioning. And that royal treatment doesn't end when your warranty ends, they'll still do what they can to help you out. For easy/cheap repairs they won't even charge anything aside from just the shipping costs. Yeah, guess I'm kind of a fanboy. :)

[@HtS643KyS6555GxQ3edA]

JDS Labs delivered the Atom Amp to me fast.

[@ramencurry6672]

I don’t have the DAC but it should be a premium quality unit. It may be primitive because of no digital screen or no remote control, etc….but sound quality should be on the top tier list.

[@TheDodgefan9]

I wonder how the DAC compares to the new Schiit Modius. The Modius is balanced along with the solid unison usb implementation for $100 less.

[@ZensōMusic]

They both measure transparent and sound identical to me. With its machined case, the build of the JDS is much nicer. The Modius build is a little flimsy, not as beefy as the Asgard and the higher priced Schiit DACs and amps. Also, the Modius uses a micro-USB port which is not my preference. Of course, the Modius has the advantage of being balanced if you happen to have a balanced amp.

[@TheDodgefan9]

@@ZensōMusic I've never actually had a problem with any of my micro-USB devices, but people must from the complaints I've seen. USB-C would be nice though.

[@TheChadXperience909]

There's Zeos's long thick knob. Just like he said. And... That's why he prefers this system. That knob, right there.

[@Cryptoman_5000]

Today's review is Z's version of "Dazed and confused"...lol. Do us all a favor and start testing every DAC/Amp combo with your baby BD 880 600 ohm. Save us the time to buying stuff only to find out they suck trying to push them. Go to "Extreme Z" mode for us. Really not that hard just grab them instead of the custom Z cans.

[@miagi1337]

Yeah this or a dedicated episode of 880 600 Ohm Amp testing please. I'm really interested in making those shine and actual maybe even more the MMX 300 600 Ohm version.

[@stubskututstuy]

Please review the Asgard 3. I would like to know your thoughts on that amp paired with DT880 600ohm and the HD600s.

[@jharismaiden]

I second this, am thinking of buying this and would love to see what Zeos thinks of it

[@pronewbofficial]

There are so many good headphone amps at this price range, and I'm curious how he thinks the A3 fits in, too.

[@rainy724]

The JDS Labs Atom has the same "high gain sounds better than low gain on anything I plug in" thing in my experience. Not a problem at all, just something to be aware of. If you have a JDS Labs product and you're running it on low gain, try high gain if you haven't yet.

[@ZensōMusic]

JDS Labs makes the best schiit.

[@siddharthgarg1]

Came here coz I thought something was wrong with my El Amp 2 - everything sounded better on high gain. Was it my ears? Placebo? Then Z said the same thing!! I can rest easy now. Also, I will never doubt what this man says, ever.

[@Sigillum88]

0:30 Got the note spot on xD

[@p4th0g3n]

"Wow.. look at how many Waifu's there are!" lmao

[@mehutolkki3232]

So how does this differ from the EL1 stack

[@ZReviews]

Every little thing is better and more powerful. Its an across the board improvement. Which I didn't think was possible but 2020 is a wild year.

[@AliArghavan]

+relay muting

[@ouroborosrecords]

"I picked her up and she sounded like a balloon" - Zeos, July 2020

[@melomaniacspodcast1105]

Real Genius may just well be Val Kilmer’s finest role. It is also one of the greatest 80’s movies hands down.

[@thewheelchairone]

Does this stack sound better than the Element 2?

[@giladkingsley]

Same according to DMS

[@knorki5268]

I'm currently using a SP200 + Modi 3 for my DT 1990 Pros, the EL II Stack seems like a serious contender

[@SKY11211213]

When audio reviewers have their -gasms then they can also change subjects easily same with nostalgia for video games

[@WakeUpB2P]

Hi Zeos, is there a noticiable difference in sound quality between the stack & the element 2 ? Did they sound exactly the same or not ? Amazing review as always btw :)

[@AliArghavan]

Twitch.tv/LEROIFRELO they are exactly the same for 95% of headphones. For very sensitive iems the stack has less (zero) noise.

[@kcmichaelm]

10:15 the comment about it sounding better on High Gain is the exact same as Schitt Hel. There’s some effect to the sound signature that is just plain better. Typically better bass at a similar volume.

[@davidhayterrrr]

I have the original el dac is the el dac 2 worth the upgrade? I'm thinking of getting the el amp 2 with my el dac

[@ZReviews]

If you only did one the Amp is the one. The dac is also improved but you already are 96% of the way there.

[@davidhayterrrr]

@@ZReviews thank you so much, I'm getting the amp in a couple of days can't wait!

[@michael.g8336]

Hi Zeos, quick question. How would you say this EL II stack compares to one of the "Sub 200$ Amps" with a good dac? Would really be interesting to know.

[@swifty__5769]

Hey Z I love your videos man and they way you present them!! There are so few reviewers covering headphones, amps and dacs like you! I currently use a Naim headline (via Aune x8) and really want to hear your thoughts on how the new headamps stack up to some of the older more traditional hifi ones? - Naim Naha, Graham slee solo et

[@berkarslan]

Great video, subbed! How would they compare to THX AAA 789 & SMSL SU-8 combo though? I'm between these 2 options. My headphone is DT 1990 and I'll mostly use it for gaming (enjoying both casual immersive FPS games and also competitive ones). I also listen to music sometimes though.

[@ericov.o.2399]

Do you plan on getting a pair of Zu's or Omegas?

[@jrossmanjr35]

Real Genius is my favorite movie... it is just about the closest thing to what my college experience was like.

[@ZReviews]

God I wish my experience was that. Where did you go!

[@jrossmanjr35]

@Z Reviews Went to Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach. Graduated. Aerospace Engineering with a focus in Astronautics. Crazy times learning engineering, physics, math. Worked on an interesting project for NASA once. I'd blow off steam by attaching model rocket engines to styrofoam airplanes and lighting them off behind the baseball fields with friends amongst other things... Pics from 2006/2007 - imgur.com/a/KvQWejW

[@OfficialRageGraphics]

What pads are you using on the 900st great video

[@mattderlly7471]

What are the advantages of going with the stack over the element?

[@ZensōMusic]

matt Derlly More inputs on the DAC. The Element is USB only.

[@MrMeoow91]

Are you saying that my Fostex HP-A8 and Woo Audio WA6 are obsolete??? I spent almost $1800 about 8 years ago...

[@danschor7857]

Real Genius is amazing. That is all.

[@fabiokelm]

@@urretard5934 Patreon/Substar privilege, you get to see the reviews early!

[@CRaschNET]

What song from Real Genius were you listening to?

[@Sebastian_Athea]

Just a bit about jitter; first it's no longer a thing, it was caused by combination of two things, dacs that work in clock recovery mode (virtually all modern dacs use some sort of clock regeneration aka they generate their own clock and remap (retime) the signal to it) and poor optical cables with very high internal reflections. if your dac runs in supersampling or clock regeneration mode it won't care if your shit 35 year old optical cable produces jitter, also if you use modern tos cable it won't produce any jitter so it's a mute point. Jitter doesn't result in time domain error, but data error, if you play 5khz tone thru system that suffers from jitter it will constantly move from 4.9khz to 5.1khz and sound like a siren instead of tone.

[@lotechgreg]

Soon as Gino uses his knowledge to just DOMINATE the USB interface, W/Balanced out, ... I'M SOOOOO THERE..... 'cause they're now GENUINLY looking at the spec's.... If I buy a DAC before they produce this, at this time it would probably be the new Modius,.... and, ... Yes, ... I Am WAITING for your review....... Just my THOUGHTS.......

[@draakgame]

Is 2 Dacs better than one when running speakers? Like what's the benefits of running 2 Dacs, one for each channel I assume? I'm just curious how you set that up. I'm looking to step up my speaker game for my desk top set up. I was thinking about edifier s360db, an el dac 2. I'm assuming a second dac wouldn't do me much in this situation. Would you only recommend doing it if you have 2 sub woofers? Because I have concidered doing that too.

[@vladrogonja2012]

Better separation, but done wrong ads more distortion. If done well... you get better imaging and clean focused separatio. Done wrong.... more noise and grain sounding signal. Good Companies can acomplish this with singel Dac's system. If those Companies acomplish it with dual Dac's.... outstanding sound. It is not important to have dual Dac Devices but well made one's (singel dac's).

[@qorkado5007]

Do I spy Beyerdynamic headphones on your wall?

[@jasperrost78]

If you are here now. You should have access to that video.

[@qorkado5007]

@@jasperrost78 Ah right. The 600 ohms that require the power of the sun. 😅

[@griffinnb]

HAHAHAHA THE "FEW" HEADPHONES! 😓 Me broke, Zeospai....

[@BogdanKhmelnitsky-r3m]

Banzay potz!)

[@aceofspades6667]

I heart this review.

[@divadgnol67]

Thanks for the PSA

[@spud1300]

Is this stack best with Dynamic headphones? Did you try any planar magnetic ones?? Audeze???

[@jimstewart2242]

Really like how the video starts with you smacking yourself with the Sony's. What model is the Sanskrit Bluetooth dac?

[@leninpotter27]

What would be the best DAC/Amp for the ATH-AD2000X for serious gaming/footsteps detection? I'd appreciate your guidance.

[@chemicallust77]

I'm sad I can't find a Control Freak knob...really wanting one

[@rickhayes]

Real Genius......Best movie EVAAAAR!!

[@melomaniacspodcast1105]

Yassss

[@Likwidl]

Hey Zeos, do you think maybe you can blow up a low impedance headphone like the m50x by driving it too hard with an amp on hi gain? Would be a nice experiment to try to blow up a headphone with an amp.

[@stubskututstuy]

Clicked like when he said, “..a few headphones that I have...”

[@davejohnson2702]

i think you should test all of your new amps with the dt880 600ohms.... Because thats all i can listen to now. everything else feels subpar or not worth 1500 dollars to compete

[@digitaldanload]

I expect the answer is no, but could this power the dt880 600ohm version properly?

[@mikeythanos]

Alrighty guys need some help. Im getting the Schiit Valhalla 2 amp with aftermarket tubes and thinking about getting the dt990 pros. Would it be a good match? I cant get the sennheiser hd6xx out of stock and the akg k7xx. I dont know any other headphone that would work great with the amp. Any help would be awesome

[@milo4414]

is there a link for the laptop wallpaper?

[@x-ray3431]

36:21 Your cat is hungry Z.

[@CoolCam55]

Is this a worthy upgrade over the JDS Labs o2/ODAC combo for DT1990s?

[@giladkingsley]

Yup, but the element 2 sounds identical to that too

[@CoolCam55]

@@giladkingsley So if it sounds the same then I shouldn't upgrade right? Or are you saying its just a similar sound signature?

[@turbomustang84]

I remember when JDS Labs made CMOY that's it . Zeos is a Rookie

[@rebelzfire]

I remember being building one on someone's recommendation from /g/ seems like a lifetime ago.

[@turbomustang84]

@@rebelzfire I had a Drawer full of CMOYs that I built and two from JDS Labs but finally gave the last one away in January . Headphones are mostly made of Technology that's been around for ever but Headphone Amplifiers have come a long way in the last 6 years .

[@awsan111]

Z please do you know where can a human get one of those 16vac adapters instead of the official site?

[@m4nc1n1]

I have the same issue with my Magni Heresy. Always high even on IEMs...it is just punchier

[@gurugamer8632]

Best amp / dac for gamers?

[@Armero1982]

I want to buy a dac/amp for my sennheiser hd660 to play in fps games like warzone, what should i buy?

[@philrob4468]

I have the akg k7xx and just ordered some hd660's and I might be ordering this stack setup... i have the o2dac/amp right now with those akg so hoping it will be s big improvement

[@redstang5150]

Dual DACs does not make it balanced because to be balanced you need the 3 pole XLR cable to deliver a differential signal. That is balanced. Headphones and speakers are not balanced, that's a misnomer, but that ship of confusion has sailed. What you do sort of have though, is monoblock DACs and amps. However, like Z said, that has more potential for harm that good, however unlikely it would ever be to actually hear any difference.

[@Sandman121]

would you buy this over SMSL SP200 if you didnt care about the looks?

[@mtcounts]

I’m wondering the same

[@weetjewatikwil1]

I have the fiio k5 pro wil there be a difrent when i have the ellement 2 jds?

[@Onkelz-_-TheGerman]

I wanted to buy theire Stuff but I have to pay at least 150€ for tax and Shipping for the Stack. So Note ne when they sell in Germany.

[@ElvenSpellmaker]

This is my problem being in the UK, it seems all DAC, Amps, and Drop merchandise are in the US which means crazy import fees. X_X I'm soooo lucky to have won a pair of DT177X GO from UK ebay.

[@Skyggnast]

They sell it on Amazon in Germany

[@scottbailey5142]

Will this EL2 DAC 100% connect and be recognized by a PS4 PRO ? I have experienced another well reviewed amp/dac that would not be recognized by the PS4 PRO.

[@GucciGamerTV]

I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t run Optical cable from the PS4 to the DAC

[@MrPhins]

3 minutes in the combo goes on the arm of the chair. "No no no...don't do it." I spend the next 37 minutes with an ulcer.

[@matteobregante5656]

Aestetically super pleasing and really well build, measuring super nice..... but really, please, upgrade to balance JDS...

[@EverythingisFire]

So tempted to go Element 2. I think I'll do the Atom stack & wait(hope) the Element III adds balance for a bit more or same price of the II.

[@Rose_Jethwa]

You need to try the Sony MDR-100aap headphones

[@kenabi]

you ever see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you? no? hmmm.

[@popops3]

could someone tell me the best amp(only amp) i can get for like 280-300.I cant get schiiit where i live. I got a dt1990 and hd58x

[@DREDKNOT2063]

sorry if i sound the noob but is the Max Continuous Power, 32 Ω 1.3 W (6.53 VRMS) at both hi an low gain or is it less at low an if so what is it ive recently got the m570 cans an i fell that ther are not as loud as id like on low gain at 12:00 on the dial my previous m565 an my ad500x were both satisfying loud at noon on low gain maybe they got enough power on low an the m570 are not i dont like how any of my cans sound on high so would this new jds do me better on low gain then my current one or should i spend a little more an get the DROP + THX AAA™ 789 LINEAR AMPLIFIER

[@Tacet137]

Or you know, adjust the volue to be higher

[@prabinpaudel5572]

Do the L3 review already.. 😁

[@jazzabana]

Anybody who had the chance to compare this stack with Khadas tone 2 pro, could I get some opinions on how they compare?

[@larryeckerdt9750]

JDSLabs is good, but give me Modius and Asgard 3 and $150 in my pocket. Or substitute Jotenheim for $50 more than JDS full balanced.

[@BogdanKhmelnitsky-r3m]

Мазерфакер на мазерфакератти!!))

[@beegyahuna3743]

wait I just realized this but is a balanced headphone amp just the headphone equivalent of bi-amping speakers?

[@XmqApT4yPQVCXGwR5Ozn]

🤦

[@eat_ze_bugs]

No. It's dual mono.

[@BunnyslippersEUC]

I got a real knob fetish. 🤤🤤 But I already have too much amplifiers. One for every room, plus 2 Energizers for electrostatic earspeakers.

[@masterxyr]

dude, I love the knobs too. wanna get the 887 but that jds knob though. in the meanwhile, got myself a mackie passive knob....

[@jahsus23]

Chewbacca review!

[@omargarcia1291]

Im looking for wireless PC headphones that arent for gaming and will work well with movies and music. Does such a thing exist? all i see for wireless PC headphones are gaming headphones. If there is a good gaming headset that meets my requirements then id at least like one with a detachable mic. does anybody have experience with wireless headphones on PC?

[@enzotibirica8458]

Could Zeos or anyone that knows shit help me? I would like to know how the EL DAC II compare to the E30.

[@enzotibirica8458]

I would have to import the ELDAC II to brazil which ain't cheap. While the E30 exists in the Aliexpress catalogue, making automatically much cheaper. So I would pay 750R$ for the E30 and 1980R$ for the EL DAC II The stacks would be E30+L30=1600R$ ELDAC II + ELAMP II=5200R$

[@enzotibirica8458]

Maybe E30+SP200=2400 R$ could be a good one

[@marcosvictor4935]

HUman ears can generally detect up to 20000hz! that's 20 grand for you! Musics are not recorded at 44100hz, they are recorded at 44100 samples! Atough we do call them hz but it's different, believe me, it's different! THe thing is a sound wave have 2 positions! One high and another one low! So you can't record sound waves by taking one single measurement for each wave! You need to double the amount of measurements so that you can record both positions of the wave and interpolate what's in-between (The job of a DAC) That's why DACs are different, they're either beter or worse at interpolating what's in between those two measurements! So to say th emusic is in 44100hz is kinda wrong, it's in 2250hz actually! Slightly above what's considered human hearing, just to make sure someone with an exceptional hearing don't lose anything. And most of that is well within what young, healthy humans can hear. Now all that really has absofuckinglutelly nothing to do with the clocks of the devices and their timing. you could have 2 192Khz streams that's off by two entire seconds from one another and lowering their sample rates to 44100hz wouldn't usually make any difference! Unless this difference is because both are running in a single CPU and it is not being able to handle the two streams together, and in that case, lowering the sample rate would lower the stress on the CPU and it might be able to make both sync.

[@vladrogonja2012]

At 16:56 you can see an Android... Robot like.... Creature.... true identity?

[@landocal0]

I think these are a hard sell.

[@SpikerHard]

Please buy a tripod. I can only listen to your reviews, I get sea-sick watching. BARF!

[@adambrown8867]

I'm only buying guns & ammo until I don't need to anymore.

[@melomaniacspodcast1105]

Cool story

[@dlrowreverse793]

lmao

[@azeller09]

nobular A person who's sole task in life is to annoy. sooo, nobular sex is people annoyingly having sex?

[@NorwegianGameFreak]

Two amps. Monoblock headphones.

[@darrencotter8206]

Z is a con. I joined his Patreon specifically to get a question I had. No answer after three days.

[@AldoG10]

Take all your questions to Reddit it’s free and someone is always there to help

[@LucasMarodindepaiva]

I whish I wasn't poor

[@neby_nebs]

jdslabs lol

[@SeanDamonGreene]

Nöbülar Seks

[@enzotibirica8458]

s

[@adrianfoster6845]

This is review - not a load of you talking bollocks. Try a bit harder !!!