Well, I mean the sigma delta ones yes, once you get into the r2r/multibit/fpga stuff it changes. Also the quality of components for the output stage typically increases along with power supply quality, which also adds cost. But I’m not going to deny the markup on audio products lol
It’s not even true in the Sigma Delta ones in the highend where you see differing output sections, and they play with the digital filters.
That’s the majority of the high end ones though lol
Didn’t say they were the best value lol
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They still don’t all sound the same.
Alright, he did though so I thought you were agreeing with him. Nevermind then.
I mean, you have to like music, and listen to music, and like all the little details in the music, to hear the difference between DACs. Also, my motherboard DAC sounds thin, my old smartphone DAC is a bit better (apparently 24/192 too), my PS3 DAC sounds ok, my AVR DAC sounds great, I got a JDS Atom amp too, but when I’m out with my smartphone and plug my IEMs straight in I never say “this sounds like shit”.
Some people just don’t differenciate, or even feel the need to differenciate, between “I can enjoy music without needing endgame stuff” and “everything sounds the same”.
That was a nice way of saying that some people need to have their hearing checked, lol. I’m joking and not making any insinuations towards anybody BTW.
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The three diffrences you mentioned to me worth 30% not 3% …
After all hifi is about noisless HQ sound and presenese of harsh highes or bloated bass means alot …
So im using my atom with blon b20 and the harsh trebile is annoying me to the point i prefered my phone to drive them… course of detailed HP when paired with entry level equipment.
The b20s have a pretty pronounced v shape. What phone do you use? Hows the bass/low end compared to your phone And atom? And what dac to you have with the atom?
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i have Khadas tone board as a dac paired with Atom…
And the harshness of trebile along with S hotness in some songs is so annoying … i used them with galaxy s10 near full volume but dynamic range is so diminished plus the sub bass is weak still more bearable from atom … im planning buying fiio q5s with balanced cables for them since i like the wormth and the smoothed akm dacs trebile.
Yes, the Atom and THX amps, especially when matched with an ESS-based DAC like the tone board can get quite sibilant. In my own audio journey I’ve discovered that I don’t like the effect that most op-amp-based headphone amplifiers have on the treble. To me it sounds brittle, harsh, and sibilant. AKM-based dacs are smoother, but IMO the biggest help comes in pairing a ESS dac with a warmer sounding amp. I have an SU-8 (ESS-based) and it sounds much better paired with a Liquid Spark, Asgard 3, or Darkvoice than it did with either the Atom or SP200.
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With what @WaveTheory has said you may be better off with a different amp, but maybe consider a different headphone as well? Something more neutral perhaps? Since blon20 has a v shape. @WaveTheory what do you think?
Headphones will almost always make the biggest sonic difference. If you get headphones you like, though, then you should get amps and dacs that complement them well. My personal issue with the Atom/THX is that even if a headphone (6XX is a good example) tames the quantity of treble, it doesn’t address that issue of treble quality. The harshness and brittleness is still there, IMO.
@Ahmed_S.Albadrawi, do you like your B20?
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Yea i could tell as well going fron the atom to a3.
I knew my Atom sounded bright. F 
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Yeah, it took me awhile to figure that out too. When I first got my Atom I LOVED it. The clean, powerful sound was different and a definite improvement over everything I had heard before. In time and through playing with more gear though, I started to hear its shortcomings. It’s still a fine product, and a real bargain at $99. Some people, very understandably, really like its sound. I’m just no longer one of them.
I mean, it’s hard to say what “truth” is, i.e.: What DAC/amp/recordings are the most “natural” sounding unless you were there in the studio lol. Definitely not a bad product anyway. Atom sounds bright AF if you pair it to some DACs but now my Atom amp is paired to my recording interface and its integrated headphone amp lacked a bit of treble (and power). 
In short, more and more I think “no one’s doing anything wrong per se, it’s all about pairings”.
Like, was something horribly wrong with my recording interface DAC, or was it just “perfect”, just waiting to be paired with the JDS Atom’s “perfection” ?
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Hmm… paired with the Atom Dac, I don’t find it bright at all. Maybe I’m not sensitive enough.
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I haven’t heard the Atom dac. Is it AKM base? If so, that might temper the Atom amp a bit. Also, it does seem there’s quite a variation between people on treble tolerance/sensitivity. I’m actually jealous of those who have high treble tolerance. Seems to open a lot more listening doors that way.
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It sounded bright with my PS3’s DAC (yes… using the red-white-yellow wire we all forget now as the RCA out), and with my Tube-03. Sounds ok with my old recording interface (Cirrus chipset?). Atom DAC uses AKM chipsets, these are known to sound… well, just not “sibilant” like some “ESS” chipsets (again, when paired with some specific amps).
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According to couple hunderd revewis i saw and read on internet …
I see that akm dacs though more expensive and little on warm side
But paired well with neutral and
Analytical amps and HPs.
Ess dacs better paired with warm
Amps or HPs .
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