so its not worth it if im just gonna use my 660s?
IMO no. I think if you wanted to try something different though, you could pick up a tube amp to try on the 660s
gotcha thnx ! the used element 2 is like 300$sh everywhere and i get this element 1 for 160$ LOL
I kind of want that
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I could see myself having a simple desk with that stack and being perfectly happy too.
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Zeos: “everyone’s talking about the Atom but remember, the EL 2 dac/amp stack is their top of the line”.
Also said he could have chosen any DAC, like the 1000$+ VMV D1, to power all the speakers he reviews, but he chose these JDS Dacs.
Also, huh, are the EL and Element 2 different things? Damn. And I thought Topping E30s Eigital to Analog Converter was weird 
Question to other owners of Element II: does it get hot after like 1 hour playing? It’s not like impossible to touch, specially since the knob is fine. But the sides are pretty toastie, I wonder if it’s like that or there is something wrong with mine.
I have no experience with the EL2 - but my Atoms (DAC & AMP) get pretty warm. I read they get warm, but they are much warmer than I expected. I was sort of counting it up to the Atoms being in a sealed plastic case. I always assumed the metal chassis of the EL2’s would be better.
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I would say warm but definitely not hot. What is annoying though is that the power supply is warm even when the unit is off, which seems to imply it’s drawing power for no good reason. I emailed in and apparently this is normal…
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Also, against conventional wisdom, I turned on my speakers before turning on the Element II and got a loud pop/thump. Isn’t the muting relay supposed to safeguard against this?
Haven’t experienced that, but I will say using the pre-outs of the Element seems noticeable noisier than the line out from my FX audio. Which really gives me pause for a second.
As for temperature, I think that running it at low gain is generating more heat than at high gain. It’s possible the circuit dumps current somewhere else when you lower the gain. This with the fact I live in a very hot country can be the reason I was seeing temperatures a lot higher. And yeah, you’re right about the power supply being warm all the time. It’s really wasteful, JDS labs should think about a way to correct that… Now I’m thinking about a way to turn it off when I’m not using it.
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I’ve resorted to unplugging it when not in use… pretty annoying.
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I was thinking about swapping my Modi 3+/Heresy stack for an Element 2 to clean up my desk a bit and using the Schiit Stack elsewhere. Anyone have any experience with comparing the two sounds wise?
Element sounds slightly more resolving and less harsh on top end. Not the most helpful way to, but it just has a very pleasant and sweet sound when Heresy can sound a bit sterile to me. Basically if u want a neutral amp that sounds good, I strongly recommend the Element II
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Thank you! I like the sound of that!
Does anyone have any experience with JDS Lab B-Stock products?
Yep most of them look perfect.
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Thank you! Going to try out a B-Stock Element 2 in the near future.
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If you have questions definitely reach out to them, their CS is pretty great.
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