Hahahah. LOL!!
Not a fan of the way that looks. Also, not sold on the KTB being better than any other $100 dac well reviewed and decently measuring dac.
Seriously though, the guy did not want to lose RCA ins.
Someone did a “better” job here (making it a DAC-amp essentially – removing the RCA ins):
I admit limited knowledge here. So yes, engineers please comment.
What I can say for sure is there is precious little audible daylight between the Atom and the SP200 when both amps are driving cans they’re comfortable pushing: Comparing the JDS Labs Atom and SMSL SP200 THX AAA 888
But, I also completely understand the drive to hear the difference - or lack thereof - for yourself.
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I think a very underrated feature of the Atom is that it has 2 inputs. It’s super nice to be able to split the DAC output and run one signal direct to the Atom and the other through a tube buffer and then back into the Atom and switch back and forth depending on headphone and music. It’s also great because the Atom’s neutrality allows you to quickly compare 2 DACs to each other. Other ~$100 amps don’t offer this feature. Many much more expensive amps don’t either. My SP200 has two inputs but it also introduces the variable (however small it may be) of one being a balanced in and the other being single ended. Provided you’re not primarily driving a T50 (mod), I think this feature keeps the Atom near the top of the list when cosidering ~$100 amps when the Heresy, LS, etc. are all good options.
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PS3 -> Atom sounds great, by the way. But IMO the highs sound sharp.
Crisp, clear, possible lack of depth, possible lack of sub-bass… still an excellent DAC I would not worry about at all for a CD/DVD/Bluray/Youtube player + powered speakers combo.
I’ve done this with no problem. It is possible to get a ground loop but very unlikely.
Yes, if you split the DAC signal you will have 2 identical signals all the time.
Something I’ve thought of that would be useful for me, is if the color of the light emitting around the atom would change to another color when on high gain. That way when I go to turn the knob I will visually see if it’s on low or high gain as to not accidentally blast the volume.
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Maybe instead of different colors, two intensities; dim for low gain, bright for high gain.
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I was wondering if anyone has used the atom as a pre-amp for a tube or solid state amp?
I’m currently looking at a cavelli hybrid amp (CTH) on massdrop and I was wondering how the connections would work. Do I do something different to the atom to make it act as the pre amp? How high up do I turn the volume knob it and in low or high gain?
The Atom has pretty clearly labeled preamp outputs. Just run a cable from those preamp outputs to the CTH input. As for where you put the volume, anywhere you want really. The gain switch will also determine where you set that. There’s no right answer there though. Put it where it sounds good to you.
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Reminder re pre amp. You have to unplug any headphones first.
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Are you just looking to use the atoms two inputs?
Not exactly. The cavalli cannot be a pre amp for the Atom, but the Atom has pre outs that can be used for something like the cavalli cth. So I was wondering how the volume would work.
I have my pc (source) on 100% volume to get the best out of the amplifier. But am I correct in assuming I can’t do that for the atom if it’s a pre amp for a hybrid tube?
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So do you need the atom to go to powered speakers at all?
I don’t know if there will be a sound quality improvement of going from the atom to the cavelli if thats what you are trying to do?
Are you just trying to have two headphone amp sources? If so you would go computer 100% volume out to the atom and then a pre out to the cavelli. I would say stay on low gain for the atom and volume 50-75 % and then see how that translate to the cavelli. You just have to play it by ear. I would just avoid high gain though to make sure you don’t accident your ears/headphones
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Thanks.
I don’t need the atom for powered speakers, but I’m curious if I should just keep them separate and swap between them when I want to, or if I could get a better sound out of my setup by going PC -> DAC -> Pre-Amp (Atom) -> Cavalli.
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I think you would be better off splitting the signal from your dac to the amps separate. If you where to get a otl tube amp or a tube buffer you could pre that to the atom to get a different sound, especially since the atom has two inputs so you could a/b test
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I went and bought a OL switcher from JDS to flip between both the Atom and Cavalli hybrid whenever I feel like using either one.
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By the way, this thread is called “The Prestigious” JDS Atom, but, yeah, as Zeos said in his recent review… “everyone’s talking about the Atom but remember, the EL 2 dac/amp stack is their top of the line”.
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Significantly better than the atom stack? I doubt it. Not more than twice the price anyway. The atom amp and dac (as well as the magni heresy and modi 3) set very high bars that won’t be easily beat in sound quality without spending a LOT more money.
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