New DAC Is Amazing

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Rattlin' Bones, Sep 17, 2021.

  1. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Really. I guess I have been living in streaming mid-fi world. I got a new JDS EL DAC II and have been streaming pure musical pleasure. Parasound 2125v2 power amp and Parasound 200 pre. Wharfedale Linton speakers.

    I don't see a lot of buzz around JDS products. I'm loving their DAC.

    Tonite it's Tidal playlist of most of older Lee Morgan albums. Wow. I've been missing a lot in the digital world. My CD's too they sound better, but honestly Tidal is sounding better than my CD's. I'm using a Cambridge CXC transport.
     
  2. vconsumer

    vconsumer Unapologetically 70s

    Location:
    Minnesota
    What have you compared the JDS with? Just curious.
     
    Influxor and mikeyt like this.
  3. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Me too...I have two OPPOs (a 103 and a 203) which would probably benefit greatly from the accessory.
     
    joelee likes this.
  4. Ingenieur

    Ingenieur Just a dog looking for a home...

    Location:
    Back in PA
    It's nice when things work out better than expected.
    Enjoy
     
    izeek likes this.
  5. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    Sorry to get out of the topic a bit. I was wondering if tidal has the brand new album of Tears for Fears live in Massey Hall. If it is, I'm gonna sign in tonight.
     
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  6. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    What's tears for Fears? Sorry I only listen to jazz and classical. Is it some bubble gum novelty 80's MTV pop act?

     
    Bingo Bongo likes this.
  7. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Cambridge DacMagic. Schitt. Internal DACs on PS200pre and Cambridge 80.

     
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  8. bloodlemons

    bloodlemons Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grit City, USA
    It does not appear to be on Tidal yet.

    https://tidal.com/browse/artist/3824
     
    Can Utility likes this.
  9. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    Okay great. So I can browse if the album is there if that's correct?
    That's the one I'm looking for the june 2021 release of the 1985 concert. They fdont have it on qobuz and spotify yet. I wanna hear the album.
    Thanks..

    [​IMG]
     
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  10. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    Were you there?
     
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  11. ATSMUSIC

    ATSMUSIC Senior Member

    Location:
    MD, USA
  12. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Nice review. "You can play up to 120 dBSPL and still not hear a noise from this DAC. JDS Labs EL DAC II shows clean performance across the board." But not sure they meant about the high price. It was fairly inexpensive.


     
  13. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    LoL... No I wasn't there.
    But been there now if you catch my drift. I don't think they have it on the list yet.
    I hate to just buy an album today from flipper$. They just totally jacked up the entire vinyl market.:help:
     
    timind likes this.
  14. Art K

    Art K Retired but not tired!

    Location:
    Corvallis, Oregon
    Congrats on the DAC. A good DAC makes so much difference.
     
  15. George Blair

    George Blair Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I’d like to see more about this DAC. Anyone else have one?
     
  16. WDeranged

    WDeranged Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    So this black background thing. I've not heard a gnats whisker of noise from any digital system going back to 1989.

    What are we talking about?
     
  17. Drew769

    Drew769 Buyer of s*** I never knew I lacked

    Location:
    NJ
    A couple of the tracks from this live set are included in the Songs From The Big Chair Super Deluxe version. You can get a taste of it there.
     
    timind likes this.
  18. daglesj

    daglesj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    I owe you a pint!
     
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  19. Digital-G

    Digital-G Senior Member

    Location:
    Dayton, OH
    I'm sure they probably mean the noise floor. I've been using the dac built into my old Oppo 95 and recently added a Topping E30. The major thing I noticed was the noise floor dropped - the background was even quieter. I didn't even realize I was hearing the noise until it was gone.
     
    unclefred likes this.
  20. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    An amp I just returned to dealer - a Rogue Sphinx - had an audible noise floor. A Paraound power and pre amp now running don't have any audible noise floor until I use the internal phono pre. Then I hear it at about 60% volume. But lower gain phono pre built into my Technics 1500C TT I hear no noise floor. As Digital-G observed, DACS are not exempt from audible noise floors, either.
     
  21. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    I think a dark background is also useful to understand how refined and clear instruments and their harmonics, decays, and reverbs are relative from one thing to another. My Zen Stream improved these qualities over renderers I thought were more than "good enough." Part of it is "noise" but also, it's how those details pop out and reveal themselves against the "background" that, to me, makes for a "blacker background." It's like a better contrast ratio or black level, but for hearing.

    And FWIW, in a louder common area of a house, this kinda stuff is much harder to pick out. Being in a quiet, isolated "stereo cellar" makes it easier, lol
     
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  22. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Right. In my basement listening area which is very isolated and quiet, the only external discernible noise is when AC or heat are running. When it goes off it is dead silent, and then you can hear floor noise. Where floor noise skews my listening is with snare drum and cymbals and also high frequency instruments that kinda do a Vulcan meld with the floor noise lol.

     
  23. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    Plummeting prices and more or less flawless performance in hi-fi DACs have left me in a state of extreme skepticism about what you get now for throwing audiophile bucks at these components, and ultraskeptical about subjective reviews purporting to hear amazing system-transforming additive coloration that dramatically improves sound quality, versus doing the euphonics-free, honest-broker job of converting digital to analog with transparent fidelity and no distortion.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2021
  24. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    That's another reason to like this DAC: $299. And they include cables. Well below "audiophile" bucks.

     
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  25. jeffmackwood

    jeffmackwood Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ottawa
    That version is available on Spotify and there's six (6) Massey Hall tracks on it: Mothers Talk, Broken / Head Over Heels, Memories Fade, The Working Hour, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and Shout. Not a bad selection from the thirteen tracks available on the stand-alone Massey Hall album.

    Jeff
     
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