Easy to drive headphones

[rids57]

The guy behind Audio Science Forums is extremely biased against Schiit by the way - some of his measurements have been debunked. So unless you've personally tried listening to your stack and a Schiit stack side by side I wouldn't be so eager to jump on the hype train.

 

[Rvectors]

Thanks aoaaron, I'm liking that JDS Atom, then just add in a DAC of choice.

 

[aoaaron]

The guy behind Audio Science Forums is extremely biased against Schiit by the way - some of his measurements have been debunked. So unless you've personally tried listening to your stack and a Schiit stack side by side I wouldn't be so eager to jump on the hype train.

Okay lets ignore the one source on the internet which seems to actually measure the performance of audio devices and discredit all his hard work instead...



I've also based it on countless reddit reviews comparing the two. Every single one of them says the atom is superior.

In the audiophile world, the JDS Atom really does seem to have been groundbreaking in potentially changing the pricing now of the entry level amps. I don't see how its really eagerness to jump on a hype train as opposed to just paying credit to a well priced, affordable, high performing, low noise floor, low noise distortion amp.

Pretty much the only thing I'd buy the schiit stack for is the fact its metal. Even ergonomically, the switches being on the back are weird.

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/abgbta/magni_3_or_jds_atom_advice/
https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneA...pa_100_amp_schiit_magni_vs_jds_labs_atom_amp/
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/a4jxt0/just_got_my_atom_yes_its_better_than_my_magni_2/
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/9zfz7d/jds_labs_atom_amp_impressions/

 

[leemk]

Pretty much the only thing I'd buy the schiit stack for is the fact its metal. Even ergonomically, the switches being on the back are weird.

This was the only reason i got rid of mine , build was utilitarian which i like but on off and gain switch on the back was annoying as i stuff my amp and dac under my monitor.

 

[rids57]

In the audiophile world, the JDS Atom really does seem to have been groundbreaking in potentially changing the pricing now of the entry level amps.

Schiit and JDS Labs have been selling at that price point for years, how does yet another £100 amp make it groundbreaking?
I am not saying that the Atom isn't a very good amp, it is, I'm just not jumping on the hype train - as a valid competitor to the Magni 3 and Vali 2, then I agree but when it comes to statements like "Its probably the best stack under <£200 for inputs, sound quality, distorsion and amplification [agreed with by audio science forums measurements]." then my hype train alarms start going off.

There are rumours that the ASF guy is none other than NwAvGuy, the designer of the O2, which would make sense, as he had a huge argument with Jason Stoddard of Schiit on Head-Fi, that got him banned for life and lost him a boat load of credibility - so if that is true then it's no surprise he's biased against Schiit.

As for the ASF measurements, Marv at SuperBestAudioFriends did measurements of his own and they were nowhere near those of ASF - I think they included the Topping D30 too.

 

[aoaaron]

Schiit and JDS Labs have been selling at that price point for years, how does yet another £100 amp make it groundbreaking?
I am not saying that the Atom isn't a very good amp, it is, I'm just not jumping on the hype train - as a valid competitor to the Magni 3 and Vali 2, then I agree but when it comes to statements like "Its probably the best stack under <£200 for inputs, sound quality, distorsion and amplification [agreed with by audio science forums measurements]." then my hype train alarms start going off.

There are rumours that the ASF guy is none other than NwAvGuy, the designer of the O2, which would make sense, as he had a huge argument with Jason Stoddard of Schiit on Head-Fi, that got him banned for life and lost him a boat load of credibility - so if that is true then it's no surprise he's biased against Schiit.

As for the ASF measurements, Marv at SuperBestAudioFriends did measurements of his own and they were nowhere near those of ASF - I think they included the Topping D30 too.

Lol lets just agree to disagree.

I don't like debating with people who like to throw around rumours and discredit measurements from fairly respected websites with unsubstantiated claims. Ontop of that, you're ignoring countless reddit reviews, user reviews, youtube reviews which seem to point towards the same conclusion.

At that point, I kind of have to assume there is some form of ulterior motive or you maybe just have a bit of brand loyalty to someone.

Do you only trust sources of information which give you the answer you want? Or is everyone just a hype train?

 

[Rroff]

Schiit and JDS Labs have been selling at that price point for years, how does yet another £100 amp make it groundbreaking?
I am not saying that the Atom isn't a very good amp, it is, I'm just not jumping on the hype train - as a valid competitor to the Magni 3 and Vali 2, then I agree but when it comes to statements like "Its probably the best stack under <£200 for inputs, sound quality, distorsion and amplification [agreed with by audio science forums measurements]." then my hype train alarms start going off.

There are rumours that the ASF guy is none other than NwAvGuy, the designer of the O2, which would make sense, as he had a huge argument with Jason Stoddard of Schiit on Head-Fi, that got him banned for life and lost him a boat load of credibility - so if that is true then it's no surprise he's biased against Schiit.

As for the ASF measurements, Marv at SuperBestAudioFriends did measurements of his own and they were nowhere near those of ASF - I think they included the Topping D30 too.

A reworked O2 design with slightly boutique components (Nichicon caps, latest TI audio opamps), less than £80 DIY, assuming made on proper PCB with good routing rather than prototype board, will match or beat pretty much anything sub high end professional gear anyhow.

 

[rids57]

Here you go....

D30 DAC measurements and conclusions: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...measurements-and-subjective-impressions.6270/
D30 vs Modi 2U measurements and comparison: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...c-deconstructing-amirs-hack-job-part-ii.6449/
Magni 3 measurements and conclusions: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-magni-3-technical-measurements.6950/
Magni 3 thread at Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/magni-3-impressions.860812/
Magni 3 thread at SBAF: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/magni-3-released.5093/
JDS Atom thread at Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/jds-labs-atom-amp.893367/
Modi 3 thread at SBAF: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-modi-3.6855/

That should be enough to be getting on with.

I rarely bother reading Reddit, it's too full of noise and is the Grand Union Station of hype trains - even worse than Head-Fi, which is saying a lot.

The D30 uses the same DAC chip (Cirrus Logic CS4398) as the original Modi, though the Modi has changed markedly through versions 2 and 3, which use AKM 4490 chips, which are smoother and more refined.

I've been tempted to get hold of an Atom to try out as it's supposed to sound nice and clean and detailed, though the plastic case and weak volume pot wouldn't fill me with confidence.
The Magni 3 is still more powerful (2W @32 ohm), and 'maybe' warmer and smoother and is based on the tech used in the much more expensive Jotunheim and Vidar headphone and speaker amps (respectively).
Personally I don't think either amp runs away with it, there's probably not a great deal in it sound quality wise but the more solid build of the Schiit tips the scales for me.

Anyway, enough with the arguing, the weather is too nice to be uppity

 

[aoaaron]

Here you go....

D30 DAC measurements and conclusions: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...measurements-and-subjective-impressions.6270/
D30 vs Modi 2U measurements and comparison: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...c-deconstructing-amirs-hack-job-part-ii.6449/
Magni 3 measurements and conclusions: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-magni-3-technical-measurements.6950/
Magni 3 thread at Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/magni-3-impressions.860812/
Magni 3 thread at SBAF: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/magni-3-released.5093/
JDS Atom thread at Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/jds-labs-atom-amp.893367/
Modi 3 thread at SBAF: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-modi-3.6855/

That should be enough to be getting on with.

I rarely bother reading Reddit, it's too full of noise and is the Grand Union Station of hype trains - even worse than Head-Fi, which is saying a lot.

The D30 uses the same DAC chip (Cirrus Logic CS4398) as the original Modi, though the Modi has changed markedly through versions 2 and 3, which use AKM 4490 chips, which are smoother and more refined.

I've been tempted to get hold of an Atom to try out as it's supposed to sound nice and clean and detailed, though the plastic case and weak volume pot wouldn't fill me with confidence.
The Magni 3 is still more powerful (2W @32 ohm), and 'maybe' warmer and smoother and is based on the tech used in the much more expensive Jotunheim and Vidar headphone and speaker amps (respectively).
Personally I don't think either amp runs away with it, there's probably not a great deal in it sound quality wise but the more solid build of the Schiit tips the scales for me.

Anyway, enough with the arguing, the weather is too nice to be uppity

I'm not here to defend the D30 tbh or any budget DAC...

I watched a zeos review on DACs and he summed it up really well. A DAC is a DAC... and at the budget range, you're not going to get any meaningful difference. I reccomend the D30 because of the excellent input selection, build quality, the mechanical switches on the front for on/off, and switching between the 3 inputs.

In real life terms, I have no doubt that theres not crazy amounts in it. Anyone who changes from a 100£ amp to another 100£ amp is a retard. But I still think as a new buyer, the atom is the better shout based on the majority of evidence and recent reviews.


Also that website "superaudiobestfriends" looks toxic AF! Honestly every second post is hating on that amir guy. lmao.




How does the magni 2 uber compare to the magni 3?
i have a deal on a schiit stack uber 2 for <100 im thinking of getting just to put in my bedroom..

 

[aoaaron]

Here you go....

D30 DAC measurements and conclusions: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...measurements-and-subjective-impressions.6270/
D30 vs Modi 2U measurements and comparison: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...c-deconstructing-amirs-hack-job-part-ii.6449/
Magni 3 measurements and conclusions: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-magni-3-technical-measurements.6950/
Magni 3 thread at Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/magni-3-impressions.860812/
Magni 3 thread at SBAF: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/magni-3-released.5093/
JDS Atom thread at Head-Fi: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/jds-labs-atom-amp.893367/
Modi 3 thread at SBAF: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-modi-3.6855/

That should be enough to be getting on with.

I rarely bother reading Reddit, it's too full of noise and is the Grand Union Station of hype trains - even worse than Head-Fi, which is saying a lot.

The D30 uses the same DAC chip (Cirrus Logic CS4398) as the original Modi, though the Modi has changed markedly through versions 2 and 3, which use AKM 4490 chips, which are smoother and more refined.

I've been tempted to get hold of an Atom to try out as it's supposed to sound nice and clean and detailed, though the plastic case and weak volume pot wouldn't fill me with confidence.
The Magni 3 is still more powerful (2W @32 ohm), and 'maybe' warmer and smoother and is based on the tech used in the much more expensive Jotunheim and Vidar headphone and speaker amps (respectively).
Personally I don't think either amp runs away with it, there's probably not a great deal in it sound quality wise but the more solid build of the Schiit tips the scales for me.

Anyway, enough with the arguing, the weather is too nice to be uppity

Also don't get me wrong.. the last thing I am is a topping fanboy. I bought the Dx3 Pro and it failed on me within <24 hours!

I've just been googling about the D30.. I'm now tempted to return it and get the Cambridge Audio dacmagic 100... I NEED those inputs and the switches on the front. My head is telling me stay in budget with the D30 because I won't notice th difference.