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AnyColorIWant t1_j966ps7 wrote

This thing could sound like the inside of an empty, metal garbage can and it’d still be worth it for the knob alone

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vavent_ OP t1_j95br5i wrote

I already own it for 2 months, but the image has made when I only received it from the postal service. I bought B-stock for 399$ + 80$ import taxes and shipping, it's the first DAC/amp that I have bought new and not used, which means that I will lose much value if I decide to sell, but I was ready for this because you can't sell end game material. I'm in this hobby for 1.5 years, I had iFi Zen Dac -> Topping dx3pro -> Asgard3 + Modius -> Mojo, and now JDS Labs Element III

For whom can it be? I wanted small(because my desktop table is rather small), beautiful, with a BIG KNOB, powerful amplifier. It is a bit expensive, but you can find older elements for 250$ and 150$ respectively

After reading a million reviews, with different POV, after testing without volume matching and not blindly my different DAC/amps vs apple dongle and between each other, I understood that I don't hear enough differences with multiple DAC/amps, without proper testing I can't objectively say who is better, so I decided to lean more on the practical side, I can spend more time with headphones and on my life instead of testing DAC/amps, so I have gone for a beautiful minimalistic design and HUGEEE volume knob for excellent comfort and enough power for most headphones on the market, that's all that I want from my chain

I love my Element to death and don't plan to buy anything else for desktop use until it will break, then without spending time on any reviews would buy the next Element iteration which would be called something like 'Element X'.

Edit:I don't know why my image after uploading got skewed to the left, can't fix this

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covertash t1_j96msrn wrote

Congrats! :)

> I'm in this hobby for 1.5 years, I had iFi Zen Dac -> Topping dx3pro -> Asgard3 + Modius -> Mojo, and now JDS Labs Element III

Out of curiosity, what headphones do you use with the Element?

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vavent_ OP t1_j97eszf wrote

Thanks! I'm using HD600 and LCD-X and Arya in recent time, will write about them in future posts

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mckenny123 t1_j98cil2 wrote

For Arya you would probably consider a bit more powerful amp ...

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kikirevi t1_j98zch5 wrote

Yeah I heard the Arya need a powerful amp, but idk if that’s true. What are the benefits of getting a more powerful amp?

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mckenny123 t1_j9fawd0 wrote

More volume, more headroom, less distorstion, more base and probably treble ... So yes

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kikirevi t1_j9h2he7 wrote

Ah that sucks; I was really loving the element 3 but if Arya is that power hungry, do you have any recommendations?

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mckenny123 t1_j9j949k wrote

Topping L70 would be a good budget start. You can drive the most cans with it. Also Arya.

If you want to be absolutely sure than you can buy Topping A90. It is ver very powerful amp.

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NaniDaddy t1_j96zcab wrote

Hey I'm actually in the market for a new amp/dac and i've been sick of the experience that I had with my Monolith THX AAA AMP/dac unit. Do you have any thoughts to share for the DX3PRO and JDS ELEMENT 3? The price difference is almost double of one another but I'm curious if the sound/build quality would justify it. I've gone through 3 rmas on my monolith and my first amp/dac unit from mayflower electronics lasted for 4 years until the audio started producing some popping noises.

For my use case I switch between having my speakers plug in to the dac and my hd660s.

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vavent_ OP t1_j97z11o wrote

Well, if the price is in consideration, then something like a used Element II(250$~) would be a great choice, as I know, Element III has options for you to switch between speakers and headphones by pressing the knob or button at the back of the device, the main killer feature is a BIG knob, it's so good, that after using this knob, you will not want to get back to other devices, I can recommend it definitely for build quality and user experience

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MistaHiggins t1_j973rwp wrote

> Asgard3 + Modius

This is what I have right now and have been considering the Element III. Do you recommend the switch?

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vavent_ OP t1_j97zzxe wrote

If you looking for some sound quality improvement, then definitely not. It depends on what you want from the chain. I don't have much free space on the desktop table, so I decided to go all in for B-stock Element III. It has everything I wanted for simple use with a laptop and connecting my headphones to it, user experience is great, have zero complaints about it

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mitch-99 t1_j961bmc wrote

Amazing unit, love mine! The custom engraving option is so awesome. Makes it feel so much more unique. Ill never get another unit.

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vavent_ OP t1_j964w7i wrote

I will never downgrade from this BIG volume knob, after you tried it, you don't want to lose it

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DrKerbalMD t1_j96yict wrote

I love my Element III and I love JDS. I sent them an email asking if there was a setting to put output switching on the knob click and input switching on the button on the back (default is vice versa) and they said no, not with your early Element III, but if you ship it to us we'll update the board for free. They sent me a label, didn't cost me a dime, round trip was 5 days, and now I can click the knob to switch between my headphones and speakers.

You're gonna love it. Great product, great company.

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NaniDaddy t1_j96zqoo wrote

Damn that's awesome lol, I didn't even know you could configure it like that. That ease of use makes it very enticing now lol. My current monolith amp/dac unit takes 3 different menus, scrolling and 4 button presses to switch between speakers and headphones.

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StevenWongo t1_j987xcv wrote

Yeah, good company. I have an issue with mine where sometimes it goes unresponsive as I run it 24/7. They shipped me a replacement with no questions asked and before I even sent my original back, but the replacement still does it but just at way less frequency.

Otherwise it makes switching between my headphones and speakers a damn breeze.

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DivineCurrent t1_j99kjh9 wrote

What was this unresponsive behavior you're talking about? Did the whole thing not respond to the knob turning or was it just the sound not working, or both? I ask because I only had this happen to me once, where the Element III was plugged in, my PC went to sleep, and after it woke up it no sound came out. Restarting it fixed it.

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StevenWongo t1_j99noeu wrote

Essentially not responding to the knob turning. And like you said, it happens after my PC goes to sleep and a restart of the system is all it needs.

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erichunt t1_j96poem wrote

I have the Element II and have had no reason to upgrade. Their Element line is a solid "end-game" choice for many.

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ElencherMind t1_j97jyhs wrote

I have an original Element and keep debating if I want to upgrade to the latest model, but I don't have any complaints about it so haven't pulled the trigger yet. Love the huge volume knob!

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lx_mcc t1_j9a7nqc wrote

I really need to unsub from this reddit. I randomly see this post in my feed and 12 hours later I've spent 650 CAD on an Element 3...

(To be fair I've been eyeing replacements for my fiio k3 and the JDS' ability to quick swap outputs and control the volumes independently is a quality of life feature I've really wanted in an all-in-one...plus that knob...)

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vavent_ OP t1_j9a9wc1 wrote

Then you will be satisfied with Element for a very long time with the requirements that you have written. The design is very beautiful and at the same time huge knob is so practical, there is no way back

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Scattering_Crows t1_j96rw0s wrote

The Element III was running a dead heat with the HifiMan EF400 for me right up until I clicked the 'Confirm' button. The availability of the EF400 was ultimately the deciding factor. I have to say that I am loving the R2R DAC and am super happy with my purchase. Have to say though that it doesn't mean that the Element III will not end up in my collection at some point!
Hope you continue to enjoy it and it brings years of pleasure.

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LTHardcase t1_j98s3aq wrote

The Element III is so understated that I could never spend $450 on it. I just can't see what justifies the price tag. It's a little square amp with a single ended out and a knob. And?

I definitely have an EF400 in my future though.

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Scattering_Crows t1_j99s18l wrote

I think that I felt similarly too really and why I didn't go out of my way to find the Element III. Whilst the EF400 seems to have a more divided opinion, it is, to me a logical addition to the Zen Stack which I own. I do not tend to prefer to the more sterile and analytical sound of say the Topping or SMSL equipment, so I am very happy with my choice.

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Lelouch25 t1_j97at21 wrote

I got to admit that big knob is an unique feature in this hobby. 👋😍

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JL3001 t1_j985y4b wrote

Love JDS. The build, the support, the small envelope on my desk, and dat knob makes it a pretty essential dac/amp in my eyes. Really don't need anything else, solid state-wise, for myself.

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BackwoodsMarathon t1_j98qgmi wrote

These guys are out of my home town. I really need to see if they'll give tours. I know the building they're in is pretty small though. I imagine it's not much space to tour.

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