Great
I've definitely liked them so far, but mine had a bit of a QC issue and the toggle button gets stuck occasionally. Also, the engraving instructions were quite confusing, and I ended up getting an inverted image. If I could suggest anything, displaying a preview of what the image could potentially look like before finalizing the purchase would be nice.
From JDS Labs
Thanks, Alexander. Yes, engraving can be tricky. Guidelines and examples are available on our blog. Let us know if you need help with the button!
Replacement headphone DAC
The JDS LABS Atom DAC 2 I paired with the Atom Amp 2 to replace an older Schiit Audio amp and DAC. Hookup was straight forward and the Qobuz app on my PC picked it up right away. Nice piece of equipment, well made and sounds great. I have to note one downside. The DAC will go into standby mode after 15 mintes, but not as a rule. I need to manually turn the unit off to not see the ON ring light. So far I would highly recommend.
Very Impressed!
After a lot of research, I decided to purchase the Atom 2 DAC/AMP bundle from JDS Labs. I'm very impressed with the build quality and the clean, crisp sound I get from my recently acquired Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro X LE headphones is amazing. The quality you get for such a reasonable price is refreshing. I also can't say enough about the customer service response at JDS. John responded to my emails within the same day (even after hours)! To have such a quality product made in the USA and a company that is customer oriented is something to be admired and proud of. Thank you JDS!!
Which is more impressive the sound or the customer service?
I am ecstatic about my DAC! After being impressed by the Atom 2 Amp, I ordered the DAC with custom artwork late Friday night. Despite an initial issue with the artwork, the DAC arrived on Wednesday morning with my original design. Both the DAC and Amp are impressive, especially given their affordability. The Atom gear has brought my headphones to life. Cheers to a great USA company!
Clean and Tidy Dac
Very clean sound connected to my WiiM Pro as the streamer and my PS5 for gaming with Dan Clark Aeon Noire X. Paired with the Atom Amp 2 is a great match for genres like EDM, Classical, and most metal. Unit is small and takes very little space on my desktop so integration is seamless. Gaming is super simple, grab a UAC 1 fallback cable with the usb c adapter and your PS5 will recognize this as the Atom Dac. Lastly Jon and team are industry leading in customer service! I plan on saving up to buy the Element 4 at some point before summer ideally.
Excellent Dac
My first and last DAC. I love how it stacks with the Atom amp. I purchased the amp a while ago. Since there has been no major upgrades been made nor was there anything to improve upon. Thats a good sign for a product! One that will last a good while. I didn't hesitate much in ordering the DAC, though wish I had purchased it earlier. I use it with my Iphone 15. I don't listen to any audiophile worthy content, but it is most durable and reliable! I highly recommend one. God bless you!
Type shit
Type shit. Ive got 2. Love em both.
Another gem
This is my fourth DAC from JDS, and every one has been perfect. I now primarily use them instead of any sound cards in desktop and notebook computers. Computer > USB, them receiver or O2 headphone amp. The Atom DAC 2 works using a Windows 10 based on the XMOS. Used good troubleshooting advice from John Seaber, as usual!
Atom Dac +
Price was outstanding, shipping was fast. No complaints about the Atom Dac + It suites my needs in a desktop setup. Using a Motorola mobile phone, Hiby music player app (which recognizes the JDS Atom dac +), Topping PA3s amplifier and a pair of Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 speakers in my computer room. Simple and satisfying.
Great Value
The improvement in clarity on the low end was immediately noticeable compared to my previous DAC. I took advantage of the free engraving and the result came out great. Well worth the money.
Mind-blowing sound
This is a review of the Atom "stack," including the Amp 2. I upgraded from an Audioengine D1 and was not prepared for how big an upgrade it would be. The Atom makes everything sound 100x better: headphones, speakers, whatever you plug into it sounds like a new and much more expensive device. The sound is very rich and three-dimensional. I didn't know sound could be like this. Customer service was also responsive and excellent.
Atom stack
The team at JDS offer an unprecedented level of customer service. The Atom stack (AMP + DAC) is a fantastic bit of kit, aesthetically pleasing and matches, and sometimes even outperforms some of the more ‘premium’ amp/DAC stacks/combos that I’ve used in the past. John has answered the countless number of questions that I’ve had, and even offered to send out a replacement DAC following some jitter issues I was experiencing via optical (thankfully resolved with a software update, which John once again helped with). JDS have a customer for life. I couldn’t recommend these guys highly enough.
Fantastic!!!!
Until now I've been using my headphones all wrong. Now that I have a proper stack, music has never sounded better and I don't know why I didn't pull the trigger before. Looks nice but more importantly, sounds fantastic! Very happy with this impulse buy.
Superb piece of kit
The DAC is simply superb. I use it connected to my Atom Amp 2 powering Beyerdynamic DT770 Prox Ex LE and the sound is crystal clear with a big sound stage. The customer service and fast delivery from JDS is exemplary. Highly recommended.
Superb DAC
Have it hooked up to my TV via optical cable and it gives a punchy and detailed sound. When using headphones I have it connected to my Atom Amp 2 and I’m getting superb results from my Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro X LE The customer service and fast shipping is another bonus. Great company to deal with and great products
Rad little Doodad!
Definitely spiffed up my little dot III’s already stellar sound quality. First thing I fired up was some John Williams- Theme (From Jurassic Park) and boy did it give me the goodbumps when the bridge came along. Would definitely purchases more equipment from JDS Labs. I’m also running some NOS Motorolla 6ak5s through some Hifiman sundaras
Uncoloured
I don't believe in altering the sound signature of iems or headphones, the JDS Atom Dac 2 perfectly reflects this, sounds transparent and uncoloured.
Such a great DAC. I have it playing audio flawlessly from my Switch and PS5 going to my main amp. The engraving is such a cool touch as well.
But best of all might just be the speedy customer service.
This company sets the bar high for sure especially being such an affordable product for what you get.
Awesome
I recently purchased the Atom DAC 2 and have found it to work excellent as a USB sound card for Windows PC. There were no drivers to install, and it works flawlessly. I also use it as the DAC for my music streamer so the button on the front of the Atom DAC 2 is an easy way to switch back and forth between PC and Streamer. Originally, I tested the Atom DAC 2 in my Home Theater setup and found the Atom to be very accurate. My setup makes it easy to tell DAC’s apart, but the Atom and my Home Theater Receiver were nearly indistinguishable. I like that the Atom is to the same accuracy as my “Elite” Home Theater. I like it so much; I bought a second one for my work PC.
What I wanted
The product works as advertised, if you want consistent sound across all devices then this is a good choice.
Awesome stack
Awesome stack, especially for the price.
Incredible DAC
The thing is completely transparent and I've never had an issue with it. Literally no reason to upgrade after having one.
Hmm
The sound coming thru the DAC is good. However, I was getting a lot of dropouts when connecting to the optical toslink output on my tv (short moments of missing audio, super annoying). I found the guthub repo with the cli tool and an article to downgrade the software. After that the dropouts are gone. I think the software binary was for ATOM DAC+, not 2 though. Please let me know which software would be best for ATOM DAC 2!
From JDS Labs
@Segev - Please see here for Atom DAC 2 firmware v214.
Great USB C connectivity from an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
This DAC offers true, simple, USB C connectivity to an iPhone 15 Pro Max. I have not had to worry about using the right USB C cable as long as the cable supports data transfer.
Great little DAC
I purchased the Atom DAC 2 to upgrade my desktop audio. I was using the headphone out from my PC as an input to a pair of older powered speakers. Now I’m using a usb output from the PC to the Adam DAC 2. Then from the DAC to a RSL iA255.1 desktop integrated amp. The completed setup is a big step up from what I had before. Sounds really great.
Great companion to Amp 2
If you are on the fence on this stack, just pull the trigger if this is your budget or really anything from a dac amp or stack standpoint below 600-700. You get a wonderful clean sound, excellent power and small footprint. This can even be used bedside if you really wanted as an affordable option for any headphone or iem( because both sound great and clean). Not a flavored Dac, very transparent so do keep that in mind.
Just great
I bought the atom dac2 when I realized that my wiim mini did not have a proper dac, so I now I connect it via optical to the atom and from there I use rca to my amp. Really happy with it (the improvement in sound quality is clear specially when playing loud) Also: great customer service, for EU-customers like myself as well.
I've been listening to my new [Atom 2] stack for the majority of the evening and wow, you and your team did a fantastic job with the new gear! The audible refinements you have managed to achieve is noticeable coming from my Element 2.
Got the Atom DAC 2 and it feels amazing compared to my OG Amp which flexes and creaks like a toy.
