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Amps + DACs

Element III MK2


$449

In Stock, Hurry, limited inventory!

Copper, Black, or Red - Customize the color of your volume knob's accent ring!

Clear Resin Knob - Limited run batch! Your volume knob will be composed of machined, hand polished acrylic, paired with a copper colored accent ring. As shown in the photo, please note the clear knob's internal fins are hand painted black to support MK2's optical sensors.

Standard Power: 1.3W per channel of clean power. This is more than you will need to drive the vast majority of headphones on the market, including dynamic sets by Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, and Focal, as well as most planars from Audeze, HiFiMan, ZMF, etc.

Boosted Power: Your amplifier will be assembled with quad output buffers. Output power is boosted to over 2.3W per channel @ 32 ohms, satisfying even the most demanding sets at extreme volumes.

  • Covered by our 2-year transferable warranty

Simplified Audio, Reimagined

We’ve reimagined our flagship amp+DAC to create a listening experience you will notice and appreciate. Element III operates on our second-generation XMOS hardware and firmware, blissfully integrated with a custom encoder. You’ll hear perfect channel balance down to the black noise floor. Automatic gain helps you focus on listening rather than button pressing, and an auto-vanishing display presents the essentials while you toggle between USB and Optical inputs and headphone or preamp outputs. Element III MK2 upgrades the iconic knob with a discrete, optical encoder for unmatched feel. And we’ve added a 2-band EQ to adjust bass and treble to your taste, along with DSD support, selectable DAC filters, and more. Element III MK2 is designed and built in the USA.

Features

Auto Gain

Perfect Channel Balance

OLED Display & Options

Exceptional Power

Preamp Outputs

Customizeable Buttons

Relay Muting & Safety

Parametric Bass & Treble EQ

USB Audio Class 2 - PCM & DSD

Mains Isolation

Customer Reviews

Specifications

Performance

  • Frequency Response 20-20kHz +/- 0.11 dB
  • SINAD, 1kHz Low Gain 112.5 dB
  • SINAD, 1kHz High Gain 112 dB
  • THD+N Sweep 20-20kHz < 0.0004%
  • IMD CCIF 19/20 kHz -6 dBFS -101 dB
  • IMD SMPTE @ -20dBFS -95 dB
  • Signal to Noise Ratio 117.7 dB
  • Noise Level -112 dBV
  • Dynamic Range (A-Weighted) 120 dB
  • Linearity Error -90 dBFS -0.01 dB
  • Crosstalk @ 0 dBFS, 100k RCA -130 dB
  • Jitter Components – USB @ 12kHz, DPLL 5 -131 dB
  • Jitter Components – S/PDIF @ 12kHz DPLL 5 -130 dB
  • Channel Balance, -∞ to 0 dBFS +/- 0.01 dB
  • Output Impedance < 0.7 Ω
  • Max Continuous Power @ 600 Ω 146 mW (9.37 VRMS)
  • Max Continuous Power @ 150 Ω 584 mW (9.36 VRMS)
  • Max Continuous Power @ 32 Ω - Standard 1.3 W (6.43 VRMS)
  • Max Continuous Power @ 32 Ω - Boosted 2.3W (8.68 VRMS)

Dimensions

  • Enclosure Dimensions 5.8 x 5.8 x 1.6 in
  • Weight 19 oz

Data Support

  • USB Interface UAC2 and UAC1 Fallback 1.
  • Operating Systems Windows XP/7/8/10/11, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2.
  • USB Sampling Rates PCM: 16, 24, 32-bit @ 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 384 kHz; DSD64-128
  • S/PDIF (Optical) Sampling Rates 16-24 bit @ 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 192 kHz 3.

Connectivity

  • Digital Inputs USB Type B and TOSLINK
  • Headphone Output 6.35mm (1/4")
  • Preamp Outputs RCA

Configuration

  • Gain Auto Toggling 1.0x and 4.73x (+13.5dB)
  • Volume Attenuation Discrete Encoder, 255 steps
  • 1. UAC2 or UAC1 can be selected in the Options menu
  • 2. Appropriate cables are required for Android and iOS. Must use UAC1 mode with Win XP/7/8, PS4, or PS5.
  • 3. Some TOSLINK sources are unable to reliably transmit at 192kHz.

Packaged Items

  • Element III MK2 (Amplifier+DAC)
  • 16VAC Power Adapter
  • 3ft USB Type A to Type B Cable w/Ferrite

Drivers

  • XMOS Driver v5.70 for Win 10/11

    XMOS driver v5.70 supports Windows 10/11 under x86/x64/arm64 and is optional. No drivers are required for macOS, Linux, or Windows 10/11.

    This driver enables ASIO support, provides the ability to view and adjust Buffer Settings (latency), supports 16/24/32-bitrates, and adds full DSD64-128 support to Atom DAC+, Atom DAC 2, EL DAC II+, and Element III (MK2).

    All XMOS based JDS Labs DACs are supported, including:

    • Element III (MK2)
    • Atom DAC 2
    • Atom DAC(+)
    • EL DAC II(+)
    • Element II

     

    This driver is developed and maintained by Thesycon, and licensed to JDS Labs. Please find the full change log at TUSBAudio_history.txt.

  • Optional - XMOS Firmware Update Utility (DFU) for Win 10/11

    This optional application for Windows 10/11 allows you to install firmware updates to XMOS based JDS Labs DACS, including:

    • Element III
    • Element II
    • EL DAC II(+)
    • Atom DAC(+)
    • Atom DAC 2

    To use, unzip the folder and follow instructions in the article How to Install an XMOS Firmware Update.

Firmware

  • Element III - Firmware v2.5.6

    WINDOWS 10/11 INSTALLATION
    Please install the latest XMOS Driver, then use the Optional XMOS Driver and XMOS Firmware Update Utility (DFU).

    MAC OR LINUX INSTALLATION
    Please refer to: https://github.com/jdslabs/xmos_dfu

    Please refer to included README.txt for further information. Detailed installation guidance for all operating systems can also be found in the article, How to Install an XMOS Firmware Update


    Abbreviated Changelog

    v2.5.6 (Released Oct 18, 2024)
    * Updated xmos/lib_i2c and supporting libraries to latest versions
    * Implemented auto reboot upon 16+ successive errors

    v2.5.2 (Released July 21, 2023)
    * Resolved bug in cached treble/bass values when transitioning between output modes.

    v2.5.1 (Released June 13, 2023)
    * DSP Performance Updates:
      - Optimized DSP stages to achieve static-free PCM 352.8kHz and 384kHz support
      - Adjusted DoP detection state machine within DSP stages to improve performance
    * Corrected volume compensation for negative DSP gains
    * Updated Treble DSP Frequency options to: [3k, 4k, 6k, 8k, 9k, 10k, 12k, 14k]

    v2.5.0 (Released May 31, 2023)
    * Added parametric bass and treble EQ! Conditional DSP implemented in PCM audio path, using 1 dedicated core per biquad filter with Q = 0.707, dynamically configuring volume and gain for optimal listening
    * Reboot in rare event of 5+ serial resets (0 events observed in testing)
    * Menu and UI improvements
    * Display updates
    ...

    [Please see v2.51 Readme for full Changelog]

Instructions & Guides

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