JDS Labs - Makers of Element and Atom Headphone Amps + DACs
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Hearing Loss Association of America
Instruction Manual for JDSLABS models including: AMPS DACS Element III
QUICK SETUP. STEP 01. Connect AC power adapter to rear power jack (16VAC), then connect to wall outlet. STEP 02. Connect USB cable between your computer and the USB jack. STEP 03.
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DocumentDocumentOPERATING INSTRUCTIONS | AMP+DACS ELEMENT III SUPPORT ONLINE BY PHONE BY MAIL CONTACT@JDSLABS.COM JDSLABS.COM/SUPPORT 314-252-0936 9:30AM-6PM CST, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 909 N BLUFF RD COLLINSVILLE, IL 62234 UNITED STATES SECTION 1 QUICK SETUP STEP 01 Connect AC power adapter to rear power jack (16VAC), then connect to wall outlet. STEP 02 Connect USB cable between your computer and the USB jack. STEP 03 Connect headphones to the front headphone output jack. STEP 04 Pressing the Power button turns Element on or off. Pressing the Headphone/RCA button toggles between headphone or RCA Output modes. STEP 05 Slowly raise the volume knob to an appropriate listening level. See Listening Tips on page 7. Pressing the volume knob toggles between USB and Optical input. Please see Connectivity and Computer Setup for additional help. JDSLABS.COM 2 SECTION 2 CONFIGURATION Automatic Gain Element III handles audio logic for a blissful experience, automatically toggling the optimal gain state as you adjust volume. No thought is required on your part. Enjoy! Low Gain is always active at volume levels from -127.5 to 0 dBFS. Continuing to turn the knob beyond 0 dB presents an on-screen progress bar, signifying a pending transition to High Gain. Element III automatically adjusts volume for a pleasant transition between gain states. You will see an effective volume range of 0 to 13.5 dB in High Gain. Please observe safe listening habits under Listening Tips. Typical listening levels range from-50 dB to -20 dB for most dynamic and planar headphones, depending on your music collection and preferences. Display Element III displays status information while you interact, then vanishes so that your focus remains on listening. Input Mode Stream Format Sampling Rate USB PCM @ 48.0kHz VOL -26.0dB HEADPHONE OUTPUT @ LOW GAIN Output Mode Current Gain JDSLABS.COM 3 SECTION 3 OPTIONS MENU Settings Press for 3+ seconds ELEMENT III SCREEN TIMEOUT SLEECENNRDCCEOOEMDDNOEEDRRCEORSNETTSEROPALSSUTTION 2ND HARMONIC COMP Pressing down on the Volume Knob for 3+ seconds enters the Options Menu (show below). Turn the knob to navigate up/down the options menu. Push the knob to make a selection. Available settings are described below, with default values in bold. Screen Timeout Default: 5 seconds, with a range of 0 (never) to 120 seconds. Screen Contrast HIGH, MED, OR LOW LED Mode ON WITH SCREEN 5 MIN STANDBY LEDs will remain on while Element III is on. LEDs will power off while the screen is off. LEDs operate as follows: y In S/PDIF mode, the LEDs will always remain on, as audio stream detection is available only in USB mode. y In USB mode, the LEDs will turn off after 5 minutes of audio inactivity*. The LEDs will turn on: a. as soon as the USB stream becomes active again, or b. anytime the screen turns on with user interaction (which is true in any mode). When the screen turns off, the LEDs will turn off as well only if the USB stream has remained inactive for 5 minutes. JDSLABS.COM 4 y Consistent with 5 minutes of USB stream inactivity, the USB "rate" on the display will also be cleared once this standby limit is surpassed. y Note that the screen on/off is unrelated to the 5 minute standby setting. The screen power-off is related exclusively to the "SCREEN TIMEOUT" option/setting. *The USB audio stream may be activated by any audio from your operating system. This feature has been tested under Win 10 and macOS. Behavior may vary with other operating systems. You can verify USB stream status in the "STATUS" menu. Knob Speed (Encoder Resolution) FULL, HALF Volume Steps (Encoder Steps) 0.5 dB 1.0 dB Auto Gain Speed Default shows a progress bar and requires about 1/3 of a knob turn to transition between gain states. `Aggressive' minimizes internal delays and eliminates the progress bar for a much faster transition. 2nd Harmonic Steps Default: 0, with a range of -75 to 75. Large values in either direction will increase second harmonics. 3rd Harmonic Comp Default: -20, with a range of -75 to 75. Large values will increase 3rd harmonics. DPLL BANDWIDTH Default: 7, with a range of 0 to 15. This setting directly impacts jitter rejection, with the optimal value dependent on timing stability of your PC or audio source. Most audio sources produce stable audio when DPLL is set to 5. We have conservatively increased the default DPLL value to 7 in order to support a wider range of sources, especially modern 4k TVs. If you encounter stuttering, try increasing DPLL Bandwidth. SPDIF DE-EMPHASIS The default value of ON automatically enables de-emphasis when an incoming S/PDIF stream contains such a flag, and otherwise disables de-emphasis. Setting to OFF bypasses auto de-emphasis. JDSLABS.COM 5 DAC_FILTER FAST ROLLOFF SLOW ROLLOFF MIN PHASE STATUS Displays the current firmware version, USB Stream status (Active, Inactive), and internally recovered I2C Errors. This information is intended for factory Q/C checking. Please note: I2C Errors can occur from strong ESD or other interference. Element III monitors for and automatically recovers from I2C errors. Over 864,000 transmissions occur every 24 hours, so it is normal to see an accumulation of I2C recoveries over time. FACTORY RESET As the name suggests, Factory Reset clears all above settings to their default states. Upon reset, your Element III will default to -45dB volume in Headphone Output mode via USB Input, and RCA Output will default to 0dB. JDSLABS.COM 6 Connectivity Inputs Element III accepts digital input via USB or S/PDIF (optical). Press the volume knob to toggle between input modes. Outputs Element III provides headphone output and RCA Preamp Outputs. Press the Headphone/RCA button on the rear to toggle between output modes. Only one output is active at a time. Volume is adjustable in either mode, and saved to memory for easy transitions. Pressing an input or output button displays the current mode on the screen. HEADPHONE OUTPUT MODE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER AUDIO TO HEADPHONES RCA OUTPUT MODE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER HEADPHONES MUTE DIGITAL INPUT DAC USB INPUT DAC RCA JACKS (LINE-OUTPUT) SPEAKERS MUTE RCA JACKS (LINE-OUTPUT) AUDIO TO SPEAKERS USB Cables Element III ships with a 3ft (1m) USB Type A to Type B cable equipped with a ferrite core for optimal jitter and noise rejection. You may use a Type C to Type B cable to connect to Type C devices. Be sure to transfer the detachable ferrite from your JDS Labs cable to your new cable. Use the exact same position on the new cable. JDSLABS.COM 7 Listening Tips Set sampling rate to the highest integer multiple of your music collection. For example, use 192kHz for a collection of 48k and 192k audio files. Common streaming services and games tend to use 48kHz audio. Alternatively, you may install the optional XMOS drivers in Win 10/11 and use an ASIO capable app to achieve bitperfect sampling rate changes. Active sampling rate is displayed on Element III's screen. By default, Element III disables host operating volume controls for maximum fidelity and plentiful D/A headroom. Note: Win 10/11 may still permit system level volume adjustments. Element III can amplify headphones to dangerously loud audio. Listen safely to conserve your hearing: www.hearingloss.org Operating Care Element III uses a high current power supply and runs warm to the touch. Avoid covering the top and sides. Element III can be safely powered on 24/7. Do not lift the amplifier by its knob! To ensure an optimal noise floor, always position headphone amplifiers as far away as possible from wireless devices. JDSLABS.COM 8 SECTION 4 SETUP Computer Setup Element III requires no drivers in Windows 10/11, macOS, Linux, and modern versions of iOS and Android. You may download optional drivers for Windows at jdslabs.com/drivers to enable all bitrates, adjust Buffer Length (latency), and enable an ASIO endpoint. Be sure to select your new DAC as the default playback device: Windows 10/11 1. Right click the volume icon in your taskbar and click: Open Sound Setting Sound Control Panel 2. Click on "JDS Labs Element III," then choose "Set Default." Please refer to Listening Tips for optimal properties macOS Ensure JDS Labs audio device is selected from Audio Devices. JDSLABS.COM 9 Troubleshooting No USB device or "Failed to Play Audio" Cause: USB Device is not initialized. Solution: Turn Element III off, then back on to reset the USB device. Amplifier does not turn on Cause: Missing, damaged, or loose power adapter connection. Solution: Please see jdslabs.com/troubleshooting LEDs flash repeatedly, or screen does not respond Cause: Element III constantly self-monitors to automatically correct potential error states. Flashing LEDs or no screen activity indicate no response from the XMOS processor despite internal reset attempts. This may be caused by a power surge or extreme ESD event. Solution: Please turn Element III off for at least 1 minute, and then back on. If behavior persists, please reach out to jdslabs.com/support Element III reboots during use Cause: Element III is designed to detect insufficient AC mains power, and may reboot when subjected to a severe brownout. Solution: Ensure clean power is provided. No sound from headphones Cause: Wrong mode or incorrect connectivity setup. Solution: Please see the Connectivity section. Double check all cabling and volume levels. Power Adapters ATTENTION: Incorrect power adapters can result in capacitor explosion hazards and device damage. Only use the power adapter included with your Element: Type: AC-to-AC Transformer Current: Minimum 1000mA Output Voltage: 16 VAC Connector: 2.1x55.mm (ID x OD) J D S L A B S . C O M 10 Application for Council Directives 2004/108/EC, 2006/95/EC, 2002/95/ EC.Conformity declared for EN55022:2011, EN611000-3-2, EN61000-33, EN55024-2 This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. J D S L A B S . C O M 11