JDS Labs The Element II Headphone Amplifier Review

JDS Labs' The Element II Headphone Aamplifier ($399.00 USD)

JDS Labs The Element II Headphone Amplifier ($399.00 USD). Ladies, they say, like a good knob. The JDS Labs Element, The II, I'd say, was cut from that cloth. A good knob, eh?

At 5.8" by 5.8", and only 1.6" on top, it measures well, and it fit for the desk with a black, spec (special op) look. It's flat and compact, not taking up a huge amount of space, but visible, of significance.



Now, it won't yet play your music while you are walking, jogging, etc. (it's not made for mobile use), but it will connect your headphones keenly with your PC or Mac, great for both at home and at work.

As for headphones, we recommend both the Fostex TH-600 Premium Reference Headphones ($ USD) for great bass, also in black (closed) and the Sennheiser HD 800 S High Resolution Headphones ($ USD) for great imaging, also in black (open).

Spec wise,

Our default, go-to reference for at work headphones, the wonderful Mr. Speakers Ether Flow and Ether CX are now the Dan Clark Audio Ether Flow 1.1 ($1,799.99 USD) and Dan Clark Audio Ether C Flow ($1,799.99 USD).

JP 2020/11/26
www.hifiart.ca

Cuadra

We climbed to the height of fashion - dressed as a hiker, but not - in our Cuadra boots. 10 1/2. They should of been 10.5 EE (wide). So we could joke about Electrical Engineers. Or EEE, so we could jovially talk about the UBC stone of engineering. 3 sided, with an E on each.

Cantera Huso. Spindle Quarry. ah, is that the place your multi-threaded algorithms go, when they are done?

No, Cantera Hueso. Bone Quarry. That’s the place, yes, where Vin Diesal dragged some heavy batteries in Pitch Black? Yes.

We left out an E. Das Boot.

Lumin T2 Network Music Player Review

Hindsight is 2020.

Ode to Joy.

Back when it was our goal to play in the Arsenio Hall band and develop synthesizers (now, how is that for being a comedian), Korg's T1 Music Workstation - with 88 piano weighted style keys - was added to the system.

Did we play it well?

Never the less, being a gigging musician, we always wanted a Korg T2 - wth 76 keys, and much less weight and size - the T1, though not a Fairlight CMI, was considerable in these respects - as it had from an audience perspective, very much the same sound and effect, with none of the drawbacks, and should of added it to the system.

But we already had the T1. Aah.

Lumin T2 Network Music Player ($6,499.00 CDN)

Who doesn’t like more than a little Beethoven? 9.

Wendy / Walter Carlos certainly was a fine juxtaposition.

We should write Lumin and ask for the T1 or X1 (as it is now called)! :-)

It would be a good start to go back to reviewing reference audio equipment.

With DSD 512 and PCM 384 kHz, the Lumin T2 should satisfy many T+A over-sampling aficionados (owners and users of the T+A DAC) in offering a very attractive package.

With Dual ES9028PRO SABRE DAC's it should satisfy us, not just visually, but audibly too.

A 32 bit (is it floating point?) volume control theoretically offers 192.66 dB dynamic range (if decimal) and 1,528 dB (if FP).

Lumin - should we buy it?

JP
www.hifiart.ca

LJA 2020

This year, our Leather Jacket Award (LJA) - 2020 - in perpetuity - goes to Coach and Massimo Dutti.

A funny story.

Coach. Not only does Coach make leather jackets, but often it makes fabric jackets in the same style. For our LJA, we procured a lovely Black Leather Military Coat in size 48. And, the matching Military Coat in green fabric, also - size 50 - made for action!

Massimo Dutti.

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We were in Holt Renfrew in Vancouver's Pacific Center for Black Friday, one year ago.

Prada had in-store their perfect black leather hoodie in size 52. One size too big, it put us in a good mood: we could get Ali (of Valerio Moda) at Qvorum to alter.

Coach had their leather Monaco strip Coach style jackets in both sizes 48 and 46.

And finally, Hugo Boss had two wonderful leather biker jackets. Tres Wild Hogs!

We thought we would get all four. The two Boss, the Coach in two sizes, and of course, the Prada!

We purchased the first Hugo Boss, and as we left the store, were picked up by two black ladies from Los Angeles, who took us to their hotel room.

The Westin Grand, close to BC Place, was their abode. Very Clockwork Orange. A lovely hotel.

We then returned to pick up the second Boss, but was kicked out of the store, for some unknown reason. Later, we explained the situation, that we were there for two jackets.

We explained that every day, we can only let ourselves pick up a few items.

Still the thing threw us - how could we review leather jackets without reviewing Hugo Boss.

We purchased some Alexander McQueen leather jewelry and accessories at Nordstrom that day, and the next few. Including a double tourneau bracelet in camo. It didn't quite do the trick, but we were in Nordstrom, closeby to Boss at least.

We even ruined on lovely Coach leather jacket, wearing it in the rain, as we were planning to buy a leather jacket, we thought we would wear one to appropriately dress for the situation.

Our last leather jacket purchase was a lovely Massimo Dutti, similar in colour to that Coach, Wild Hogs style - gentrified rather than biker.

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JP 2020/06/16

www.hifiart.ca

Macbook 12

What would it take, at a minimum, to put together a music system?

MacBook 12 ($2,499.00 CDN)

Lumin X1 Preamplifier / DAC ($13,990.00 USD)

Spectral DMA-360 Power Amplifier ($20,000.00 USD)

SoundLab ultimate 745 Electrostatic Loudspeakers ($45,250.00 USD)

May we say that the MacBook 12, along with a "SideCar" USB, and AudioQuest Dragonfly might also qualify?

Headphones (in-ear) recommended would be the Final Audio F7200 Headphone ($ 479.00 USD, $ CDN), or the Asterall & Kern / Beyerdynamic Xelento Remote Headphones ($ 999.00 USD, $ CDN).

Horn loudspeaker enthusiasts would prefer the Final Audio alternative. It's sound distinctly mirrors our experience with the Klipsch Heressy II Loudspeakers ($ 1,598.00 USD, $ CDN) - although we used three (3) as part of a Home Theatre system, front and center - in that it conveys some parts of the music, instrumentally, and some parts, not. It's a beautiful headphone, and has it's place.

For jogging, Beyerdynamic Xelento Remote Headphone ($ 999.00 USD, $ CDN), tops the list. Musically, it's a Fidelity Acoustics reminisce in that it portrays instrumental attacks, honestly. There's no lack of detail (thought it's not electrostatic), so a contemporary comparision would be the Bowers & Wilkins B&W 800 D3 Loudspeaker ($ USD, $ CAD).

You could connect these to the MacBook, directly, or, via the AudioQuest.

We purchased the other day (yesterday), a Macbook 12 ($ USD, $2,499.00 CDN) for $1,000 - 16 GB RAM, 1.3 GHz i5 CPU, 256 GB SSD specification, AppleCare Warranty.

It was a system we previously recommended for the CEO.

As a device, it is solid, if but a bit heavy. At 2 lbs it makes on think of the MacBook Pro.

Presently, out of sale, it is bettered by the MacBook Air Retina.

The graphics are good, but bettered by the iPad Pro.

With 16 GB RAM, usage is good, but ...

It seems our MacMini has been obfuscated!

JP

Quad Artera Solus Integrated CD Player

How would the Quad Artera Solus ($2,495.99 USD), an Integrated CD Player, or CD Player with Pre-Amplifier and 75W Power Amplifier - - function as a reviewer's tool?

With a Signal to Noise Ratio (S/N) of > 104 dB, it's capable of 17-bit performance, So it's fully capable of playing a CD for good, then.

Professional XLR outputs are standard, so we could well imagine connecting it to the Quad Artera Stereo Power Amplifier ($ USD) along with the Quad ESL-2912 Electrostatic Loudspeakers ($ USD). As a reviewer, we would likely wish to ask Quad to add an Artera Play+ CD Player ($ USD) along with the Artera Pre Preamplifier.

Could we detect the differences in the various nimble configurations?

JP 2020/03/07
www.hifiart.ca

Christmas Wish List

Focal

Given that we are something of a Luxury Bazaar or an Ad-Infinitum Emporium (without any ads), would this be on the list?

Symphony 40th





It is a beautiful box, so it would, but we wish only that it would include something more valuable - like bars of gold!

We have no problem with the Focal Utopia Headphone (the diamond edition), or the Focal Stellia Headphone, with a closed back, which more represents luxury.

We felt like a schoolteacher, however, marking children's academic papers (elementary school) on listening to the Focal Utopia Headphone - with no wide-enough sound stage - like the Sennheiser 800, and it is no Focal Grande Utopia III EM Loudspeaker with a good room!

A gift for yourself, when you are 40! (forget the Focal Utopia - you'll have it by then).

HiFiMan

On the topic of headphones, since we are talking about them, and a wide-enough, or not wide enough sound-stage.

Would we yet recommend...

Susvara



Use with the Focal Arche, included with the Focal 40th.

Qyestyle

CMA Twelve Master

Upgrade your Focal Arche and HiFiMan Susvara combination with the Questyle CMA Twelve Master.

So that you do not fall into what Engles (of Marx and Engles) would call "False Consciousness", by falling into the wishes of the master, and abandoning your own best interest, consider a Freudian (psychological) reading of our recommendations, based on the names of the products.

Focal Utopia Hi Fi Man Arche Susvara Questyle CMA Twelve Master.

Here's to the New Year!

John

JP 2019/12/13