JDS Labs
VerifiedJDS Labs designs, manufactures, and ships high-performance headphone amplifiers and digital-to-analog converters from their 8,000-square-foot facility in Collinsville, Illinois. Founded in 2007 by electrical engineer John Seaber—starting in a college bedroom with a DIY headphone amp—the company has grown into a respected American audio brand known for transparent, measurements-first engineering. PCBs are assembled in Chicago; every amp and DAC is assembled, tested, and shipped directly from Collinsville. JDS Labs sells exclusively direct-to-consumer from their website, skipping retail middlemen to deliver flagship-grade performance at honest prices.
Products by JDS Labs
4 products listed
$149JDS Labs Atom Phono Preamp
The Atom Phono combines an RIAA phono preamplifier with Baxandall tone controls in a single desktop unit for vinyl enthusiasts. Selectable 30 or 40 dB gain, a subsonic filter to suppress turntable rumble, and independent bypass toggles let it serve as a phono preamp, tone control stage, or both simultaneously—assembled in Collinsville, Illinois.
$149JDS Labs Atom DAC 2
The Atom DAC 2 is a compact desktop digital-to-analog converter with USB Type-C and TOSLINK optical inputs, supporting audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD. An XMOS engine with upgradeable firmware, ES9018K2M DAC chip, and MEMS oscillators deliver precise low-jitter conversion in an aluminum chassis assembled in Collinsville, Illinois.
$129JDS Labs Atom Amp 2 Headphone Amplifier
The Atom Amp 2 is JDS Labs' best-selling headphone amplifier: an all-aluminum unit delivering 2.6 watts per channel through octo-buffer technology. Dual headphone outputs (4.4mm balanced and 6.35mm standard), dual inputs, and RCA preamp outputs make it a versatile desktop hub—assembled in Collinsville, Illinois with PCBs built in Chicago.
$549JDS Labs Element IV Headphone DAC & Amplifier
The Element IV is JDS Labs' flagship desktop headphone amplifier and DAC combo, delivering 3.2 watts of clean power with integrated 12-band parametric EQ via the Core web app. An OLED display, discrete optical volume encoder, and XMOS-based USB interface bring professional-grade signal processing to a compact aluminum enclosure built entirely in Collinsville, Illinois.