So in summary, here’s some quick pros and cons of the stock JS-2, and the modified JS-2.
Pros of JS-2
- Two rails, with variable output (5, 7, 9 and 12 V).
- Decent sound quality
- Soft non-blinding LED light (and it’s not white or blue)
- Comes with a shielded power cord
- Very good imaging and expansive sound stage.
Cons of JS-2
- Very soft aluminum. Makes the product looks cheap given the price point of the product
- Finishing not as well as I would like, screws can be seen exposed on the radiator fins. Too industrial.
Pros of Modified JS-2
- Makes stock JS-2 sound digital in comparison
- Very dark background and natural decay of harmonics
- Remove digital hash for me, allowing me to better focus on the music
- This is now my current reference for CA power supply
Cons of Modified JS-2
- Expensive mod - I’m effectively throwing half the JS-2 away
- Seemed to have lost something (Could be KDac issue, still trying to pin point cause)
- Heavy
For me personally this is a no brainer, buy a JS-2 and modify it. For the non-DIY’er, perhaps ask Uptone to release a model with the Hashimotos (and you don’t void your warranty in the process). The makers behind JS-2 did almost everything right, the Hashimotos are simply icing on the cake.
Hashimoto Information:
For those interested, the Hashimotos are:
| Model No. |
Type |
Specifications |
| H-2329 |
Transformer |
22 V @ 10 A |
| H-2330 |
Choke |
150 MH, resistance < 2 Ohms |
Available from Mr Isao Asakura In the USA by contacting: [email protected]
The usual common sense disclaimer applies. Modifying the JS-2 will void the warranty and you can do very serious damage to the JS-2 and your equipment if you do not know what you’re doing. Do this at your own risk, and Snakeoil OS is not responsible for any damage caused by your mistake.
Equipment used for review:
- KillerDAC (TDA1541 NOS)
- AudioGD-GD (normal USB cable from PC and normal RJ45 cable to KillerDAC in I2S mode)
- Lenehan ML-1 Ultras + Tune Stands Mk 1 + Toppers
- Marantz SC-11S1 pre amp
- Marantz SM-11S1 power amp
- Kimber SilverStreak XLR (pre amp to power amp)
- Achtung RCA (from KillerDAC to pre amp)
- Lenehan Ribbontek Speaker Cables
- ClearAudio Diamond Power line power cables
- PSAudio P5
- Compuater
- Jetway NF9c 2600
- 64 GB CFast running Snakeoil OS v0.1.3-pre-release, using Squeezelite only mode (LMS installed on another server)
- PPA USB card (PCI-e)
- Intel NIC (PCI-e)
- Kurouto Shikou (玄人誌向) noise filter (PCI-e)
- mini PCI-e to 3 PCI-e 1x bridge
- Squeezlite 1.6.4-test (music served from NAS)
[Update 24 Jan 2017]
After more than 6 months with Jensens capacitors inside the JS-2, now I’m back to the stock caps but with less capacitance. With about six months of listening experience, it’s fair to say I do not like what the Jensens is doing. For more info please read the forum post here: forums.
