Geshelli Labs JNOG2 Socketed

HiFi, DAC, Audio
Geshelli Labs JNOG2 Socketed [J2S] — A Florida Garage With Big Ideas

This is the first in a short series of three reviews looking at the current Geshelli Labs lineup. Geshelli is a husband-and-wife operation out of Florida — Geno builds the gear, Shelley runs the shop, and the whole thing has the feel of a small workshop where someone actually picks up the phone when you ring. After living with their J2S DAC, Archel 3S Pro and Erish 3 Pro for a few weeks I wanted to write each one up properly, because there’s something genuinely lovable about what they’re doing.

We start with the most affordable of the three, the JNOG2 Socketed — the J2S to its friends.

Build & Design

At $259.99 the J2S is the entry point into Geshelli’s DAC range, and your first reaction when you open the box is probably going to be “well, this is…basic.” There’s no machined-from-billet aluminium, no glowing dot-matrix display, no app. What you get is a powder-coated steel case, a clear plexi front and back panel, a row of latching push-buttons for input selection, and an LED ring around each button that you can have in any one of eight colours when you order. Mine arrived in a tasteful charcoal-and-blue scheme that genuinely looks the business on a desk.

The DIY aesthetic isn’t to everyone’s taste. Hometheaterhifi.com has reviewed several Geshelli products over the years and routinely flag the build as “not at the level of a Topping or SMSL machined chassis” — which is perfectly fair. But there’s something honest about it. You can see the workmanship. You can see that the boards inside are arranged thoughtfully. And critically — and this is the whole point of the J2S — you can pop the lid and start swapping opamps without voiding anything.

Round the back you’ve got two coaxial S/PDIF, two Toslink, and the DAC chip itself is the AKM AK4493. USB is an optional Amanero add-on at order time, which I’d argue should be standard at this price, but isn’t.

The Best Config

I’ve reviewed the J2S in what I consider its strongest possible configuration, which is with a pair of Sparkos SS2590 discrete opamps dropped into the sockets in place of the stock TI parts. Sparkos make discrete opamps from individual transistors and they’re not cheap — you’re adding around $240 to the order — but Geshelli have a long-standing relationship with Sparkos and the sockets are sized to take them straight in.

This is the Edward Ng configuration, in essence. Over on Head-Fi there’s a thread literally titled “Completely Blown Away — Geshelli J2S and Sparkos SS2590 — YES!” and that gentleman’s enthusiasm is contagious. He’d been running a Topping E70 Velvet — same chip family in the more recent J3 — and described the Geshelli with Sparkos as exceeding it for “soundstage depth and layering…so holographic now.” High praise.

I was sceptical going in because it’s a $260 DAC that you’re effectively doubling the cost of, and at that point you’re well into Schiit Bifrost 2/64 territory and within sight of a Denafrips Ares II. But the J2S in best config is a properly grown-up DAC, and I can see what Edward was on about.

Sound

Listening was done feeding the J2S balanced into the Erish 3 Pro (review coming next in this series), with the J2S also tested into my Sparkos Gemini for comparison against my reference RME ADI-2 DAC FS. Headphones rotated through the Sennheiser HD800S, Audeze LCD-X, Hifiman Arya Stealth, Meze 105 AER and Focal Clear MG.

Bass

With the Sparkos opamps installed the J2S has a low end that’s tight, articulate and slightly understated rather than punchy. On the LCD-X — which can be a bit of a bass monster if you let it — the J2S maintained beautiful texture without ever turning into a thumping mess. Sub-bass extension is real and present, but it’s never the headline. Compared to my RME ADI-2 DAC FS it’s perhaps a touch softer in the very deepest registers, where the RME’s clinical precision shows up.

Mids

This is where the J2S earns its keep. There’s a richness to the midrange — I want to say “roundness,” because that’s the word that kept coming back to me — that I associate with much more expensive kit. Vocals on the HD800S in particular were wonderful. The 800S can be a dry, analytical headphone in the wrong hands and the J2S brings just enough body to remind you that there’s a person singing. Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, even Tom Waits at his most gravelly — all rendered with the kind of presence that makes you stop scrolling on your phone and actually listen.

Treble

Smooth. Possibly slightly polite. The AK4493 has always had a slightly gentler top end than the equivalent ESS Sabre parts, and the Sparkos opamps don’t undo that — they just give the treble more body and texture. On the Focal Clear MG, which can occasionally bite with the wrong source, the J2S was lovely. On the HD800S, where I sometimes want a bit more sparkle and air, I could feel the J2S being well-mannered where my ADI-2 FS would push harder. Not a flaw — a character.

Soundstage & Imaging

This was the genuine surprise. On the Arya Stealth — which has one of the widest stages in headphones at any price — the J2S painted instruments with a layering and depth I hadn’t quite expected. There’s a sense of the back of the stage being further away than you’d think a $260 DAC could manage. Audiokey Reviews described an earlier J2 + E2 stack as having “remarkable spatial recall” and that’s exactly the right phrase. Edward Ng’s “holographic” comment is overstating it slightly — it’s not Holo Spring 3 holographic — but it’s well clear of where I expected this DAC to land.

Dynamics

Capable rather than explosive. The J2S won’t startle you the way a really top-end DAC will, but the macro-dynamic swings on big orchestral material come through cleanly, and micro-dynamics — the small breath-and-bow stuff — are well preserved. On the Meze 105 AER, which loves a relaxed dynamic source, it’s gorgeous.

Comparisons

Against my RME ADI-2 DAC FS, the Geshelli is warmer, slightly less precise, and arguably more musical. The RME is the more honest tool — it will tell you what’s on the recording, whether you wanted to know or not. The J2S in best config is the friendlier listen for long evenings.

Against the Schiit Bifrost 2/64 (which I previously reviewed on this blog), the J2S is more transparent and probably a touch more resolving up top. The Bifrost is warmer still and has that lovely Schiit “everything’s going to be fine” character. They’re different flavours of similar money.

The really telling comparison, though, is to a stock J2S without the Sparkos opamps. Audiofool Reviews looked at the stock pairing of J2 and E2 a few years back and found it perfectly competent — “highly recommended” — but a bit ordinary. Drop the Sparkos in and the whole thing comes alive. If your budget runs to it, do not skip the upgrade.

A Word On Reputation

I should mention this because it’s the elephant in the room for Geshelli: the original JNOG (the J1) was reviewed on Audio Science Review back in 2021 and Amir was not kind. 109 dB SINAD, jitter issues, channel linearity, the lot. He famously could not recommend it. That measurement still pops up in forum threads any time someone asks about Geshelli DACs.

The J2S is a different generation on a much better chip and Geshelli have clearly addressed the failings — they publish their own measurements on an Audio Precision APX555 these days. ASR has not, to my knowledge, gone back and re-measured the J2 or the J3, which is a shame because the brand deserves the receipts. In subjective listening, none of the original J1 problems are present in this unit.

Verdict

The J2S in best config is a sleeper. At $260 stock it’s a fine entry-level DAC. With Sparkos opamps installed it punches into territory two or three times its price. The build will divide opinion, the lack of stock USB is annoying, and the brand carries some old ASR baggage that Geshelli have moved on from but the internet hasn’t quite forgotten. None of that matters when you put music on.

It’s the start of a Geshelli stack that works as a system — and that’s where we’re heading next.

Pros

  • Genuinely musical, slightly warm presentation in best config
  • Sparkos socketed opamps are a real upgrade path, not marketing
  • Hand-built in Florida by people who answer their email
  • Customisable colour scheme and LED ring options
  • Excellent value at the base price

Cons

  • DIY build aesthetic won’t suit everyone
  • Amanero USB is a $50 extra rather than standard
  • Lead times are real — these are made to order
  • Polite top end may frustrate detail-chasers
  • Brand reputation still carrying baggage from the old J1 ASR review

Ratings:

  • Build & Design: 7 / 10
  • Sound (in best config): 8.5 / 10
  • Features: 7 / 10
  • Value (in best config): 9 / 10

Part one of three. Next up: the Archel 3S Pro, the most flexible headphone amp Geshelli make.