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Drop + THX AAA™ 789 Linear Amplifier
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Drop + THX AAA™ 789 Linear Amplifier
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Product Description
Announced at CES 2018, the Drop + THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier (THX AAA™) 789 is a linear bipolar amplifier with feed-forward error correction. It’s designed for objectivists who appreciate an incredibly clean, transparent amp—the sought-after “wire with gain” whose amplification is wholly uncolored by a sound of its own Read More
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DreadLion
18
Dec 24, 2019
Like these guys are saying, it's got a lot of power which is really good for high impedance headphones. Before I had this amp my other amp could drive my LCD-X pretty well but not with anywhere near the authority the 789 can. The bass has improved dramatically; it's much more full and punchier than before.
Snake0IL415
62
Feb 1, 2020
Better...as everyone said on the post, low distortion and power. But like all things audio, overall why something is better is subjective.
Personally, I’m all in on the THX 789 hype. Never been much of a solid state guy (I’ve owned an O2 amp, Beyer A20, and have a Schiit Jot with balanced DAC) but this amp has changed my opinion; love how this amp sounds.
I recently picked up the FiiO Q5s with THX amp module, and love that too. Doesn’t have the same power obviously, but still sounds great and perfect for my TIN P1s.
Buy this amp! Or any other THX AAA iteration.
John-Hendry
0
Apr 8, 2021
Snake0IL415I'm not knocking the THX 789 with it's external power supply... why I'm looking at it, but just remember the Schiit Jot was designed for the Raal/Requisite headphones and only the amp hungry Raal/Requisite ribbon headphones.
ElectronicVices
2937
Feb 2, 2022
John-HendryThe Jot R was a modification of the existing Jotunheim for use with ribbon headphones, particularly the RAAL SR1-a. Regular headphone version came first, your source of this information was incorrect.
radical6014
2
Apr 23, 2021
Probably build quality. I know this is not a popular view, but I'd be careful about the Atom. Fortunately, if you ignore this advice, JDS has great customer service.
h4tch3tt
36
Dec 19, 2019
outside of the lower distortion the options are what makes it awesome. 3 way to connect headphones and RCA or XLR inputs from a DAC allows for pretty much any desk setup you could have.
Au-Dios
35
Dec 19, 2019
One important reason for why the Drop 789 is better than the JDS Labs Atom to me is the XLR output, the 6.3mm output, and the 3.5mm output all being available without the need for adapters. Thank you.
hopchoo
0
Dec 18, 2019
sounds like a higher frequency so the bass sounds way better and precise then the atom. and you have more output options and higher power i say it's worth the upgrade for price vs sound
smkralik
9
Apr 1, 2020
Agreed, my easy-to-drive Shure SRH1540 headphones still sound better, or at the very least louder, with the JDS Labs Atom, especially when I drive my headphones balanced. I am more satisfied with the build quality, extended 3 yr warranty ($50 upcharge on the THX), passthru to my monitors, and finer gain selection.
mahon232
14
Jan 2, 2020
How do I connect this to my computer? I have an rca cable and I plugged it into the headphone jack of my computer while connecting the red and white cables to the input on the back. When I turn it on I hear a loud static noise.
Aries
155
Mar 4, 2020
Headphone jack on a computer is amplified through a typically crappy amp. This is a great amp. Garbage in, garbage out. Get yourself a DAC which will connect to the computer via USB and then connect its output to the THX. There's lots on here to pick from -- Topping, Grace Design, etc.
Artismo
461
Nov 6, 2019
As in true dual mono? No, I believe the engineer covered this in the discussion, but if IIRC, according to him, the performance difference is negligible or non-existent.
Artismo
461
Nov 6, 2019
Balanced output for better compatibility and channel separation. Lower single ended power, but significant power through XLR, which the Atom does not have.
SlothTheWizard
2
Mar 29, 2020
I'm new to the audiophile community, would love some help!
I'm a pc gamer who will be plugging this into my pc, what do I need to know and what is required? or is it plug and play to a pc easily?
Headphones = HD6XX
E.G Will I need to buy an XLR cable? or an extra item?
Do I *require* a dac this instant? or can I wait a little after getting the amp
What else is recommended to add to my audio setup?
What dacs are recommended to pair with this amp?
spartan2600
21
Apr 14, 2020
Using this amp alone with your computer would not be a waste. Although a motherboard builtin DAC is not ideal, this amp is significantly better than your motherboard's.
You just need a 3.5mm audio jack to RCA cable/adapter. The only inputs are RCA and XLR, and you wouldn't have XLR outs on your motherboard. Plug and Play technology doesn't even come in to play here since amps only take analog in.
You can definitely wait to get a DAC. An amp will be by far the bigger improvement, so I'd recommend getting this first. Topping makes great, affordable, feature-packed DACs, you can make that your second purchase. Any good external DAC $50+ or a good soundcard like the Creative AE-5 will get you 99% of the way there. I bought a Topping D50s for that last 1%.
Of a good gaming system I'd consider good headphones 60%, the amp 30%, and a good DAC 10%.
For reference: I own this Amp and mostly use it with Beyerdynamic 990 600ohm. I use it secondarily with Beyer 880's and Grado 325is. My current DAC is the Pico Upsampling DAC, but I have an order in for the Topping D50s to ship later this month.
(Edited)
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