Drop + THX AAA™ 789 Linear Amplifier Discussions | Drop

Sep 25, 2019

DarielsantanaI'm also getting a slew of emails. Sorry to break it to you, but the hype ship has sailed guys. They burned themselves by increasing the price even when there was no stock available. There are some fanatics on here, but overall sensible consumers didn't allow themselves to get swept up, and they found better alternatives in the mean time.

Sep 25, 2019

Oct 3, 2019

DarielsantanaBonus comment: these headphones amps are a fad and a hoax. I've hooked up my DX3 Pro to a Sony Integrated Stereo amplifier and I run my 6XX off that. It's a 80 W + 80 W amp (80,000 mW x 2). It makes the headphone amps look and sound like toys, and at 30% volume the 6XXs are already super loud, plus it has the ability to drive passive speakers, accepts multiple RCA inputs so I can hook up everything to it, acts as a pre amp for my turntable, and it has tone controls so I can tune the bass and treble. And the kicker? It only cost me EUR 80 used, but like new condition. Luckily the 789 was out of stock when I was in the market, because I would have been kicking myself if I had bought it.

Oct 3, 2019

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Lisasonictower

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Oct 3, 2019

LuckyLuke575I used to use my technics integrated for my headphones and whilst they could play super loud which I’m a fan off, there just wasn’t enough clarity to be able to listen at that volume for long periods constantly riding the volume dial. The 789 fixed the issue. There are are multiple ways to achieve the same goal to suit our own needs and requirements but to say headphone amps are a fad and a hoax is being disingenuous. Im super happy that you have found your own audio nirvana though and that’s the only important thing really. We all should be here ultimately to enjoy the music however it’s delivered to our ear holes. Some are happy with airpods and others require the million digit system, it’s a spectrum of everything in between end to end.

Oct 3, 2019

Oct 10, 2019

LuckyLuke575I'm not even sure I understand what you're saying here. You're running headphones off a *speaker* output? Unless you have HE6s that's ridiculous, and you will destroy your drivers. If you're running your headphones through the headphone jack you aren't getting 80 watts, you're getting FAR less power. Integrated headphone outputs are almost always awful because they're afterthoughts. The fact you didn't even listen to the 789 to compare tells me you're justifying not buying something for all the wrong reasons. You can drive any headphone from any source, loudly, it doesn't mean it's actually good or powerful. I used to run my headphones through my Cambridge Audio integrated, and they sound far worse than through the 789 (and having owned Sony parts, I can promise the Cambridge sounds better). That's not to say there aren't good alternatives to the THX 789, but to call it a fad is silly. It's one of the most revealing pieces of equipment I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot.

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Oct 10, 2019

Oct 12, 2019

postwarscarsThe amp has a headphone output... lmao Whatever you're hearing is psychoacoustics bud. After watching Z reviews, jumping on the hype train, and paying 400 bucks and waiting months to receive it, you'll hear anything. Plus you need to isolate the effect of the DAC being used vs the amp. It's technically a great amp, but the point I'm making is that there are a wide range of alternatives out there that people need to research and know about, and not just pay $400 and wait months just to get a headphone amp. In my case, this lead to different paths.

Oct 12, 2019

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Oct 12, 2019

LisasonictowerOn the whole, the renewed interest in Hi-Fi equipment is great, and the 789, Atom, Topping, SMSL devices, tube amps etc. have provided people with a lot of options. I also own headphone amps which I use daily. The point is that people stand to gain a lot by questioning the value proposition and know about all the options that are out there. Just a few months ago I would have bought the 789 (if it had been available), and I'm so glad I didn't, given the better and cheaper options that I found later. One straight example is the 789 vs Atom alternative; equivalent sound quality, $100 vs $400; you can have an Atom with a D50s DAC for less than the price of the 789 and have the best headphone audio listening experience available today. The integrated stereo amp that I picked up for 80 EUR (Mint used) is another example.

Oct 12, 2019

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Lisasonictower

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Oct 12, 2019

LuckyLuke575Exactly my point and view, options....no right or wrong.

Oct 12, 2019

Oct 12, 2019

LuckyLuke575You realize a headphone output on an integrated stereo is, at best, an afterthought. Right? I don't know why you're loling here, I literally told you why using that output wasn't very good. There's no 80 watts driving your headphones. Typically those headphone outputs are neither clean, nor high power. It's ironic you speak of psychoacoustics, because how you're responding to your equipment (and reasoning its worth) is the exact definition. Look, anyone's value and worth in a product is based on what they want to pay. You don't want to pay $400 for a headphone amp. That's fair, there are cheaper options which may better suit your needs (I listed a few in my review). I don't believe in trying to use subjective reasoning when it comes to amps, because what you hear is deceiving. I said as much in my review of the 789. But to say a Sony integrated amp's headphone output is directly equivalent to the 789 (or any decent headphone amp, for that matter) is factually inaccurate. Pure objective measurements say as much (hence why I said my Cambridge sounds better, they make very solid performing equipment in their price ranges). I used to own a pair of HE6 headphones. Had you powered them through your integrated output you'd have understood the limitations. Personally, I'll take having the ability to drive anything properly over the false belief I can. Not everyone needs a 789, but an Atom is definitely worth the investment. I own both, and personally the headroom on the 789 is more enjoyable with my LCD2Cs. It's not better sounding specifically, but the authority of power is something you can't always replicate. Also, I live in a house where the original owners jacked up the wiring, so having ground loop rejection is really useful.

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Oct 12, 2019

Oct 13, 2019

postwarscarsYou have a talent for saying very little with many words, and for missing the point, which @Lisasonictower seemed to get. In any case, it looks like you've been taken hook, line and sinker because you own both an 789 and Atom. Aren't you satisfied by being robbed by the hype train just once, you need to make a second round lol I have other dacs and amps that measure as well as the 789, that isn't the issue. The message to other people is that they should research all the options available and then make a decision, and not go for a $400 device and then have to wait for months after parting with their money, and then still needing to spend money on a dac. The Topping DX3 Pro is one example that objectively measures very close to the 789, has a dac and way better features, and only costs $200.

Oct 13, 2019

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Oct 13, 2019

LuckyLuke575No, I got your point, it's that you assume things that are false or inaccurate (and try to insult me as if I somehow don't comprehend the shallowness of your opinion). Don't pander false information as truth, it misleads people and makes you sound naive. Fact: a Sony integrated amplifier's headphone output isn't blowing the doors off dedicated headphone amps. It's a terrible claim and completely bereft of truth. Fact: I literally said not everyone needs a 789, and I even explained use cases but you ignored that to foster propaganda pandering arguments, which I have no interest in. Fact: I own the Atom and 789, not because of hype, but because I use the Atom at work and the 789 at home. Outside of some older Schiit gear that I'm selling, those are the only headphone amps I own (I also own an integrated, a theater processor and a 7 channel power amp, and all of those are specific uses and get regular rotation). I don't purchase anything based on "hype." I've said in my reviews that in the single-ended space there are many options that constitute a good value against the 789, so don't put words in my mouth. Not only would I NEVER debate counter, I would NEVER want to sound so inadequately misinformed. My use for the 789 is specifically power, which is the only reason I don't simply own 2 Atoms. Also, just so I make myself clear, one of the reasons I bought the Atom is because the company is from my father's hometown, and they're good people.

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Oct 13, 2019

Oct 13, 2019

postwarscarsYou are the one misleading people son. It's alright, the punters will read the thread and make their own choices.

Oct 13, 2019

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