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Mark_M
236
Apr 19, 2020
I have the 789 paired with a Topping D70. Would the LCX be any sort of downgrade?
Pharmaboy
60
Apr 30, 2020
Mark_MIt would be a "different-grade," a sound different than what you're used to. I have the original Liquid Carbon v2 from Cavalli, and it's one of my favorite amps (I have 5 other SS amps, a couple of which cost way more). I haven't heard either the 789 or Topping D70, but read many reviews of each. Both those units are often called "neutral," "transparent," etc. Which to my ears (depending on headphone used) can sound harmonically threadbare, lacking the natural weight of live music in midbass to bass. This LCX will give you all of that--it's a very musical/music-first sound
Mark_M
236
May 1, 2020
PharmaboyWell right now I'm using either the 6XX or 58X. My amp and DAC are connected via balance cables and I use my headphones with the 4 pin XLR.
Pharmaboy
60
May 1, 2020
Mark_MI can never get the new Sennheiser designations straight. Is "6XX" the same as HD600? If yes, I've heard that HP...but not the other. What it comes down to is where your tastes fall along the spectrum of amp voicings. Imagine the coldest, most forensic-sounding amp on the far left; the warmest amp of all on the far right. Most amps fall somewhere in between. Your THX amp veers a little toward the left: many call it "neutral," which may mean revealing, or accurate, or not especially musical/forgiving (depending on the headphone). The LCX falls a little toward the right: more warmth (but not excessive), a bit of emphasis in the bass (many headphone lovers appreciate this), and an overall "musical" (ie, entertaining, suave) voicing. I like amps that are a little right of center, including tube amps. Many others go crazy for neutral amps that would give me a headache. One thing is certain: w/the LCX instead of the THX amp, you'd hear different things from those headphones than you're now hearing.
(Edited)
Mark_M
236
May 2, 2020
PharmaboySo in gaining more "warmth" would I be losing any of the detail in the music?
Pharmaboy
60
May 2, 2020
Mark_MThat's maybe too simplistic. Warm/cold is only one sonic continuum to consider: others include dynamics (lifeless-to-headbanging); bass (thin/parched-to-bombastic/ear-crushing); treble (peaky/shrieky-to-closed in/syrupy). It's quite possible for two amps to convey the same amt of detail in very different ways. One might be on the cold side, sharp-focus forensic-detail; the other a little warmer, a little more resonance & air. It's a subtle distinction, but real. I have 7 amps and have heard many others...they all do things a little differently. You may or may not hear less apparent detail going from THX to LCX. I don't know because I never heard the THX. But based on user comments I've read about the THX (describing it as a relatively flat, neutral, non-exciting, but accurate...like a music studio wish-list)--it's possible the LCX would sound somewhat more dynamic, musical, entertaining. More like real live music.
(Edited)
Mark_M
236
May 3, 2020
PharmaboyHmm well I wouldn't mind a warmer sound but not a dark sound. Not sure if that is possible. I've also considered the Schiit Jotunheim as well. That also seems to be overall well regarded.
Pharmaboy
60
May 3, 2020
Mark_MI've heard that one at shows. It has a ton of power but IMO is a bit sharp/bright. Others will almost certainly disagree (this being 100% subjective)--so let's split it down the middle & say the Jot emphasizes dynamics over ear-friendly tonality. All comments are obviously from my perspective: a long-time aversion to bright/etched sound, so prevalent in audiophile 2-channel gear as well as headphone audio.
Mark_M
236
May 3, 2020
PharmaboyHmm okay. I'm not sure I'd want the sound to be too bright. Is the LCX the same with or without the SDAC built in? I know there is one with the SDAC built in.
Pharmaboy
60
May 3, 2020
Mark_MI think the LCX amp circuit is the same whether in standalone configuration, or in the combo box w/SDAC. I recommend you research reviews & user comments re SDAC. Many love it, and it's one of the most affordable well-made DACs around. But too often I read comments like "bright-sounding," "emphasizes upper midrange," etc. The LCX & SDAC may well have synergy together of the warm + bright kind (just a guess--I never heard it). But I'd be careful about introducing DAC brightness into your system. If you heard that & didn't like it, you'd be stuck with it. Again, purely my opinion. I'm a big fan of multibit & especially NOS digital...went in that direction 4-5 years ago and never looked back.
Mark_M
236
May 3, 2020
PharmaboyI had the standalone SDAC before. Both the standard and balanced version. But I have since "upgraded" to the Topping D70. The Schiit gear has multi-bit but I have not used such DACs before.
Pharmaboy
60
May 3, 2020
Mark_MDid you like the sound of the SDAC? How does it compare to the Topping D70?
Mark_M
236
May 3, 2020
PharmaboyWell I'm not the best at describing sound. I'd say that the D70 is more refined than the SDAC-B. The D70 seems to bring out some more details I didn't hear with the SDAC-B. I'm controlling the volume via the D70 with the remote so I don't touch the volume on the 789.
PharmaboyThe Drop x Senn 6XX is an HD650 in different colorway and a shorter cable terminated in 3.5mm. The HD600 and HD650 do differ slightly in their tonality. HD650 has more bass and less upper mid/low treble, generally speaking lots of revisions on these over the years.
rslatara
287
Sep 13, 2020
Mark_MCheck the specs.
ciber
231
Oct 11, 2020
Pharmaboy100% agree. Closely compared with 789, of course, 789 has more power ( it has 3 levels), but it is very dry and clean, lack of musical taste. LCX has less power, recommend to use XLR output only. With XLR balanced output, it brings lots of musical to my Headphones (Hifiman and Sennheiser).
Josepfe
49
Nov 26, 2020
PharmaboyHi, I own the Sennheisers 6xx, which are said to scale very well with tube amplifiers, and also the Hifiman Sundaras, a planar which are said not to pair well with tubes. I own the JDS labs ATOM which according to the reviews offers similar results as the txh-789 (low distortion, not colouring the sound, tons of power even if only SE). So maybe the 789 would be kind of redundant purchase?. So the dilemma would be whether opting for a real tube amplifier such as the Dark Voice (however no guarantee offered by Drop and limited possibility of returns, specially for the European clients) or for one of the two Alex Cavalli (either the hybrid or the liquid), to complement my Atom. Grateful if you could give me your views based on your experience with your 7 amplifiers :-). Thanks Jose Pedro
Pharmaboy
60
Nov 26, 2020
JosepfeJose: I haven't heard the JDS Labs ATOM or the 789, though I occasionally read reviews/comments for them. However similar the sound of both may be (ie, more towards neutral), the 789 is far more powerful than the JDS. And the JDS can be used as a preamp (not all headphone amps do so). That may or may not be useful to you. IMO it would be quite simple to get a 2nd headphone amp to contrast the JDS. My recommendation would be the Liquid Carbon X, based on my highly positive experience with the Cavalli LC v2. It's somewhat warmer than either of the other amp, but that warmth is not like a syrup poured over the headphones. Sometimes the LC does "synergy" with a warm headphone, with the result being sound that's not warmer than the headphone already is. That can be quite useful. An even cheaper, Cavalli-derived amp choice is the Liquid Spark. I haven't heard it, but many like its sound. It's more powerful than the Atom & may be a fun contrast to it: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=33304 Talking about tube amps gets a little more complicated, because you have to choose between a transformer-coupled tube amp (easily powers headphones of any impedance) vs an output-transformerLess (OTL) tube amp, which works best with high impedance headphones like the HD650/6XX. Tubes can sound pretty amazing & somewhat different from any SS amp, no matter how warm it is. Interesting sidenote about the Sundara: It's a planar, and I've found that planars (I've had 3 or 4, still have 2) sound quite good on an OTL tube amp, despite having lower-than-recommended impedance for an OTL. If you use a low impedance dynamic HP on an OTL, the bass will be boomy/swollen and won't sound good. But planars sound just as intended (reasons are complex: planar drivers have very different impedance variation by frequency than do dynamic drivers). So if you want to experiment w/tubes via Darkvoice or any other OTL, it would probably be enjoyable & interesting. FWIW, I have a number of high impedance HPs and have heard them all on my OTL (Woo WA3), and sometimes other big/expensive OTLs at shows. The HD650/6XX, like all dynamics, sounds very good on an OTL, with subtle but very welcome gains in soundstage dimension, note dimension, 3D quality to notes, etc.
(Edited)
Josepfe
49
Nov 26, 2020
PharmaboyWoahh, that was a fantastic and very useful reply, it is very much appreaciated!!. I will probably go for an OTL tube amplifier then. It will also be very interesting to see how it interacts with my Aune T1s (it has a SS amplifier but also a tube DAC) and with the Arcam rDAC, which provides a very lively and clean sound. My choices would be either the Dark Voice or even the Echo from Feliks audio, I don´t know if you have ever heard about it: https://headfonics.com/feliks-audio-echo-review/ Kind regards Jose Pedro PS- what a coincidence, today one of my best audiophile friends told me about the Woo WA3 and now you mentioned it again :-). I have done a search online, it is the most affordable model of the Woo audio series, however the price (at least in Europe) is around 1000$....much above than I can pay...
(Edited)
Pharmaboy
60
Nov 27, 2020
JosepfeI'm glad that information is helpful! I definitely heard of the Feliks Echo. Many on Head-Fi (the headphone site I belong to) rave about Feliks, starting with the Echo, then Expressivo, then Euphoria. Feliks is a Polish mfr, if I'm not mistaken--probably more convenient for EU customers. You have a couple interesting DACs, which means you can do unique combinations/comparisons w/this amp+that DAC (fun!). I have one multibit DAC in my headphone-only side system (Audio GD DAC-19); and 5 ft away is the main desktop system w/MHDT Labs Orchid, an NOS DAC. I prefer multibit and/or NOS to regular delta/sigma DACs. Re WA3, I'm sorry to say it's being discontinued. Woo Audio is a great company: I met most of them at NYC CanJams. Jack Wu was very helpful in answering my questions & helping me buy the WA3. It wasn't terribly expensive--think it was ~$800-$900 w/2 x upgrade driver tubes. It's not big but it sounds very nice. Last year I picked up the far bigger/more powerful WA22, but ended up selling it...just too big for my crowded desktop. When you get any tube amp you'll discover power ratings mean very little. I doubt the WA3 has 1/4 of the power of some of my solid state amps, but it drives every single headphone like crazy. Happy listening!
Josepfe
49
Nov 27, 2020
PharmaboyMany thanks again for your prompt and kind reply!. The dilemma now is whether the law of diminishing returns may apply in this case: buying the Echo for 600$ or the DV for 300$. On the other hand, the Echo seems much better built and has 2-year guarantee, while DV is a popular, well-regarded tube amp which is said to pair extremely well with the 6xx, but is neither not as good-looking nor as well built as the Echo and there is no guarantee offered my Drop. Kind regards JP
Josepfe
49
Dec 25, 2020
PharmaboyHi again, I finally got the Feliks Echo (second hand but brand new by all means) for nearly half its price. It is a fantastic amplifier: well built, pretty good looking and has lots of power to drive my Senns 6xx, Beyers DT 990 etc. Interesting enough, I do not perceive that it adds warmth to the sound, but rather it provides a very clean sound with a very dark background (not the slightlest hiss or noise even with no music playing). If any it has increased the punchiness of the bass of the 6xxs and also cleared the high frequencies. So it has turned the 6xxs from being somehow specialised in vocal-focused music into all-rounder headphones. So in a nut-shell, the Echo is a keeper, and more than probably my end-game headphone amplifier and pre-amp for my Hi-Fi equipment as well. Many thanks again for your input, which has been very useful to me Kind regards...and Merry Christmas!
(Edited)
Pharmaboy
60
Dec 25, 2020
JosepfeWhat you describe--in the wacky world of tubes & tube amps--is considered "SUCCESS!!" (really). When you get a tube amp that doesn't color sound as much as clarify it, and actually increases bass punch, you just hit the jackpot & proved the extra $$ was totally worth it. Happy listening & Merry Christmas back at you!
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