Drop + THX AAA™ 789 Linear Amplifier Discussions | Drop

Drop + THX AAA™ 789 Linear Amplifier

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Dec 20, 2018

Can anyone comment on any differences using this amp vs onboard audio(released in the past year)? What headphones did you use? I only seem to see externals amps are recommended if listening volume is not adequate or the headphones are demanding.

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Dec 21, 2018

Mist_xAn amp generally won't make too much of a difference. Generally. Using an external DAC in conjunction with an amp will. Because your motherboard is still electrically noisey. Most discrete dacs of any quality will also generally, be more able to resolve minute details as there's less interference. There is also the more convenient location of a headphone plug/volume knob vs plugging into your PC. That being said, motherboard audio is much better than it used to be, and some people are perfectly happy with it. The only way to know what will work for your system in particular is to try stuff out.

Dec 21, 2018

TaylorDI guess I'll have to then lol. That stinks hopefully the difference is noticeable. My onboard dac seems fine to me since i don't notice any sort of interference even at max volume. What kind of headphones would you say require an amp? HD 600? DT 990 250 ohms? HD 800? Maybe just only planar headphones?

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Dec 21, 2018

Mist_xPlenty of headphones don't require a discrete amplifier. But almost all headphones benefit from a discrete amplifier. If you can borrow an amp/dac combo unit, or something like a Schiit Stack (Magni/Modi), or something else like that, I'd say try it. Most on board audio is made by a chip company, and not an audio company. Some Gigabyte mobos use an ESS Sabre chip for their inboard DAC iirc. Recent motherboard audio isn't bad, and some people are perfectly fine with it, but again, the only way to be sure is to try it. Hell, even something small like a Fiio Q1 Mark II will be interesting. Also, don't forget to mess with windows audio settings. The other thing, is that interference isn't always audible. Sometimes it's just obscuring details in the music or games you never noticed before. I don't notice a huge difference over my recent on board audio myself, but I do notice a slightly wider sound stage, and much better detail retrieval. But that's my own ears with my own setup, so not worth much. But I do notice a much bigger difference over my old(ish) laptop's onboard audio. Like, a lot. But again, that's just me.

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Dec 21, 2018

TaylorDWell I guess there's no other way around it. I'll try to get something to test out. My dac on mobo uses ess sabre chip but eh? I don't know anyone that is into audiophile stuff unfortunately or know any places nearby me that would allow me test some amps and dacs with my headphones. I hope this works out thanks m8.

Dec 21, 2018

Mist_xWell hey man, if you trust your on board sound, that is okay. Honestly, your going to get more from a headphone change than an amp or a dac change. What headphones do you use daily right now?

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Dec 22, 2018

TaylorDHonestly I like my DT 990s for gaming and HD 600 do really well whenever I want to listen to music with lots of vocals, but the bass on the DT 990s is good for more bassy music. I wish I could find a headphone that would at least have both aspects so I don't need to change my headphones every time I want to do something. I think that might be the HD 800 but I'm not even sure yet since I never tested them out. I don't see myself purchasing them anytime soon though.

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Dec 22, 2018

Mist_xWell, the Fostex T50RP's have decent treble for gaming and also decent bass Extension, but they need power to drive... They're not too expensive tho. Did own a pair too, they're currently being modded. With the sure 1540 Pads and a comfort strap, they were probably some of the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn, and also they sounded good. The Focal Elex on here are pretty decent bass-wise supposedly. Nothing wrong with having multiple pairs. Lol, I have 5 pairs of headphones currently, and 3 pairs of IEMs. Different sounds for different days, you know?

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Dec 22, 2018

TaylorDI don't know if I would drop $700 here for a pair of headphones I never demoed but If i do find the non massdrop version I would try them in store. Massdrop doesn't do returns. and the T50RPs i haven't heard much of but they seem similar to the DT 990s. maybe it would be a sidegrade? Idk. lol I think I rather have at most two pairs since I'm a little poor. If I had more money I wouldn't mind having a headphone collection in my room.

(Edited)

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Dec 22, 2018

Mist_xThere isn't a non-MD pair of the Elex's. I guess the Elears with the Clear pads (iirc) are close? But the signature is similar to the 6XX/650, supposedly, and according to the frequency response graphs. Definitely demo the T50, T40, and/or T20, all the same driver, but different open-ness levels. If you decided you liked the T50 more, you could always sell your 880 or vice versa. Totally up to you. Good luck either way though.

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Marlowe

143

Dec 22, 2018

TaylorDI've seen others say this, but I (and others as well) don't get the comparison. The Elex sounds nothing like the 6XX to me. (TBH, I 'm not a big fan of the 6XX. It has insufficient bass for me and a very narrow soundstage--I have IEMs that are wider--though I do like vocals on it at times; I like the HD700 much better). The Elex has far better bass than the 6XX (in quality and quantity), a wider soundstage (though not as wide as the HD700, and is far more impactful and dynamic.

Dec 22, 2018

MarloweI dunno how big of an upgrade it would be then from the HD 600 since it sounds similar to what you described. I don't really like the not big amount of bass in it and the narrow sound stage. If I could have the amazing vocals on the HD 600 and the wider soundstage on my DT 990 plus a bit more bass I think that would be my perfect headphones. I find mixed reviews on the HD 700 though but I might as well try it if I do find them. Maybe the elears would be somewhat similar I don't really know lol.

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Dec 22, 2018

MarloweI guess I'm just not as sensitive to a narrow soundstage as other people. I owned the 6XX and currently a pair of 600s as I passed my 6XXs on to my step father (who's an actual audio engineer). I actually thought the 6XX had more bass than the 600, but the 600 had adequate bass for me. Then again, I don't think the 600 or the 650 are perfect. I did however, notice the 600 and 650 really opened up soundstage-wise, from balanced. Now, it doesn't make them super wide, but it certainly cleared up my claustrophobia. That's to my ears though. I don't own the Elex's myself, but I think the comparison comes from Massdrop, and also the similar looking frequency responses, though the Elex looks more refined/smoother, better extended in the low end. The Elear's are a fair bit more than the Elex's of course @Mist_x, so be careful there. The most bass I heard from a headphone was from a pair of modified T50's, that had the cotton mod, the toilet paper mod, and had the baffle vents mostly closed. Downside was that the cotton was different amounts in each ear, so the drivers sounded imbalanced, which annoyed me till I took it back to stock. I bought them like that tho lol. I'm currently waiting for them to become Argons because I want to see what all the hype is about... The reports of the wide sound stage and the good bass are pretty alluring. I personally tend to gravitate towards the more neutral cans, as I enjoy the 600/650, 58X, T60's... But I ended up giving away the 4XX and HE 350 as the latter were way too bright, and I just didn't love the 4XX enough. But I admittedly don't have enough experience with anything above mid-fi, (Idk if the 600/t60 coults for hifi), and no experience with summit-fi. Though, the Elex's and ZMF's Auteur and Aeolus were on my list.

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Dec 22, 2018

TaylorDI mean sound stage only bothers me when I'm gaming. For music it's fine ish for me. Sometimes I feel like I need a wider sound stage when I listen to music but usually I don't. What do you mean by balanced? you mean a balanced cable or something? I think I would be more comfortable buying elears then having the actual choice to return them than buying massdrop headphones which will effectively make me stuck with them even if I don't like them. I don't think HD 600 is really the most amazing headphones out there like everyone says, luckily I got them from amazon so I can return them and use the money to find something better. Argons? I think I heard of them once or twice. Do you have a link to them? I think I'm pretty flexible on my sound signature preferences. I went from a neutral headphones to DT 990s which are said to be not likeable coming from a neutral sound signature. I like the added bass but it isn't overwhelming at all either. Maybe some more would be nice or maybe an amp could help. I was going to go out but the stores were closed that let me demo headphones so that stinks. Wish they were open. I think most people say HD 600 is midfi.

Dec 22, 2018

Mist_xModhouse Audio sells the Argon Mk-III as a mod of the Fostex T50RP Mk-III. Because it takes him so long, there's pretty much always a secondhand market for them. Here's the link if you need more information: https://www.modhouseaudio.com/argon-mk3/zimu3wz0oyxlavnprki2jovso6c31v I actually really like my HD 600's lol. They're great for what they are, and I actually just got my 789, and even RCA-in, there's another noticable soundstage improvement over the Aune X7s I was using. Yeah, when I say balanced, I mean fully discrete right and left channels. Headphones terminated in a 3.5mm or 1/4" jack with 3 sections (A tip, a ring, and a sleeve) share a ground. Balanced means that both channels get a hot and a cold. Connector wise, this means either terminating in a 4-pin XLR connector, or some type of 4 pole mini-jack, like the 2.5mm for Fiio/Astel&Kern Portables, 3.5mm for Hifiman Portables, or 4.4mm (Pentaconn) for Sony's. The main purpose of balanced connections was to reject common mode interference (electrical noise) over long cable runs in the recording studios, and it's benefit has been debated in audio circles. But fully separate channels include the amp stages as well. Using the XLR output on the 789 for example, has a separate amp stage for each channel, so there's more power that can be sent through each channel as a result. I've noticed what other's have as well, that there is a more noticeable separation of channels between right and left, accounting for the wider sound stage? Either way, being worried about returns is valid. There is always the option to sell second hand with MD as limited edition items tend to get snapped up by people, though I sympathize with not wanting to take a hit monetarily.

Dec 22, 2018

TaylorDAh I see I didn't know they were modded version of those headphones lol. mmmm I don't know if I'm ready to put into the 789 for the moment. From what I hear from other people they didn't notice a huge improvement over the JDS atoms amp so I might attempt it myself when I have more money. or if when my JDS atoms comes in and I am impressed with what it does(if it does) anything to my HD 600 + DT 990. Oh yeah, that seems interesting I never heard of that with balanced cables. That might seem nice , I think heard some people from the community arguing whether or not it makes a difference. Maybe it does or doesn't idk for sure myself. I don't think I would be able to sell second hand like to ebay, I think I would lose some money maybe? Since ebay takes some from the sales, then I have to worry about shipping, seems like a hassle for me :/ and something like craigslist I rarely see anyone sell a higher end pair of headphones that isn't 2-3 hours away from me so I doubt anyone would buy from there. Maybe at a headphone meetup there might be massdrop headphones someone brings.

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