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G3n3r1c
216
Dec 13, 2018
checkVerified Buyer
Meet "The Sandblaster" Overall: I use this amp to drive a range of headphones in the $500-$1,000 bracket. It's value comes from (1) providing enough power for demanding headphones, (2) minimizing background noise per the balanced architecture. This amp is all about unvarnished straight-up reality. If you've watched any of the car restoration shows on TV, some things look good from a distance but are junk once you get beneath the paint. The 789 amp is a sandblaster that removes cover for any defects in your music sources or headphones. The defects were there before, but the noise and distortion probably made everything sound a bit different, fuzzier, or smoother. With this amp you can hear each and every crack in a singer's voice, exactly when the recording clipped, and more detail than some sources should have. Fair warning. The 789 is great for some headphones and recordings, but I prefer the Loxjie P20 balanced tube amp for other scenarios. Note that I also own a Massdrop Cavalli Tube Hybrid (CTH) amp, but it's not balanced and has less clarity overall. Equipment used for testing:
  • FiiO Q5 Amp/DAC through the line out (DAC only mode)
  • Balanced cables for all headphones tested

Headphones with comments:

  • Focal Elex: Inherently very clean and dynamic headphones. They improve substantially on a balanced amp (i.e., balanced reduces their mid range glare and intensity), but they are not very hard to drive. They work well on a mobile device, but the 789 best manages their extremes and improves accuracy/clarity. A perfect pairing with the 789.
  • MrSpeakers AEON Flow Closed: Planar headphones that aren't hard to drive, but on the 789 amp with a balanced cable they clean up and sharpen a bit. This is not necessarily desirable for closed headphones, as it can increase fatigue. Neither the 789 nor a balanced cable is needed.
  • Audeze LCD-2 Classics: Warm and deep with bit of rumble, but also pretty clean on the high end. This amp gets the best from them, as they require a good amount of power. The difference between single-ended and balanced on the 789 is minimal. The 789 is a nice pairing, but not essential.
  • HiFiMan HE-560: Extremely power hungry planar magnetic headphones -- with the 789 they demand Gain II at 50% (i.e., 50% of total output). They sound superb on the 789 -- this is what The Sandblaster was made to do! Neutral and full range, but precise and relaxing too. The HE-560s sound terrible on a weak amp, and have a lot of distortion. A perfect paring for the 789.
  • Sennheiser HD-600: First, if you don't have a balanced cable for headphones the Sennheiser 600 family, buy one if you get this amp (e.g., $20 on eBay). Balanced greatly reduces hiss and background noise. My Q5 is almost powerful enough (mobile balanced), but the 789 brings these to their quality limit (i.e., you can hear a bit of plasticy distortion in the drivers; they just can't match the Elex). Optimal quality with the 789.
  • AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon: Very warm and aiming roughly for the Audeze tone profile, but they just aren't as good. With the alacantra pads (less bassy) and a balanced cable on the 789, they are in the tone ballpark of the LCD-2s. As with the HD-600s, they are step behind other products but reach their potential on the 789.


verifonix
1181
Dec 15, 2018
G3n3r1c"Balanced greatly reduces hiss and background noise." while true for interconnects of a certain length, for headphone cables the length is so short balanced will not greatly reduce noise. it will however double the available power which definitely gives the impression of weightier/more impactful sound.
G3n3r1c
216
Dec 15, 2018
verifonixSome of my balanced cables have little or no impact, but the HD-600 transformation was astounding. For years I heard high-range hiss and never wanted to use them more than a hour. With balanced the hiss disappeared and they became a favorite.
verifonix
1181
Dec 15, 2018
G3n3r1cThat's really odd honestly. The default sennheiser cables are quite good even, but what you experienced sounds like a defect for sure.
(Edited)
G3n3r1c
216
Dec 15, 2018
verifonixI just checked the resistance of the factory cable and the balanced cable on my multi-meter: Sennheiser: ~0.9 Replacement: ~0.3 to 0.4 Probe to probe: 0.2 The Sennheiser cable tests the same on both sides, so I think there's a genuine difference between the two.
(Edited)
verifonix
1181
Dec 15, 2018
G3n3r1cin ohms? I -reallllly- don't think 0.3 to 0.9 will make an audible frequency difference hehe
G3n3r1c
216
Dec 16, 2018
verifonixYou suggested there was a defect, but I see no evidence of a defect in the Sennheiser cable -- just slightly higher resistance and even performance on both sides. That suggests one side isn't damaged either (my comment was poorly phrased). The total resistance through the headphones measures about 316 ohms, so all of these resistance values are negligible. Why I think there's a genuine difference is that the factory cable makes my ears ring and I want to stop listening in 1 hour. From day one, through multiple sources and amps. With the balanced replacement there's no ringing in my ears and I don't want to stop listening. No arguing with your ears regardless of the measurements. Your mileage may vary, and honestly it could be a quirk of my hearing.
verifonix
1181
Dec 16, 2018
G3n3r1cI fully understand your reasoning, but what you describe sounds like a noise issue no? Your cable might have its insulation screwed up which can have significant (bad) results, disregarding the resistance. It's good a new cable fixed the issue for you though :)
G3n3r1c
216
Dec 16, 2018
verifonixYes, noise control appears to mainly be what's going on with balanced cables. The factory Sennheiser cable (based on circa year 2000 standards) is just a long skinny lamp cord. To improve its electrical characteristics one might either use a better single-ended cable or (merely a cheap?) balanced cable. I was a total skeptic about balanced cables until this year, but now I have them for 6 sets of headphones. They provide a clear advantage for at least 3 sets and little or no value for the others. The LCD-2 cable was a waste of money, perhaps because the factory ships them with a gigantic braided single-ended cable. The HD-600 balanced cable was actually the cheapest of the lot, at $20 on eBay, but it resulted in a massive transformation to my perceptual experience (i.e., harshness, ringing). This may be something that is particularly beneficial for 300 ohm headphones, or follow from a cheap and skinny factory cable...? The Elex glare tamed down with balanced -- they have a peaky, brassy, and intense mid-range on a singled-ended setup. What I perceive going on is that the metal drivers convert background noise to pure tones instead of hiss, and thereby exaggerate certain frequencies. To the extent that noise can be controlled, the glare declines. Massdrop ships the Elex with both single ended and balanced cables with identical construction except for the connector. I liked the Elex on balanced so much that I bought a second short mobile cable with a 2.5mm connector.
(Edited)
chobson
0
Dec 21, 2018
G3n3r1cI'm learning about balanced cables. You need cables that end in the 4 pin stereo XLR connector, correct? I see some balanced cables with the TRRS connector - do they work with this amp? thx
(Edited)
G3n3r1c
216
Dec 21, 2018
chobsonBalanced cables have additional internal grounding wires and are often TRRS. However, mobile and other devices sometimes use TRRS for play/pause and other functions. You must know the internal wiring for 3.5 mm in particular, as it may not be balanced. I have a couple TRRS 3.5 mm cables that are NOT balanced and cause nothing but grief on devices that expect TRS or some other TRRS format. Most balanced cables today are either XLR-4 (large, home and desktop use), or 2.5 mm TRRS (very skinny, mobile use). Massdrop sells a 2.5mm to XLR-4 adapter in the audiophile section. Another standard balanced connector is the Sony 4.4 mm TRRRS -- it has several advantages but isn't as common right now.
(Edited)
chobson
0
Dec 21, 2018
G3n3r1cGreat; thanks very much. So can this AAA amp use a balanced cable with 2.5mm TRRS, or do you need the XLR-4 connector? From the specs on the Massdrop site it looks like the 2.5mm socket is not balanced, but I wasn't sure.
G3n3r1c
216
Dec 21, 2018
chobsonIt has no 2.5mm socket at all, just a 3.5mm socket. This amp has: XLR-4 Balanced 1/4" Single Ended 3.5mm Single Ended
chobson
0
Dec 21, 2018
G3n3r1cGot it.
BennyksBandwidth
10
Dec 23, 2018
G3n3r1cAnd what are you using that has a 2.5mm connection on the source end of your cable?
G3n3r1c
216
Dec 23, 2018
BennyksBandwidthI don't understand the question. Are you talking about feeding into the 789 or connecting to headphones? The 789 amp has RCA and XLR-3 inputs to take the output from a DAC. Many mobile Digital Audio Players (DAPs) and mobile amps have 2.5mm balanced outputs. The 789 amp has an XLR-4 output that can be converted to 2.5mm. Many mobile balanced headphone cables have 2.5mm connectors going to the amp. Most headphones have some other connector going from the headphones to the cable. About half of my balanced headphone cables have 2.5mm connectors and the others are XLR-4.
Papi_Churrro
2
Jan 2, 2019
G3n3r1cHi, Not a question about the 789 but can you tell me how you like the Q5?! I recently purchased a Hd6xx and I’m looking for a good starting AMP/DAC for it. Can you suggest me any? Thanks in advance!
G3n3r1c
216
Jan 2, 2019
Papi_ChurrroThe Q5 transformed my audio life--and in due course led to my purchase of the 789. The Q5 is a "Swiss Army" product that can: (1) pair with any phone or tablet to create a flexible mobile DAP, (2) serve as a respectable DAC for a desktop system, (3) provide an economical way to get your feet wet with balanced systems, and (4) has fantastic in-device Bluetooth processing. The wireless performance is way better than you'd imagine. I think it outclasses anything in its price range ($350), and has a pretty amazing feature set. Regarding its standard amp module, the single-ended amp is just okay (kind dry and analytical), but the balanced output is nice for mobile. The Q5/HD-600 combo on a balanced cable is about 95% of the way to the HD-600 on the 789. In the end, you'll hit the limits of the HD-600 series well before you hit the limits of the 789. I STRONGLY advocate a balanced setup for the HD-600.
Tysun
29
Jan 4, 2019
G3n3r1cBought a 2.5mm TRRS male to dual XLR interconnect for Q5. Caused massive humming issue. Apparently it needs an additional ground connection.
G3n3r1c
216
Jan 4, 2019
TysunYes, that is an issue in balanced setups. I purchased a 2.5mm TRRS to RCA cable for the Q5. It caused minor hiss and volume instability so it's sitting in the drawer now. I also purchased a 2.5mm TRRS to dual XLR-3 cable but the vendor sent a note saying it was made incorrectly and to discard it. I cut away the sheath to inspect, and then checked the wiring with my multimeter. The "hot" red wires were fine, but the other two lines were inconsistent. The maker had snipped one wire but left it in place, floating about. The resistance for both lines was all over the place. The Q5 seems to reach its desktop potential with the standard line-out.
Tysun
29
Jan 4, 2019
G3n3r1c
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Tysun
29
Jan 4, 2019
G3n3r1cNeed this mod.
Tysun
29
Jan 4, 2019
G3n3r1cPlug modded L,R XLR-3 to 789 Balanced in. Plug 2.5mm male to Q5 balanced out, and newly added 3.5mm to Q5 SE line out. Ground issue solved.
(Edited)
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