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Showing 1 of 1589 conversations about:
Drop + THX AAA™ 789 Linear Amplifier
sirkdub
42
Feb 6, 2019
I see the Balance output power is pretty decent high but why are the Single ended output so low? It is only 100 mW at 600 ohms. The Magni 3 even does 230 mW at 600 ohms. I have a Beyerdynamic DT880 so concern now if it will drive this with enough head room. Anyone have experience to comment ?
pslayer1
274
Feb 6, 2019
sirkdubTo get the most out of this amp you want a balanced DAC connected to this amp. I'm currently using the VMV (SMSL) D1 > THX AAA 789 > Focal Elex and it's end game for me. That said, I've also used this amp in SE configuration (iFi iDAC2). While the performance is good, it's not what it could be.
alpovs
38
Feb 6, 2019
sirkdubMagni 3 is a more powerful SE amplifier. Go with it if you need higher power for SE output.
cdm116
20
Feb 6, 2019
pslayer1The amp isn't necessarily fully balanced (balanced>SE>balanced internally), so I don't think a fully balanced DAC will be as beneficial as with others. Have you tried/compared running the SMSL in SE vs balance config? That would be more telling of the benefits of balanced.
(Edited)
Terozzz
87
Feb 6, 2019
pslayer1I dont see it will make difference cos that amp isnt truly balanced.
cdm116
20
Feb 6, 2019
TerozzzAgreed.. The SMSL D1 is a very nice DAC.. even if used in SE config.. but if you were to compare a very good SE DAC to a decent balanced DAC the SE would win.. Balanced interconnects don't matter that much when the amp and dac are sitting inches from each other.
(Edited)
Terozzz
87
Feb 6, 2019
cdm116The reason i went and got audio-gd 28.28 instead of this. I got it for 500€ new (normal price 1050€)... It has 9028 PRO dac and it is true balancd amp/dac.
Terozzz
87
Feb 6, 2019
TerozzzBut i want this to test. Just too late from drop, again.... All gone in 12 hrs :)
Dpcoffey
52
Feb 6, 2019
TerozzzIt was actually 2 hours
Terozzz
87
Feb 6, 2019
DpcoffeyOh, FUUUUCK :D Thats why i could not get the drop this morning....
sirkdub
42
Feb 6, 2019
cdm116So the SMSL D1 dac would be better than SMSL SU-8? Since you mentioned the THX AAA 789 is not truly balance then is there even a point to get a balance dac or convert my headphones to balance cables? HD6xxx, HE4xx, Beyer DT880 600ohms are my cans. I have a Fiio X7 dap and that has a Sabre ES9018S dac so I’m wondering if upgrading dac makes any big diff. Last question why is everyone so hype up on this THX AAA 789 if not truly balanced?
pslayer1
274
Feb 6, 2019
sirkdubI'll tell you what I did:
I had an LCX (fully balanced) which I had connected to my D1 and it was good. Once the THX AAA 789 arrived, I gave away my LCX to my brother. Is the THX AAA 789 fully balanced? Nope. Does it benefit from the balanced connection from my D1, in my opinion, HELL YES.
Edit: I should state that what I look for in music is transparency and sound stage and the D1 > THX > Focal Elex gives me all I can handle in this regard. If you are looking for something else in your music then this combination may not be for you.
(Edited)
cdm116
20
Feb 6, 2019
sirkdubYou will still get full power from the balanced out no matter what DAC you use. Im sure there is a lot of magic that goes into making an amazing amp aside from whether or not it’s fully balanced throughout. The conversion from differential to SE to differential that happens inside is probably so efficient that it is equally as good as fully balanced (or at least not noticeable). The general consensus is that this amp is so transparent that differences between DACs can be distinguished with ease. I would say a very good quality DAC should be your main priority and whether or not it’s fully balanced should take a back seat on the priority list. However according to pslayer there is some benefit to using his D1 Balanced out vs the SE out to the amp. How much he’s auditioned the difference between balanced and SE from the same DAC is unknown. Maybe the SE out signal path from the D1 is just shittier than the balanced out.. where as on another DAC the SE could be as good as the balanced out.. who knows? Too many factors at play here and it’s a subjective opinion. The reason people are so hyped on this amp is that it is everything a good solid state amp should be - powerful, clean, transparent, extremely low distortion, and has balanced out at a good price.
EDIT: Every FiiO product I’ve heard seems to have some EQ going on (not neutral). I personally would get a better DAC for this beast of an amp. My budget suggestions are Modi 3, Modi Multibit, Topping D10, D30, D50, Geshelli Enog 2 Pro, SMSL SU-8v2, or the grace balanced dac whenever that drops again.
(Edited)
sirkdub
42
Feb 6, 2019
cdm116Thanks for your comments. That helps a lot. I will shop around for a better dac to combine with the THX 789. Maybe do same thing as others and just go for SMSL D1 whenever it drops again.
cdm116
20
Apr 18, 2020
sirkdubWhat DAC did you end up with?? I went with the SMSL SU-8 v2 and haven’t thought about it since - which is how it should be. No reason to upgrade yet!
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