Massdrop x THX AAA™ 789 Linear Amplifier - Impressions Thread
Nov 16, 2018 at 5:29 PM Post #286 of 2,613
No sound sig I. E. Flat. Watch the volume control I've been listening to mine for about 8 hours on and off with different headphones and musical styles and I've had to stop myself turning it up several times im guessing it's because the sound is so clean, loving it.
 
Nov 16, 2018 at 10:11 PM Post #289 of 2,613
flat sound sounds similar to my nfb1amp.

I would assume this amp measures better than the audiogd but would probably be redundant in my setup.

Still would like to compare it.
 
Nov 17, 2018 at 1:58 PM Post #290 of 2,613
I picked one up due to the glowing reviews and low cost. Hopefully they aren’t repaired units... :/

These are definitely not rework or resold units.

The shipping time is low on these units because they are part of a large batch that went directly into the store.

Typically the first drops are smaller batches and would not be available for immediate shipping.
 
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Nov 18, 2018 at 2:51 PM Post #294 of 2,613
Anyone using single ended DAC with this amp? Any suggestion on budget DAC?
I looked around for something a bit better measuring than the SDAC but still cheaper than the THX 789 itself that also had 32/384 support and SPDIF optical input (for use with headphone surround sound for gaming via SoundBlaster) and landed on the Topping D50.
IMO it fits well with this amp as they both set out to achieve the same goal - insanely good linear technical specs for cheap.
It is single ended so you'd be connecting them via RCA. With the single-endedness you'd best use a very short interconnect though.

This stack is replacing my NFB-28.38! It feels good to have my desk space back. :)
 
Nov 18, 2018 at 6:36 PM Post #296 of 2,613
I looked at the topping d50 and smsl su8. I wanted to use balanced and have a remote for all my amps etc so I went with the smsl. It has a clipping issue if the volume is increased above about - 8 dB but since I'll be maxing the pots on all my amps and using the smsl as the only volume control I doubt if I'll ever have it anywhere near the clipping point. D50 is technically better, su8 gives you balanced and remote, priced about the same
 
Nov 18, 2018 at 7:01 PM Post #297 of 2,613
Anyone using single ended DAC with this amp? Any suggestion on budget DAC?

Gonna try out the Grace m9XX. Probably much higher priced than desired and SE, but it's a great DAC. Also gonna try using an LG V30+ as a source.

Gonna be browsing for a balanced DAC but for now, not in a big rush. I'll wait for that irresistible deal/option to present itself.
 
Nov 18, 2018 at 9:33 PM Post #298 of 2,613
Anyone using single ended DAC with this amp? Any suggestion on budget DAC?
I think the D50 is awsome with the 789. Better than all my other dacs. If you only want to spend $99 on dac then the modi 3 is also a gret choice if you can get over the color mismatch. Its virtually identical to the D50 for a few differences like bass and spacial imaging being ever so very slightly better on the D50. Hope this helps
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Nov 19, 2018 at 8:56 AM Post #299 of 2,613
To those who have this amp and have experience with the audio gd r2r 11, I have a question.

I am planning to make a purchase and use these with the line out of my R2R11/Bifrost. Both are single ended DACs. I will be using the LCD-2 with the setup. I have heard that the amp in the r2r11 is the bottleneck and a better amp very much complements the r2r dac inside. So would it be a good choice to get this as a separate amp?

(I have the bifrost for my speaker setup currently and r2r11 as headamp. I could switch between both)

Thanks.
 
Nov 19, 2018 at 9:54 AM Post #300 of 2,613
To those who have this amp and have experience with the audio gd r2r 11, I have a question.

I am planning to make a purchase and use these with the line out of my R2R11/Bifrost. Both are single ended DACs. I will be using the LCD-2 with the setup. I have heard that the amp in the r2r11 is the bottleneck and a better amp very much complements the r2r dac inside. So would it be a good choice to get this as a separate amp?

(I have the bifrost for my speaker setup currently and r2r11 as headamp. I could switch between both)

Thanks.

I had the R2R11 for awhile and I think it'd be a good pairing with the 789. I also felt the amp was a weak point of the R2R11, although for the price you could just consider it as an added feature. I've found the musicality of a ladder DAC makes a great compliment to the uncolored presentation of the 789.
 

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