[claud W]

AMPS?? lets see. DNA Stratus, SPL Phonitor E, Schiit Ragg, Schiit Vali 2 and the 789 on order. who is crazy now. This does not include my 4 DAPs.

 

[Tuneslover]

AMPS?? lets see. DNA Stratus, SPL Phonitor E, Schiit Ragg, Schiit Vali 2 and the 789 on order. who is crazy now. This does not include my 4 DAPs.

You guys are making me feel much better!!

 

[bcaulf17]

Also (hope someone can answer this); I looked at the dimensions and it says the amp is only 2.2 inches tall but it seems quite a bit taller than that. Can anyone confirm? If I got one, it would be placed in a tight space of about 3 inches in height. I’m guessing the rubber feet make it look taller?

 

[Tuneslover]

Also (hope someone can answer this); I looked at the dimensions and it says the amp is only 2.2 inches tall but it seems quite a bit taller than that. Can anyone confirm? If I got one, it would be placed in a tight space of about 3 inches in height. I’m guessing the rubber feet make it look taller?

2 1/4" including the rubber feet.

The amp runs pretty cool hopefully the 3/4" left over is enough for proper ventilation.

 

[Tuneslover]

The 789 always outputs signal from its balanced headphone out regardless of input. But it converts balanced input to single ended before amplification stage.

So yes, that does mean balanced in > single ended conversion> amplification > balanced output.

As opposed to its single ended input which skips the conversion stage.

Single ended > amplification > balanced output.

The SE input avoids an entire unnecessary summing circuit.

This is why I caution people who are asking what balances Dac to pair with 789. Makes no since

Hello @MikeW please help me understand what you are saying in your post.

I think you're saying that I can connect SE cable outs from my DAC to the SE inputs on the 789, then I can plug my XLR balanced headphones into the 789's balanced output to hear my headphones balanced. However the only way I get sound coming out of my balanced headphone is if I switch the input on the front input selector of the 789 to SE. If I switch the front input to Balanced I get no sound coming out of the Balance headphone output which I assume makes sense because I don't have XLR Balanced cables running from the DAC to the 789. The input selector HAS to be switched to SE in order to hear anything coming out the Balanced output on the 789.

So running with only SE cables from the DAC to the 789 am I truly getting the benefit of the Balanced higher output?

Next I plugged in XLR balanced cables from my DAC into the XLR balanced inputs to the 789. Then I switched the input selector on the front of 789 to Balanced and my Balanced headphones jumped quite noticeably in volume as compared to only using SE cables. This leads me to believe that in order to get the full capability of Balanced with the 789 you need to use XLR balanced input to the 789.

 

[bcaulf17]

2 1/4" including the rubber feet.

The amp runs pretty cool hopefully the 3/4" left over is enough for proper ventilation.

That’s so strange, idk why it looks so much taller than that lol. Where I would want to put it is 3 inches tall so I guess it’ll fit? Although I’m still a bit nervous about it..thank you for replying.

 

[Tuneslover]

That’s so strange, idk why it looks so much taller than that lol. Where I would want to put it is 3 inches tall so I guess it’ll fit? Although I’m still a bit nervous about it..thank you for replying.

It certainly will fit into your 3" space however check to see if the top of the 789 doesn't get too hot. I suspect you should be ok because the 789 does run very cool but do check it to be certain.

 

[bcaulf17]

It certainly will fit into your 3" space however check to see if the top of the 789 doesn't get too hot. I suspect you should be ok because the 789 does run very cool but do check it to be certain.

I imagine that wouldn’t be an issue. I think I might go for it. It seems worth it as an option to just get and be done with it because it’s probably all I’ll ever need out of an amp.

 

[bcaulf17]

Alright, I pulled the trigger on the 789. Took a bit of hesitation, but at $300 I feel like it’s a really good deal for probably the most highly regarded amp in recent memory. I think it’ll be worth it for the build and finish, the features (which I probably won’t use but might down the line) and the peace of mind knowing I’m getting the last amp I’ll probably ever need because of its transparency, linearity, cleanliness and power to drive literally everything with 0 noise.

I do really like the way it looks!

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Can anyone explain to me why single-ended sounds better than balanced on this amp? I A/B’d last night for 2 hours and have confirmed it to be true. I was using my Verite Open, which has an impedance of 300 ohms. So you would think the extra power from balanced would at least sound just as good, if not better. But it doesn’t. Single-ended is more engaging just like @MacedonianHero said in his review. But I find that weird.

 

[eimis]

Can anyone explain to me why single-ended sounds better than balanced on this amp? I A/B’d last night for 2 hours and have confirmed it to be true. I was using my Verite Open, which has an impedance of 300 ohms. So you would think the extra power from balanced would at least sound just as good, if not better. But it doesn’t. Single-ended is more engaging just like @MacedonianHero said in his review. But I find that weird.

IIRC on 789 balanced goes through more active circuitry than SE. Not sure if that explains it, as a properly done balanced>SE circuit (789 is proper??) should be inaudible

 

[Vvnz100]

Can anyone explain to me why single-ended sounds better than balanced on this amp? I A/B’d last night for 2 hours and have confirmed it to be true. I was using my Verite Open, which has an impedance of 300 ohms. So you would think the extra power from balanced would at least sound just as good, if not better. But it doesn’t. Single-ended is more engaging just like @MacedonianHero said in his review. But I find that weird.

Maybe it's a cable difference... I had the same experience with my LCD 2C, brighter with balanced cable and dark with SE cable...

 

[betula]

Can anyone explain to me why single-ended sounds better than balanced on this amp? I A/B’d last night for 2 hours and have confirmed it to be true. I was using my Verite Open, which has an impedance of 300 ohms. So you would think the extra power from balanced would at least sound just as good, if not better. But it doesn’t. Single-ended is more engaging just like @MacedonianHero said in his review. But I find that weird.

Balanced is not necessarily better, I would rather say 'different' (usually with more power). There are better implemented SE designs than most balanced (TT2). It is all about implementation, not the shape of that plug or socket.
That said, the balanced out on the CMA600i and the Taurus MKII was easily 'better' to me than the SE out. Punchier, more dynamic, cleaner, clearer. The SE out on the other hand sounded smoother and a bit warmer with smaller space. Depending on the headphones I can see someone preferring the SE out even on those amps.
I am still waiting for my THX-789 to arrive, so I can't confirm what the case is with the 789 yet but it might be something similar.

 

[PopZeus]

The balanced circuit delivers more power with a lower noise floor than the single-ended. I don't care if it's not a purely balanced signal path; it does exactly what it needs to do without adding too much total cost of the amp.

 

[ActuallySparky]

I did a lot of A/B testing of XLR vs RCA input on the 789, and then switching cables on a few of my headphones and A/Bing the balanced vs SE output. To my ears (which are far from golden), I couldn't really hear any difference between any combination of them other than gain. XLR input added volume, and balanced output added volume. If I adjusted for that gain, the SQ and headstage felt the same.

This is far from true on all devices. Some have dramatically better or worse results on balanced vs SE, but the 789 doesn't seem to care - it's just good clean power all around.