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    Monoprice Monolith THX 887 Balance Headphone Amp: New Champ?

    I think your thinking is too simplistic. It only applies to the big transients. Now think through what happens when reproducing the critical 0.1mW or 1 mW, which is what you're listening to 99% of the time. Poor amplifiers can easily have >-60dB crossover distortion here, and it's more audible...
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    Review and Measurements of Monoprice THX Desktop DAC & Amp

    It'll remain true until you become a competitor ;)
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    Review and Measurements of Monoprice THX Desktop DAC & Amp

    Incorrect. AAA is innovative, with multiple patents on its unique innovative architecture (inductorless feed-forward plus feed-back) that cancels output stage noise and distortion - the dominant source in most amplifiers. The fact that the Monoprice DAC-AMP and the 789 both have lower THD+N...
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    I find that problem sometimes too. Maybe someone else here has a tip to share?
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    The aluminum braid may be dodgy. Aluminum oxidizes very easily and so is difficult to terminate without great care and the right metallurgy. Hence how alum house wiring was phased out... too many people not terminating it properly. Look for something with copper braid instead.
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    The components and cable seem high quality! Can you see in the write up a description of how its xlr pin 1 is wired? I couldn't see at first glance.
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Good find! The drawing for those looks correct. Maybe share some experience and photos (disassemble at the xlr) when you receive? And nice 1.5 or 3 ft length options too!
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Hi @Schackmannen . Try a few things to see if you can get the buzz to change or go away. That'll help us figure out the root cause. - swap the L and R RCA cables going into the 789 but don't touch them at the DAC output. Does the buzz change ears? If so, could be a cable or Lch DAC issue. -...
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Hi Music1969. You've got it! Your description of 4-wire cable is correct. 3-wire cable exists in 2 flavors, both bad: type a) Shared GND + Left + Right go from TRS to a midpoint, where left and right split off. Ground splits into two. This is getting pretty rare and may only exist on some...
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    If we're being specific, then TRS is a plug type. As in Tip Ring Sleeve. Not a good way of describing how a wire bundle is constructed. Regarding cables to minimize crosstalk, you'll want 4 wire type where the Left and right have separate ground wires all the way from the ears to the TRS plug...
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Unbal vs bal input doesn't change crosstalk. Primarily 3wire headphone output cable and secondarily the TRS output jack shield contact resistance are the biggest contributors to crosstalk.
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    IEMs could have 3 or 4 wire cables. It varies by cable. You can usually tell just by looking at the shape of the jacket.
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Yes, separate ground wires for L and R, and they connect to plug ground inside the TRS plug itself. Like this:
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Hi Music1969. For Output: I recommend use 4-wire headphone cables, and then use either XLR-4 BAL out or TRS out - both very similar. TRS out has slightly lower noise, so that's probably best for sensitive IEMs. XLR-4 has of course 2x Vswing & 4x Pout so that's probably best for max SPL from...
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    I suspect the biggest benefit of "balanced hp cables" is the elimination of crosstalk from shared ground return inherent in conventional 3-wire hp cables and shared ground contact resistance in TRS jacks. These are both measurable phenomena.
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Yes it's way down there. -93 to -100 dB depending on who's measuring it. The crosstalk of a TRS jack alone when loaded is around -75 to -90 dB depending on the headphone impedance. So the "gain 1" crosstalk issue is swamped out if you're using TRS anyways.
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Hi @Music1969 I believe SE crosstalk is with SE in/out and BAL crosstalk is with BAL in/out. You'd get very similar figures for RCA in, BAL out.
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Yes you got it right on your second line. DF = Zload/Zsource. Agreed, that's an insanely demanding and unforgiving IEM. Have you tried it with 789 on Gain 1?
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    Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

    Yes like most amps, the 789 has 2x Zout with BAL out compared to SE out. If HP impedance is left unchanged (say 32 Ohms), then Damping Factor reduces because of the 2x Zout. The 2x Vswing and 4x Pout of BAL don't play a factor in this calculation. Only the ratio of Zout to Zheadphone matters...
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