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Monoprice Monolith THX 887 Balance Headphone Amp: New Champ?

THW

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You guys this amp seems to tick a lot of what I've been looking for - namely balanced drive, amazing distortion figures, and spot on price.
It is missing two things - nowhere near as powerful as my current headphone amp and lack of class A. I'm honestly more concerned about power. Just looking for something with say 600 mwatts @ 300ohms. Though I hear over and over that power doesn't matter, I can't get over that I've got something way more powerful that sounds great.

remember that a 2x increase in power means a 3 dB increase in volume, and that the THX AAA 789 can do I think half a watt of power at 300 ohms?

even 125 mW is already very loud for HD 600, I don’t see why you would need literal watts of power unless you have headphones that have absolutely unreasonable power requirements.
 

sbsj

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qwerty88

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You guys this amp seems to tick a lot of what I've been looking for - namely balanced drive, amazing distortion figures, and spot on price.
It is missing two things - nowhere near as powerful as my current headphone amp and lack of class A. I'm honestly more concerned about power. Just looking for something with say 600 mwatts @ 300ohms. Though I hear over and over that power doesn't matter, I can't get over that I've got something way more powerful that sounds great.
Per THX AAA 789's spec sheet, assuming that the THX 887 will be within the same ballpark:
Balanced Output
  • Output power: 6000 mW, 16 ohms, <1% THD (watts per channel)
  • Output power: 6000 mW, 32 ohms, <1% THD (watts per channel)
  • Output power: 800 mW, 300 ohms, <1% THD (watts per channel)
  • Output power: 400 mW, 600 ohms, <1% THD (watts per channel)
 

Schackmannen

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Well if something better comes out for the same price, why not?
Define better, the difference in noise & distortion is 100% inaudible but the THX 789 has better output impedance (although that difference is probably also inaudible) but most importantly it has a lot better volume control especially at low volume, which can make a big difference if you use sensitive IEMs with it. Also personally I find the THX 789 to be a lot better looking but that's subjective. Finally the THX 789 seems to have been very reliable with very few issues from what I've seen (even though I had a problem with mine) whereas we have no idea how good the QC of the Monoprice one is, and they don't seem to have the best track record either.
 
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There really aren't many choices for balanced DACs to pair with this thing yet. Seems like most will probably just go with the su-8. I'm hoping something else will come out over the next few months
 

Veri

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Finally the THX 789 seems to have been very reliable with very few issues from what I've seen (even though I had a problem with mine) whereas we have no idea how good the QC of the Monoprice one is, and they don't seem to have the best track record either.
5-year warranty though :)
 

FreaK

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Define better, the difference in noise & distortion is 100% inaudible but the THX 789 has better output impedance (although that difference is probably also inaudible) but most importantly it has a lot better volume control especially at low volume, which can make a big difference if you use sensitive IEMs with it. Also personally I find the THX 789 to be a lot better looking but that's subjective. Finally the THX 789 seems to have been very reliable with very few issues from what I've seen (even though I had a problem with mine) whereas we have no idea how good the QC of the Monoprice one is, and they don't seem to have the best track record either.

I got my 789 yesterday, and i noticed a bad channel imbalance at low volumes, at least with my Quad Era-1 headphones. Practically its not a problem because i don't use it on such low volumes, but at some point the left channel mutes, while the right one can still be heard. I will try it with a sensitive IEM.
 
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I wouldn't even worry about the warranty. By the time it breaks, I'll already have upgraded to the flavor of the year in 22, 23, and 24. The one thing I wish I could do is listen to both units to see if one actually sounds different than the other (since most differences between equipment that are actually discernible are immeasurable).
 

T.J. Turner

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Define better, the difference in noise & distortion is 100% inaudible but the THX 789 has better output impedance (although that difference is probably also inaudible) but most importantly it has a lot better volume control especially at low volume, which can make a big difference if you use sensitive IEMs with it. Also personally I find the THX 789 to be a lot better looking but that's subjective. Finally the THX 789 seems to have been very reliable with very few issues from what I've seen (even though I had a problem with mine) whereas we have no idea how good the QC of the Monoprice one is, and they don't seem to have the best track record either.

Well I guess only time will tell. I currently don't have either amp at this moment, so I can't compare what performs better beyond the spec sheets, but I'd me more included to got with whatever is the latest. I know some people have has issues with Monoprice, but I haven't had any issues in the 6 or 7 years I've shopped with them.

don't forget the unsightly brushed finish

I've had stuff with brushed finishes before and they are not bad. I think the lighting in the photos make it look awkward. What I really would like is a Silver version to match the rest of my equipment. Also this looks like a metal or aluminum chassis? Isn't the Massdrop version plastic?
 

beefkabob

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I wouldn't even worry about the warranty. By the time it breaks, I'll already have upgraded to the flavor of the year in 22, 23, and 24. The one thing I wish I could do is listen to both units to see if one actually sounds different than the other (since most differences between equipment that are actually discernible are immeasurable).

Them's fighting words round here, bucko. Go directly to audio jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
 

Sal1950

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The one thing I wish I could do is listen to both units to see if one actually sounds different than the other (since most differences between equipment that are actually discernible are immeasurable).
You've got that wrong.
You can't hear the difference in everything that can be measured.
But you can measure the difference in everything you can hear.
 

Labjr

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I think the picture on their website looks better. The picture Amir took, seems to magnify the detail. Maybe the lighting.
 

Jimmy

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I haven't checked but it may be a different company (like Schiit EU?), anyway they sell through amazon mostly 3D printers, some cables and headphones, and not much more, the prices are reasonable.

We should rather bombard their UK office (http://monoprice.uk), price would be much better compared to buying from Amazon (it is cheaper).
 
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