Monoprice Monolith THX 887 Balance Headphone Amp: New Champ?

[JohnYang1997]

Got my 887 today.

Hooked with XLR to Sabaj D5, listening to DT177x GO with a balanced cable. Had to listen with volume below 9 o'clock on gain 1. I put an ieMatch inline with the headphones to give me more space on the volume knob. Sounded fine without the ieMatch, but a small bump of the knob would cause drastic increase in volume.

Does d5 have digital volume control for dac out? You may use that i think.
And you can also use unbalanced to half the level.

 

[Celty]

Got my 887 today.

Hooked with XLR to Sabaj D5, listening to DT177x GO with a balanced cable. Had to listen with volume below 9 o'clock on gain 1. I put an ieMatch inline with the headphones to give me more space on the volume knob. Sounded fine without the ieMatch, but a small bump of the knob would cause drastic increase in volume.

What is the reason for using the the ieMatch, rather than reducing the volume from the DAC?

Edit: oohps, did not see JohnYang1997's post when typing my question,

 

[jruser]

Does d5 have digital volume control for dac out? You may use that i think.
And you can also use unbalanced to half the level.

Yeah, it does, though I like to keep my volume control in the analog domain. I have a different source hooked up the the unbalanced input.

Was really just sharing my experience. It'll be Monday before I get to do much listening. No complaints with the 887 from my first listening session. Replacing an O2 amp in my setup.

 

[NemoReborn]

Got my 887 today.

Hooked with XLR to Sabaj D5, listening to DT177x GO with a balanced cable. Had to listen with volume below 9 o'clock on gain 1. I put an ieMatch inline with the headphones to give me more space on the volume knob. Sounded fine without the ieMatch, but a small bump of the knob would cause drastic increase in volume.

There is a few thing i don’t understand with what u said ...

First using balanced cable with the 1770 !?? The headphone is not balanced internally !? So u using an xlr adapter??? I tough it was not a good idea to do so ...

Next , why would u use that much output for the 177x especially since its only 32 ohm ... the UnBalanced output 1/4 in low gain should be more that enought.... Also you would have way more room for volume adjustment with the Thx’s volume pots...

 

[NemoReborn]

32 ohm plugged into xlr should push 6 watts .... 6 freaking watts into a pair of headphones that need 100 Mw to give its best ! Wierd way to go.

 

[Veri]

32 ohm plugged into xlr should push 6 watts .... 6 freaking watts into a pair of headphones that need 100 Mw to give its best ! Wierd way to go.

Blame the people who claim balanced in balanced out sounds 'bettar'.

 

[T.J. Turner]

Blame the people who claim balanced in balanced out sounds 'bettar'.

I can hear a difference, but I wouldn't call it better. Between my Parasound HINT and Schiit Gungnir XLR sounds harsher, and I think the short play in the volume knob between 7 and 9 oclock might be effecting the dynamics.
I don't notice it with my SU-8, SH-8 or THX 887, but I'm sure XLR doesn't sound good in every system.

 

[solderdude]

First using balanced cable with the 1770 !??

He has the DT177x Massdrop 32 Ohm version. This one, fortunately for balanced fans that are using something like the ED1A 9038S, this version has a 4-pin mini XLR instead of the 3-pin on Beyerdynamics so can be used both SE and balanced unlike the Beyer version.
Would be a wise decision for Beyer to use this in their new models as well or make a DT1770B version.
This would let them sell more headphones.

I agree that using a 6 watt amp connected to a 200mW driver is looking for a mishap to destroy your headphones, could perfectly use the DT177X with the 9038S though.

 

[T.J. Turner]

He has the DT177x Massdrop 32 Ohm version. This one, fortunately for balanced fans that are using something like the ED1A 9038S, this version has a 4-pin mini XLR instead of the 3-pin on Beyerdynamics so can be used both SE and balanced unlike the Beyer version.

So that explains why I could never find a balanced cable for my DT-1770 pro.

 

[ArtemisXCIX]

Haven't plug it yet, still waiting for my M500 as dac but its looking pretty good and build is pretty solid. Absolutely prefer the aesthetics of the 887 over the 789. No regrets cancelling my 789 for this, won't have even shipped yet if I waited for the 789.

 

[T.J. Turner]

Yeah, I have both the 789 and 887.
I like the more contemporary look of the 887.
The 789 looks like a device from the late 70s, and the 889 caught up to the 90s

 

[JohnYang1997]

Haven't plug it yet, still waiting for my M500 as dac but its looking pretty good and build is pretty solid. Absolutely prefer the aesthetics of the 887 over the 789. No regrets cancelling my 789 for this, won't have even shipped yet if I waited for the 789.

Holy shit that looks great.

 

[snowsurfer]

Haven't plug it yet, still waiting for my M500 as dac but its looking pretty good and build is pretty solid. Absolutely prefer the aesthetics of the 887 over the 789. No regrets cancelling my 789 for this, won't have even shipped yet if I waited for the 789.

I think it looks better than the Drop actually, kind of cleaner. Especially with the new Drop logo on the front of the 789...

 

[MediumRare]

Yeah, I have both the 789 and 887.
I like the more contemporary look of the 887.
The 789 looks like a device from the late 70s, and the 889 caught up to the 90s

What are the differences in features/menu and sound between them?

 

[Celty]

Yeah, I have both the 789 and 887.
I like the more contemporary look of the 887.
The 789 looks like a device from the late 70s, and the 889 caught up to the 90s

And what made you purchase both?

 

[NemoReborn]

What are the differences in features/menu and sound between them?

None. Same amp. Different brand

 

[ZeDestructor]

None. Same amp. Different brand

Still no good PCB pictures though

 

[NemoReborn]

Still no good PCB pictures though

some people care.. some dont ... it measures well. And sound awesome ... and 5 years warranty... i dont care about the pcb

 

[Celty]

None. Same amp. Different brand

Then you are asserting the measurement variances between the two products in Amir's testing results are due to random manufacturing discrepancies, or testing inconsistencies?

 

[MediumRare]

None. Same amp. Different brand

How do you figure? The measurements are different. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...msl-sp200-thx-amp-measurement-comparison.9952