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Monoprice Monolith THX 887 Balance Headphone Amp: New Champ?

NemoReborn

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"32 ohms: 6000mW <1% THD"
That is what their website states, input source and XLR output should not be related as far as wattage.

BTW I did strongly consider the D50s, but decided on an XLR DAC just to have all options open and eliminate the possibility of ground loop. But I really liked the D50s features and performance from reviews.

This is the same reason why i bought the sabaj d5 in first case , but after hearing no difference vs Rca and xlr , I dont see the point keeping the Sabaj... never had any ground loop issue using the old version d50 i had before ...so I dont see why the d50s would.

anyway will test it when the d50s arrives. If its not as clean as sabaj , ill keep the sabaj , but at least I would have tried it.

the fact d50s is 1/3 of sabaj’s price, it weight alot in my decision too!
 

NemoReborn

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I also ordered the p50 linear power supply. Always used the d50 powered by Usb from my pc...But ill try the new version with this power supply
 

VeerK

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Decided my wallet was too full so I just bought the Focal Elex to pair with my 887 coming tomorrow, should hopefully keep me happy for a while :D
 

Celty

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Decided my wallet was too full so I just bought the Focal Elex to pair with my 887 coming tomorrow, should hopefully keep me happy for a while :D
Congrats! I hope it does indeed keep you happy :)
 

deafenears

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the fact d50s is 1/3 of sabaj’s price, it weight alot in my decision too!
I also ordered the p50 linear power supply. Always used the d50 powered by Usb from my pc...But ill try the new version with this power supply
For another 1/3, you could have got the Sabaj D5 - better measuring, already has built in power supply, XLR, also built in head amp...
 

ZeDestructor

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Well you should share those pictures than so at least people looking for it have something to look at if they need to compare PCB. Better than nothing

Ask and ye shall receive:

UQoBkt2.jpg
p2prwUc.jpg
 

idkwho

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@Celty I noticed you also have the same Source PC soundcard as me (Asus Essence STX) and buying a SU-8 DAC (I assume V2). I am currently using the STX with the THX 887 powering Audeze LCD-X - to be honest no complaints: very clean and powerful sound with no hiss/noise. So I was wondering if you could do a comparison of the SU-8 and STX once you get it and try and volume match when listening to make it a fair comparison. I'm curious to know whether it would be necessary for me to justify an upgrade to a separate DAC and if there are any upgrades to the sound.

E5bH5wP.png


SMSL SU-8 V2:
vgNff2P.png


It does seem like the Asus Essence STX is already very good - THD (0.0002~) and dynamic range (~110dB @ 24/44) measurements but not sure how much better a SMSL SU-8 V2 would be. Maybe someone here can compare SINAD values as I'm not sure where to find this. Perhaps you could send your STX to amirm for measurements once your SU-8 arrives.
 
Last edited:

Veri

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T.J. Turner

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Just a quick observation and comparison: I prefer the weightier turn of the volume knob of the 789. There is less resistance with the knob of the 887 which makes it feel cheaper.
 

Celty

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@Celty I noticed you also have the same Source PC soundcard as me (Asus Essence STX) and buying a SU-8 DAC (I assume V2). I am currently using the STX with the THX 887 powering Audeze LCD-X - to be honest no complaints: very clean and powerful sound with no hiss/noise. So I was wondering if you could do a comparison of the SU-8 and STX once you get it and try and volume match when listening to make it a fair comparison. I'm curious to know whether it would be necessary for me to justify an upgrade to a separate DAC and if there are any upgrades to the sound.

E5bH5wP.png


SMSL SU-8 V2:
vgNff2P.png


It does seem like the Asus Essence STX is already very good - THD (0.0002~) and dynamic range (~110dB @ 24/44) measurements but not sure how much better a SMSL SU-8 V2 would be. Maybe someone here can compare SINAD values as I'm not sure where to find this. Perhaps you could send your STX to amirm for measurements once your SU-8 arrives.

Well, I don't have any measuring equipment or expertise, but I can take a stab at a subjective report. I was surprised to find the SU-8 arrived today, so contrary to expectations and tracking information, I have it before the 887!

I do have a planned use for my STX, I have my "gaming" headset - a SteelSeries Arctic Pro with "GameDAC". Though the GameDAC has some nifty features, I was not really impressed with the sound. So I tried the headphones plugged into the STX and wow. It truly was an immediate and dramatic difference.

So the Arctic Pro and the built in microphone will be partnered with the STX when I need the microphone for whatever application or game. BTW, the Arctic Pro on my big head would be very uncomfortable on my ears, so I replaced the stock pads with a set from Wicked Cushions, and it made it far better.
 

leafhonor

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Have some interest on the 887. I already have a dx7s so can I use it as a dac and connect to the 887? Will it souds better?
 

NemoReborn

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Have some interest on the 887. I already have a dx7s so can I use it as a dac and connect to the 887? Will it souds better?

well , will it sound better ....? first what are the headpone ? this is the most important , if the amp of the dx7s have enought power for the headphone u use , than it might sound just a little better cleaner etc ... but if they are under powered by the dx7s's amp , well ull see a bit difference using the 887 ...
 

leafhonor

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well , will it sound better ....? first what are the headpone ? this is the most important , if the amp of the dx7s have enought power for the headphone u use , than it might sound just a little better cleaner etc ... but if they are under powered by the dx7s's amp , well ull see a bit difference using the 887 ...
Thanks! My headphones are hd650, sony z7m2, and grado rs2e. I also have se846. What I worry about is that dx7s amp’s output independence is too high(about 20) so it sounds weird when I connect to rs2e and se846.
 

Celty

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Any news on a manual being available yet?
 
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