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Monoprice Monolith THX 887 Balance Headphone Amp: New Champ?

Cylphio

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And: I ordered a 887 for its reliability, power and availability, but it was very expensive: if I don't use the balanced inputs and simply buy an enough transparent 100 euro dac like the d10s, will I have any audible deficit in comparison to a balanced dac (sdac-b) through the xlr cables aside from the possible ground loops and the loss of final volume? I'd like to save this 100 euro to eat something... ;)
I also bought this pair of monolith rca cables, anyone has used them? are these cable reliable and robust enough?
Now I am reading what I did: I spent 33 euro for the cables... I wanted to save money because I live in Italy and the SDAC would cost me 150 dollars + fees (45) + shipping (8), but in euro it costs more or less 165, while the d10s costs 99 and with these 30 euro cables the difference is minimal. a nonsense choice? If you have to decide between the balanced SDAC, possibly waiting for months, and the topping, here after literally 20 hours after the click, what would you do?

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MediumRare

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And: I ordered a 887 for its reliability, power and availability, but it was very expensive: if I don't use the balanced inputs and simply buy an enough transparent 100 euro dac like the d10s, will I have any audible deficit in comparison to a balanced dac (sdac-b) through the xlr cables aside from the possible ground loops and the loss of final volume? I'd like to save this 100 euro to eat something... ;)
I also bought this pair of monolith rca cables, anyone has used them? are these cable reliable and robust enough?
Now I am reading what I did: I spent 33 euro for the cables... I wanted to save money because I live in Italy and the SDAC would cost me 150 dollars + fees (45) + shipping (8), but in euro it costs more or less 165, while the d10s costs 99 and with these 30 euro cables the difference is minimal. a nonsense choice? If you have to decide between the balanced SDAC, possibly waiting for months, and the topping, here after literally 20 hours after the click, what would you do?

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If you can cancel the cables you can save some good money. Assuming you have no ground loop problem the lack of balanced is really not an issue audibly. Most of the Toppings are outstanding and much better value than the SDAC and come with a nice remote too.
 

Inkey31

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Could someone explain why people say some topologies works better then others for Audio and that how the topology here is not as musical as others. These are insane people right? Justifying their 3K headphone amp purchase when they could have had the best for 400?
 

Veri

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Could someone explain why people say some topologies works better then others for Audio and that how the topology here is not as musical as others. These are insane people right? Justifying their 3K headphone amp purchase when they could have had the best for 400?
All about that justification :p or the bragging rights of owning such an expensive device; it obviously must be better right?
 

Inkey31

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All about that justification :p or the bragging rights of owning such an expensive device; it obviously must be better right?

I got into a huge thing on another form, I realized what was happening after a few posts and just shut up, but to hear that Tube amps around the 2K mark are better then something like the THX887 or the A90 just blew my mind. I have heard said tube amps and while I think they have their place for some people, to say they sound better on a pure performance standpoint was just insane.

I believe what these AMPs like THX and Topping did was undercut the market and you still have people trying to get you to justify buying their boutique amps that have a fraction of the performance on paper.

"It makes the soundstage better, adds more bass" Well no shit you think it adds more bass, the distortion in the singal is screwing with it.
 

Veri

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I got into a huge thing on another form, I realized what was happening after a few posts and just shut up, but to hear that Tube amps around the 2K mark are better then something like the THX887 or the A90 just blew my mind. I have heard said tube amps and while I think they have their place for some people, to say they sound better on a pure performance standpoint was just insane.
I think tubes are mostly aesthetics. The few tube things I owned I sold away pretty quickly. just me :p
 

Cylphio

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My chain is macbook pro with spotify premium, neo oyaide d+ C/B usb cable, d10s, aaa 887, drop adapter 2,5 to xlr, drop bal cable for senn hd6 serie, hd600 2019. I think that I reached the dimishing point system. Tomorrow i will try it and I hope that it will sound noticeably better than my btr5. The chain will arrive tomorrow, I will give my impression here after a session.
 

Inkey31

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My chain is macbook pro with spotify premium, neo oyaide d+ C/B usb cable, d10s, aaa 887, drop adapter 2,5 to xlr, drop bal cable for senn hd6 serie, hd600 2019. I think that I reached the dimishing point system. Tomorrow i will try it and I hope that it will sound noticeably better than my btr5. The chain will arrive tomorrow, I will give my impression here after a session.

Go Tidel and Audivarana or Roon, if you are going to stream music. IDK if Spotify can take control of the audio drivers. You are upscalling when you use Windows or Macbook's audio.
 

Cylphio

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Go Tidel and Audivarana or Roon, if you are going to stream music. IDK if Spotify can take control of the audio drivers. You are upscalling when you use Windows or Macbook's audio.
Thank you for the suggestion, but I'm trying to not spend money in differences I can't notice. So, since after several tests a tidal master sounds the same as an ogg verbs from Spotify to my ears, I prefer to save the 10 euro monthly. in fact the whole idea to have a very good system come from my love for the hd600, the lack of dynamics and agility of the Mac hp out and the audible distortion of the fiio btr5. So to me the cheapest good dac was the d10s and the cheapest world class balanced amp was the monolith here in Italy. And if I will buy a very power demanding set of closed can in the future, with the 887 I will be ok. the only hint of snake oil is the oyaide usb cable, but at 40 bucks The physical quality justify the price. I really hope I will not notice any ground loop, but my thunderbolt powered universal audio arrow (which in other environment is very prone to amplify electrical noise) is not revealing any buzz in my home... I am literally counting the seconds. 24 hours left.
ps: I know that some people can detect an improvement listening to lossless tracks, but I admit my limits.
 

rcstevensonaz

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... You are upscalling when you use Windows or Macbook's audio.
For a PC, you can change the default sample rate and bit depth of the audio device. At least, this is the case with the drivers provided by Topping. I have my system default set to 44.1 / 32 bit depth for output to my E30 device. The sample rate configuration flexibility varies by device... for example, I cannot change the sample rate for the HP Realtek drivers on my laptop; but virtually every conceivable option is available with the Topping drivers.

For a Mac, I don't know...

Topping drivers (latest is v5.0) are here: https://www.tpdz.net/download

Instructions on how to find to the sound settings (e.g. right click on speaker icon in task bar and select "Sound"; then go do Playback > Advanced tab for the device): https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...tings-in/5a70718b-7ecf-4547-a64a-22efda8da0c2
 

Cylphio

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For a PC, you can change the default sample rate and bit depth of the audio device. At least, this is the case with the drivers provided by Topping. I have my system default set to 44.1 / 32 bit depth for output to my E30 device. The sample rate configuration flexibility varies by device... for example, I cannot change the sample rate for the HP Realtek drivers on my laptop; but virtually every conceivable option is available with the Topping drivers.

For a Mac, I don't know...

Topping drivers (latest is v5.0) are here: https://www.tpdz.net/download

Instructions on how to find to the sound settings (e.g. right click on speaker icon in task bar and select "Sound"; then go do Playback > Advanced tab for the device): https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...tings-in/5a70718b-7ecf-4547-a64a-22efda8da0c2

ghe Macs don't need any driver, the sample rate is choosable from the midi settings. The players can control the device directly
 

Inkey31

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LMAO, I meant to say HIFI man! Autocorrect made it Hifiman
 

Cylphio

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The system grow on me, slowly and intoxicating... I didn't imagine how the pitch black silent background could make everything so distinct, clean... it's like wearing the glasses after years of myopia. the hd600 is grateful to reach such quantity of current, and it is ready to transform it all in pure music. everything's fast and pounding. It's an agile giant made of music like a well synchronized orchestra, the system is ready to go from 0 to 100 db with no hesitation. astonishing. no ground loops at all. with the 2 volts out of the d10s I can easily use the gain at the 3° position to revive the quietest tunes. try to listen "the seventh one" album from a weak source: inaudible volume or noise and distortion. This is one of the most well recorded album but it requires precision, power, black background and tonal honesty. In some tracks the bass is so controlled that I found myself waiting for the usual distortion... and sometimes the real rumble arrives with an authority that I didn't experienced before. I've instantly learned what a distorted bass was. Astonishing. even my k361 accept half of the volume from the mighty duo and the advanced titanium driver don't distort. All the distortion i've ever heard was coming from my weak electronic.
 
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habb1

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Beginners question :)

Frequency specs of this amp:
1614337957486.png


Balanced frequencies bracket is much smaller. How does this affect headphones, if headphones frequencies are 8 Hz - 55 kHz?

if I check SMSL SP400 amp, it says it has 0.1 Hz - 500kHz frequency response. I understand that most people don't hear above 20 kHz :) But what about low frequencies and in general why there is such difference for this amp and does this influence anything?
 

Cylphio

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And finally I decided to return the d10s. The weak out of 2 volts did make me use the last half of the amp volume and the extremely analitical nature of implementation did make me prefer the hp out of the macbook, not only for the price/performance ratio but for the smoothness of the apple device. But with both the devices i "felt" something wrong. At last, raising the volume i detected that the "glare" of the topping was related to a little electrical fry. So here it is, this magical box made by the experience of a good engineer in a form factor that i personally adore. Yes, the measurements are not perfect, but I'm hearing true fidelity. The DROP Grace Design SDAC B is the example of what I like to see and feel in a product. Essential and functional design with simple and attractive aesthetic. 4,2 V of stable power, hi res capability and no exotic optionals.
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NervousEnergy

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I've lurked and read reviews/discussions on this site for months, and relied on it to make several purchases which have turned out incredible. Had to register to leave another +++ for the recommendation on this amp. Bought it to drive an HE6se (recent Adorama deal), and the combination is simply mind-blowing. Internal SB AE-7 for the source, SE to the amp, balanced to the cans on high gain. The clarity and presence of the music is impossible to describe. This is coming from an HE4XX driven from the AE-7's onboard amp, which is pretty good but an order of magnitude off in power from what's required to drive the HE6. I knew I'd be in for a better experience, but I honestly thought it'd be more subtle since I was coming from the same planar tech with the same manufacturer. It is not subtle.

I don't have a broad range of headphone listening experience - I've had time with Senn HD800s, a couple of Stax, Grado RS-2, and 30 glorious minutes with an Orpheus 10 years ago, but I'd still be confident in saying it would be very, very hard to beat the combination of HE6se (at Adorama sale price of $650, not the $1800 retail) and 887 amp for quality under $1000 total.

Somewhat off-topic, but while I think the included balanced cable the HE6 came with is fine, it's a bit short. Any good sources for an XLR to dual 3.5 cable that's 2 meters long or more? I'm not paying $200 for a cable. Lots of Aliexpress options in the $40 range but month-long shipping and unknown quality.
 

MediumRare

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I've lurked and read reviews/discussions on this site for months, and relied on it to make several purchases which have turned out incredible. Had to register to leave another +++ for the recommendation on this amp. Bought it to drive an HE6se (recent Adorama deal), and the combination is simply mind-blowing. Internal SB AE-7 for the source, SE to the amp, balanced to the cans on high gain. The clarity and presence of the music is impossible to describe. This is coming from an HE4XX driven from the AE-7's onboard amp, which is pretty good but an order of magnitude off in power from what's required to drive the HE6. I knew I'd be in for a better experience, but I honestly thought it'd be more subtle since I was coming from the same planar tech with the same manufacturer. It is not subtle.

I don't have a broad range of headphone listening experience - I've had time with Senn HD800s, a couple of Stax, Grado RS-2, and 30 glorious minutes with an Orpheus 10 years ago, but I'd still be confident in saying it would be very, very hard to beat the combination of HE6se (at Adorama sale price of $650, not the $1800 retail) and 887 amp for quality under $1000 total.

Somewhat off-topic, but while I think the included balanced cable the HE6 came with is fine, it's a bit short. Any good sources for an XLR to dual 3.5 cable that's 2 meters long or more? I'm not paying $200 for a cable. Lots of Aliexpress options in the $40 range but month-long shipping and unknown quality.
You can try Amazon, a few options there https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Connector-Compatible-Headphones-Replacement/dp/B08DK586G6 but length may be a problem. They're easy to build and you can use excellent Canare StarQuad cable to get any length you want. I made a 15' balanced headphone extension cable (to extend my existing cable with the Y-splitter) with top Neutrik connectors for $22 in parts.
 
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