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Monoprice Monolith THX 887 Balance Headphone Amp: New Champ?

DavidNesbitt

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Feb 25, 2021
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Hi Guys - What is better this or the Topping A90? As a headphone amp please?

I want to team it with the RME ADI 2 FS and headphones wise Arya and Mass drop 6xx streaming Qobuz through a PC

I have read the Topping is not that reliable and some people love it but it broke and they returned that puts me off but if better I want to go for that
 

Cylphio

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Hi Guys - What is better this or the Topping A90? As a headphone amp please?

I want to team it with the RME ADI 2 FS and headphones wise Arya and Mass drop 6xx streaming Qobuz through a PC

I have read the Topping is not that reliable and some people love it but it broke and they returned that puts me off but if better I want to go for that

I don't think they sound much different. I'd choose the monoprice for the long and easy warranty
 

dpippel

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Hi Guys - What is better this or the Topping A90? As a headphone amp please?

I want to team it with the RME ADI 2 FS and headphones wise Arya and Mass drop 6xx streaming Qobuz through a PC

I have read the Topping is not that reliable and some people love it but it broke and they returned that puts me off but if better I want to go for that

I had both side-by-side and kept the Monoprice after a week of back and forth. Subjectively, it just sounded better to me with my gear. The Monoprice amp is also $50US cheaper than the Topping right now.
 

Masterxyr

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Monoprice is having another sale, and you can pick up this amp again today for $297.49 using the promo code HALFWAY2BF. That's a screamin' deal.
but not in Europe
crryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :'(
why why why why why why
etc....
thks though!!! where did you find the code? I never find any of those....
 

dpippel

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but not in Europe
crryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :'(
why why why why why why
etc....
thks though!!! where did you find the code? I never find any of those....

I'm on their "deals" email list. Sorry that the code doesn't apply to you in Europe.
 

dpippel

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cheers!
What a deal. perhaps new model coming out?

It's possible, but this is the second such sale they've had over the past few months and the 15% off code is good for anything that Monoprice sells. It's not directed specifically at this amp.
 

sjeesjie

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thanks for the heads up!
Finally got one heading my way :)
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do! The ordering and shipment was a breeze by the way!

One weird thing I noticed, there appears to be a tiiiiiiiiny little hum only when the unit is turned off. Anyone noticed? How’s that possible anyway?
 

mocenigo

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I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do! The ordering and shipment was a breeze by the way!

One weird thing I noticed, there appears to be a tiiiiiiiiny little hum only when the unit is turned off. Anyone noticed? How’s that possible anyway?

Quite common. Happens while capacitors are forming or “filling up” in the power supply
 

sjeesjie

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Quite common. Happens while capacitors are forming or “filling up” in the power supply
Ah I see. So will that process stop when capacitors are full (can they even get full?) and will it shorten the lifetime of the capacitors? If so I’ll put the amp in a power strip with a power switch so I can swith it all off.
 

mocenigo

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Ah I see. So will that process stop when capacitors are full (can they even get full?) and will it shorten the lifetime of the capacitors? If so I’ll put the amp in a power strip with a power switch so I can swith it all off.

i was forgetting: sometimes it is the transformer that causes this tiny transient hum. I do not think that there is any issue here that may shorten the life of the device.
 

trl

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One weird thing I noticed, there appears to be a tiiiiiiiiny little hum only when the unit is turned off. Anyone noticed? How’s that possible anyway?
Is this something that you are hearing in your headphones for couple of seconds after you power off the device? Ideally would be the output protection relay to disconnect the headphones immediately after power off, before the caps to get discharged, but I guess this isn't happening in the THX 887 (not quite an issue after all). Worth measuring the DC-output with a true-RMS multimeter during the power off.
 

sjeesjie

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The hum is there all the time when the device is off. When I touch the device however, it stops. It feels as if there’s a tiny bit of electricity on the casing too.
 

mocenigo

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Ah I see. So will that process stop when capacitors are full (can they even get full?) and will it shorten the lifetime of the capacitors? If so I’ll put the amp in a power strip with a power switch so I can swith it all off.

ignore my two replies completely. I thought you were saying when it is turned on, not off.
 

trl

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The hum is there all the time when the device is off. When I touch the device however, it stops. It feels as if there’s a tiny bit of electricity on the casing too.
Sometimes, very sensitive headphones may catch even radiowaves, but not it's the case here. If you unplug it from the mains will the hum disappear?
 

sjeesjie

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Sometimes, very sensitive headphones may catch even radiowaves, but not it's the case here. If you unplug it from the mains will the hum disappear?
That’s correct. I don’t know if it persists when I unplug my dac by the way. I’ll try that later.
 
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