Preview: Monolith by Monoprice Desktop THX Headphone Amp & DAC

[amirm]

Monoprice cables are really inexpensive, I think they work fine for what they cost. An RCA cable costs like 3 bucks.

For just a bit more, you can get these excellent Amazon RCA cables: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D5H8P0G/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just $9 including shipping. They have a very supple feel, tight quality connectors and feel very nice. Performance is superb of course as I used them in my measurements often!

On Amazon the monoprice "premium" ones retail for the same price.

 

[Jimster480]

For just a bit more, you can get these excellent Amazon RCA cables: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D5H8P0G/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just $9 including shipping. They have a very supple feel, tight quality connectors and feel very nice. Performance is superb of course as I used them in my measurements often!

On Amazon the monoprice "premium" ones retail for the same price.

Wow I never thought Amazon's cables would be any good.... I personally use Ghent-Audio cables from ebay. Its a chinese vendor who makes them himself AFAIK. They are incredibly HQ and not expensive.

 

[Headphonaholic]

For just a bit more, you can get these excellent Amazon RCA cables: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D5H8P0G/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just $9 including shipping. They have a very supple feel, tight quality connectors and feel very nice. Performance is superb of course as I used them in my measurements often!

On Amazon the monoprice "premium" ones retail for the same price.

I'll second that. I too use the Amazon Basics RCAs and they do indeed have a very quality feel and aren't stiff so they are easy to work with. They don't in any way look or feel cheap. I would recommend em as well.

 

[antdroid]

Those amazon cables are pretty good. I just took one off my integrated amp that I'm selling. The monoprice premium ones are definitely hard to work with because they are so thick.

 

[jampa]

Was waiting for a thread like this. I already have a DAC so was on the fence. Going ahead with the amp only version, which will replace my first hp amp, a magni 3. Appreciate the contributions here from everyone, thanks from me and my ears

 

[confucius_zero]

I'll second that. I too use the Amazon Basics RCAs and they do indeed have a very quality feel and aren't stiff so they are easy to work with. They don't in any way look or feel cheap. I would recommend em as well.

Do the connector give the "death grip" to the rca ports?

 

[Headphonaholic]

Do the connector give the "death grip" to the rca ports?

Not in my experience. The ones I own are not loose or overly tight.

 

[trl]

For just a bit more, you can get these excellent Amazon RCA cables: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D5H8P0G/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just $9 including shipping. They have a very supple feel, tight quality connectors and feel very nice. Performance is superb of course as I used them in my measurements often!

On Amazon the monoprice "premium" ones retail for the same price.

Sorry for the off-topic, but these cables are not having nano-particles inside and are also lacking lunar soil compound, so the sound will definitely lack space and soundstage.

 

[Roen]

Will you re-measure with a production final version of this unit?

 

[amirm]

I can if someone buys it and then sends it to me.

 

[Breezy]

For just a bit more, you can get these excellent Amazon RCA cables: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D5H8P0G/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just $9 including shipping. They have a very supple feel, tight quality connectors and feel very nice. Performance is superb of course as I used them in my measurements often!

On Amazon the monoprice "premium" ones retail for the same price.

@amirm Thanks for this pointer! Have you compared their performance (measurements) and construction quality to Monoprice's "Premium" RCA cables? I ask because I have 2 pairs of the Monoprice variety, going from a DAC to large powered speakers and then from speakers to a powered subwoofer, and they seem pretty good, I just worry about the high weight/stiffness combined with the notoriously hit-or-miss connector clamping. I was looking at the Amazon Basics cable, and it seems to be even thinner gauge (23AWG), but maybe that doesn't matter much for my 3ft and 6ft needs. Also got curious about Monoprice RG-6U coaxial/RCA cable: https://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2681 which is supposed to be using OFC copper and thicker gauge wire. Since 2 pairs of 3ft and 6ft of those would also not break most banks, I did wonder if they are a better way to go or whether they are a complete overkill in the practical sense. (Then again if 12 gauge copper wire is advised to connect passive speakers, would it not be preferable to use pure copper thicker gauge RCA interconnects too?)

Sorry this is a bit off-topic, but I've done a forum search and it led me to the post I've quoted.

 

[RayDunzl]

if 12 gauge copper wire is advised to connect passive speakers, would it not be preferable to use pure copper thicker gauge RCA interconnects too?

The thicker wire is for greater current carrying capacity.

A speaker may draw many amperes of current.

An interconnect, a few thousandths of an ampere.

While there might be no harm in using a "thick" interconnect, it isn't necessary to get the job done.

 

[Breezy]

The thicker wire is for greater current carrying capacity.

A speaker may draw many amperes of current.

An interconnect, a few thousandths of an ampere.

While there might be no harm in using a "thick" interconnect, it isn't necessay to get the job done.

Thank you, that makes sense. I'll look into the Amazon Basics cables then--I have a nagging feeling that the premium Monoprice ones are exerting unreasonable strain on the RCA ports of my speakers (especially if a speaker gets accidentally shifted at some point). Otherwise I have no qualms with them. Shielding-wise with the Monoprice cables, both the speakers and the sub have super quiet noise floor with the existing set-up--I have to stick my ear against a speaker to even pick up a hint of any noise, and the sub is just silent to my ears when it's not transmitting audio signal.

 

[amirm]

@amirm Thanks for this pointer! Have you compared their performance (measurements) and construction quality to Monoprice's "Premium" RCA cables?

I have one of these already: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019N3LU1C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are not as nice as the Amazon Basics ones. At some point I will do a round up of RCA cables and perform a bunch of measurements.....

 

[Breezy]

At some point I will do a round up of RCA cables and perform a bunch of measurements.....

Looking forward to that! Your 12 awg speaker wire comparison was quite illuminating and helped me get a better cable (than eroneously purchased Amazon Basics 14 or 16 awg copper-clad aluminum spool.)

 

[hifiman]

I can if someone buys it and then sends it to me.

I have a set that I would be willing to ship to you, lmk if you're still interested!

 

[amirm]

I have a set that I would be willing to ship to you, lmk if you're still interested!

Thanks. We would both have to pay the shipping charges. So I like to find out if there is genuine interest instead of academic to try it again.

 

[antdroid]

I would be interested but I own one already too. So i won't be making using the data for any purchase advice but would be nice to see how it lines up with there test data that THX provided on the same item

 

[cairns]

I own one already too, and would be interested to see the actual measurements. Mine is a production unit with production firmware, not an unfinished unit with beta firmware that was accidentally shipped to an early buyer, and unfortunately got tested here. My understanding is that this is a fully balanced architecture inside and out, as opposed to the Massdrop THX AAA 789, which is not truly balanced. I got both the Massdrop and the Monoprice units, and honestly can't tell the difference when using Tidal HiFi over USB + Sennheiser HD800S (balanced) / Beyerdymanic DT 1990 PRO, after volume matching. Both sounds amazing. Love the screen of the Monoprice though, and its built quality.

 

[AresHarvest]

From Andrew Mason, one of the THX engineers, regarding the 789:

"The signal path internally is fully differential throughout (per Putzeys), but is NOT truly balanced in a few sections. We preserve the full signal integrity but we avoid increasing the retail price for no measurable benefit."

And I'm sure it was just a typo, but just in case, the 789 is an amplifier only, not a DAC.