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Review and Measurements of Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp

PorchSong

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Ah, $400, I guess my Magni 3 is fine, then.

To be perfectly honest, go get the JDS Atom Amp for $100. The performance is damn close the THX AAA 789 Amp but it's simply not a balanced amp. I have the JDS Atom and it is pretty damn impressive to be sure. But, I still can't wait until August when my THX rolls in--been dying to try out a balanced DAC input.
 
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JohnYang1997

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Could any of the owners here share the specs of the power supply?
I thought there was a guy post something but I couldn't find it.
Thanks!
EDIT: FOUND IT
Screenshot_20190423-005654__01.jpg
 

AndrewDavis

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To be perfectly honest, go get the JDS Atom Amp for $100. The performance is damn close the THX AAA 789 Amp but it's simply not a balanced amp. I have the JDS Atom and it is pretty damn impressive to be sure. But, I still can't wait until August when my THX rolls in--been dying to try out a balanced DAC input.

I've never heard the THX 789, but my Atom is the cleanest sound I've ever experienced. It's a great choice!
 

AresHarvest

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I've never heard the THX 789, but my Atom is the cleanest sound I've ever experienced. It's a great choice!

On paper, they're very close to each other, with the Atom edging out the 789 just a hair in terms of SNR.

I've got both these amps. In person and especially during use, you can see where that extra money goes - the 789 feels much nicer to use. The addition of balanced I/O which might be a dealbreaker against the Atom for some. And of course, the price difference is gonna be a dealbreaker against the 789 for some others.

I don't know how JDS is making money on these things even with the cheap enclosure and slimmer I/O complement. Come to think of it, Massdrop can't be making too much money from their model either. Probably why they bumped up the price. Hopefully they'll be available in larger batches from now on.
 

sjx007

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I've never heard the THX 789, but my Atom is the cleanest sound I've ever experienced. It's a great choice!
Having missed all the prior drops, I got lucky with the latest drop and ordered the elusive 789. However, with my recent Atom purchase, I am really impressed with the way HE400i is sounding (with the Atom).
 

marksquared

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Seeing some of these stories, I can't believe my luck. A few months ago, I unsubscribed from all Massdrop emails. Fast forward to now, and I requested the drop but completely forgot about my email settings. For some reason, without receiving an email, I decided to check the page for news on Thursday. Incredibly the drop had just opened and I was able to order before they sold out. I was even taking my time and agonizing over whether to spend the money! I guess I can see why Massdrop is so popular. Buying audio gear feels like a trip to Vegas. After this drop I'm flying high, and after the next one I'll probably be cursing myself for not checking my phone often enough. :)

I already own the Atom, so in September I'll be very curious to see if I can hear the difference in a blind test.
 
OP
amirm

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50mv snr please…
I have been posting it in new reviews:

index.php


Ignore the highlighted one. It is the best performing one on the left.
 

PorchSong

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I have been posting it in new reviews:



Ignore the highlighted one. It is the best performing one on the left.

Amirm,

Is there a chance you would start a thread that contains your Master SNR graphs for and only the graphs like you did for the DACs but also put the amp sweeps in there? Also, please use the vertical format as the graphs are getting too crowded for horizontal because some insane guy keeps doing test after test after test on equipment. In other words, a unified Master Graph thread (comments disabled).
 

Viper Necklampy

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You would think if the company would be anxious to send an updated one for me to test than let this thread speak for them....
There are people who's buying 2 or even 3 of them.. Just let them send one updated for you, so THX can't send you a cheated amp ^^
 
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amirm

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Amirm,

Is there a chance you would start a thread that contains your Master SNR graphs for and only the graphs like you did for the DACs but also put the amp sweeps in there?
Yes, now that we are having critical mass in other areas, I will need to create them....
 

Viper Necklampy

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I was lucky enough to buy the AAA 789 some weeks ago.. Could someone explain me why in those measurements by amirm there is no specification on about dynamic range? Is this hided in thd+noise? It's measurable the dynamic range in this amp?
Because Smsl D1 have 126 dynamic range in balanced, and would like to know how much it would be overall the dynamic range with it in balanced :) Hope overall dynamic range w/ D1 would not be diminished by THX aaa 789 DR..
 
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