THX Onyx Review (headphone adapter)

[Tks]

 

[Rottmannash]

That's not a dac though, or is it?

same type of product

 

[Racheski]

FYI THX told me the design is available to companies who want to build their own versions.

For a fee of course...

 

[AdamG]

so it supports the dreaded MQA files?

Yes

 

[amirm]

For a fee of course...

Sure. It is not free to design a high-performance dongle on your own though. Amortize the design fee, prototyping, etc. and you also wind up with a per device fee.

 

[amirm]

so it supports the dreaded MQA files?

This is a functionality that comes with ESS DAC chip they are using. Not sure if the cost is buried in the ESS DAC, the device, or neither.

 

[danweast]

What is inside it? I mean a razer THX badge on it, for £200 really. Both my cinema THX crossover monitors was £100 and far larger and heavier and each had the THX crossover cards intact where they usually are sent back to Lucasfilm as they are only leased to THX cinemas.
So what is inside this, THX dongle, crack it open and lets see the common parts inside it as the plastic case well nothing special about that and the lead cable and USB end those parts are common and cheap. So what is inside it?

An ESS ES9281PRO chip for the DAC and a THX AAA-78 amplifier. Unlike the "THX Certified" products like some of the new Razer headphones, this one has a chip that was designed by THX much like the Drop, Monoprice, etc branded amplifiers.

As mentioned it can definitely be made cheaper without MQA and the likes, but I suspect it's not a rinky dink design either, there's a reasonable tax to using the THX chip. I'd love to see how a company like Topping could tackle this though.

 

[PeteL]

Sure. It is not free to design a high-performance dongle on your own though. Amortize the design fee, prototyping, etc. and you also wind up with a per device fee.

They won’t do anything for the digital part, or even the power supply part and then, well it becomes design. It’s not that fundamentally different to use a THX module than to build around TI Op amp reference design, or a dac chip for that matter, you still have to go trough prototyping, and optimizing.

 

[amirm]

It’s not that fundamentally different to use a THX module than to build around TI Op amp reference design, or a dac chip for that matter, you still have to go trough prototyping, and optimizing.

Oh, it is a huge difference if they give you the Gerbers (PCB layout) and complete design. With an op-amp, you are on your own to say nothing of this being a complicated, composite op-amp with feedforward.

 

[tomli747]

Is this the best performing dongle with mic input?
Actually quite attractive for smartphone use, but the price is 4x of Meizu HiFi Pro...

 

[Archangel]

How does it compare to the unbalanced hidiz s9 output? What about the balanced (although 3.5mm is more convenient: it's nearly twice the price).

 

[GWolfman]

Interesting, thanks! I'd gladly give up MQA for a lower price tag.

 

[Archangel]

On cost, this is being sold through a channel which takes it own cut. And the device has been through full set of certifications, etc. So it is not fair to compare it to direct sales of a company without similar brand. Yes, it is still expensive but not as much as it seems on surface.

This is somewhat inaccurate: the thx onyx is sold exclusively through their parent company (Razer)

 

[riffmaker]

You and me both! But we are getting to the point where we need custom comparison tool. I will create a new thread for it and see if we can get some volunteers to do the legwork.

@amirm I can help with that

 

[PeteL]

Oh, it is a huge difference if they give you the Gerbers (PCB layout) and complete design. With an op-amp, you are on your own to say nothing of this being a complicated, composite op-amp with feedforward.

A few years back it was only the module, a tiny pcb , with IOs to be soldered on your own PCB, like Pins of a chip. Yes of course you are paying for their feed forward patent. I am not saying it's easy to do the same thing. but just that it's not a complete product. The op amp that are on that are on their module are regular off the shelf op amps, but used in a feed forward configuration. they don't do silicon, at least it was the case a few years back. It appears you talked to them tough so maybe their model changed.
Edit: OH, I just realised that THX is the actual brand/manufacturer of the Dongle. Didn't get that before, so yes maybe they sell the whole design, I tought it was just a THX Dongle from other brands.

 

[vkvedam]

I presumed that this review would be up as soon as I saw the product's announcement. Expected it to perform better though, a bit disappointed

 

[Wombat]

Hey it goes to magenta(MQA) which is better than red(SACD)? Done deal like "it goes to eleven(Spinal Tap)"

 

[Jimbob54]

Hey it goes to magenta(MQA) which is better than red(SACD)? Done deal like "it goes to eleven(Spinal Tap)" View attachment 122745

Blue is where its at.

 

[Grooved]

$200. - when a Qudelix with PEQ is $110?

Because of MQA? (Which is what again? Money-grubbing Questionable Audio?)

Even if MQA still brings lots of questions, the price is not because of that, or the Helm Bolt with MQA renderer like this one and THX certification would not cost $99 ;-) It's not because MQA brand use "snake oil" marketing terms, and that this brand is doing the same, that we can leave "snake oil" comment ;-)

 

[pk500]

Just as I feared -- a very nice product with a "THX tax" of about $75 to $100. Oh, well.