I finished the review of this and gave it to my patrons yesterday. I will not be releasing the review until this comes back in stock because 10,000 people foaming at the mouth for X weeks is not a pretty picture.
MY REVIEW IS LIVE...
https://youtu.be/zQWrHZ9a1FY
MY LINK TO THE 789
https://goo.gl/kXx8Nw
#lifealteringamptech
ZeosPanteraCan't wait for your review of the THX AAA 789. I'm debating if I should buy this to "upgrade" from the Aune X7S which I have paired with the MD Grace SDAC. I'm powering HD6XX and 58X but looking for a good close back such as one of the Fostex here on MD.
Darling248We have some additional inventory that should arrive by the end of the week and then be in store within about a week. Holiday time gets crazy at our center but I am flagging this one as in demand!
CEE_TEEExcellent news. I missed the drop because of the holiday and having to buy gifts for all of the little ones in our family. Would like to see this drop in January after I've recovered from this and last month's spending.
CEE_TEEI hope this drop happens soonish, I just sold my Bryston BHA-1 to fund this purchase! From the measurements at least, it does perform better than the Bryston. I just wonder if it will sound as good. It should have a similar sound at the very least.
SuopermanniBeen following closely and should arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Will need to be checked in amongst the holiday traffic and then it's off to the races.
Should be available before Xmas.
KevinWell, if it performs as well as it does on paper, then no wonder it's almost sold out! It even beats my Bryston BHA-1 if the measurements are anything to go by that's like around the 2000USD mark!
CEE_TEEIn Japan, we go to the shrine on New Year’s Eve and count down to midnight. I stayed all night with family and waited for the first sunrise of the new year - and what a great sunrise it was. We stayed few hours more and started to walk back. I caught the postman ringing my doorbell and gave a little sprint. Lo and behold, it was my 789. Definitely a great start! Happy New Year!
Mark_MIn dying to know too! My SMSL SU-8 just popped in from China. I will pick it up from the post office so I get it tonight instead of tomorrow. I’m using Deezer Lossless and will run balanced all around. I’ll have some impressions in about 8 hours if all goes well.
Mark_MInitial impressions (disclaimer-I have yet to give it a full run-down, nor is my rig configured optimally yet):
Equipment-
DAC SMSL SU-8, RCA out (balanced yet to be tested), Audioquest Evergreen, Focal Elex 4-pin XLR, Blue Ella single-ended
Audio-
my personal mix of Tech and Progressive Trance from good ol’ vinyl (Blank and Jones, 4 Strings, Dyloot, etc.), recorded FLAC
The 789 is a buttoned-down unit. Beautiful and at home on a desk or in the studio- it’s that good. It stacks beautifully with my CTH. Definitely end-game material. Gobs of power to drive my Elex (104db, 80 ohm) and harder to drive Blue Ella planars (94db, 50 ohm). The sensitivity knob clicks firmly, the buttons press and depress confidently, and the volume knob is smooth and sturdy- no audible scratchiness to it at all compared to my CTH. Coming from an O2, which is also by no means anemic, the build, feel, and power is simply THERE. Massdrop and THX hit the nail on the head. Sound wise, crosstalk is inaudible - channel separation is superb. One way I check is to remove a left or right input cable and listen to the opposite headphone cup, or both, to check for bleed. None. No sound even when the volume knob is turned all the way down. None. The song Desire, by Blank and Jones, has a synth vocal (bom-bom) that bounces from left to right, and it pans and decays just right with the Elex. Because I used vinyl in my mix, with the 789, I could pick up the slight scratchiness of the record. I switched to the digital version of Desire to check and the resolution increased as expected. No scratchiness and punchy, deep bass and the cymbals crash with accurate authority. In hindsight, I should have cleaned my records and needles before I recorded the mix, but I also love that genuine analog sound. While it is technically a recording blemish, it does pay homage to a dying art in an industry dominated by CDJs, USB interfaces, and Serato. Frankly, with the right source, or the wrong source (given you have resolving headphones) the 789 let’s you hear everything - as it should. I took it for a spin on Ableton Live 10 to check a song I was producing using my old rig. It’s very detailed and revealing, black when it needs to be, and I trust it when I need to spot-check instrument volume levels, proper attack, decay, etc. It’s a formidable workhorse. Clean, clinical, and analytical. If I want something more sachrine and colored, I’d pick up my Blue Sadies and plug them into my CTH. If you missed it last drop, hang in there and hope it drops again or hunt Ebay/search the FS threads of your favorite audio forum - because at just shy of $350, this black box was worth every penny.
ZeosPanteraHave you heard the Benchmark HPA-4 THX AAA 888 and the smsl sp200 THX AAA 888 ? $3000 vs $280 THX amp. Are there any audible difference with the THX 789 ?