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THX AAA 789 vs LCX

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A 'short and quick' impression of the THX AAA 789 as compared to the LCX. I'll first say that the differences aren't earth-shattering but there are differences...differences that bring me to another level of listening enjoyment. The very first things I noticed was that there was more detail at the top end. Stacey Kent's, IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING, off of her Dreamer in Concert album, there were a few things I'm now noticing that I didn't notice before. I can tell you that she's got a moist mouth because you can hear it each time she sings into that mic. There's also a guy coughing in the rear of the room that I didn't hear that with the LCX. In Nils Lofgren's KEITH DON'T GO (Acoustic Live) the audience sounds closer and life-like. It feels like you are standing right next to Nils while he's doing his thing. Alanis Morissette's voice pitch on THAT I WOULD BE GOOD (live/unplugged) gets quite high in octave and the LCX had a hard time keeping up. The 789 laughs at Alanis. There is also a more pronounced low end that i'm noticing. In Julian Winding's DEMON DANCE, once the beat starts... tight, controlled bass. Same with LOSE YOURSELF TO DANCE by Daft Punk. The examples I'm finding are endless. The 789 is excellent. No buyers remorse here. Current setup: Macbook Pro > SMSL D1 (balanced) > THXAAA 789 (balanced) > Focal Elex
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FireLion
7
Sep 18, 2019
LCX+SDAC-B is a huge improvement over any standard RCA type DAC. From memory the RCA DAC's I used were even louder than the combo version and the extra gain from balanced is very welcome.
nick_t
186
Jul 3, 2019
Why do you need so many headphones, amplifiers and dac ?
rslatara
287
Nov 9, 2019
HERESY! Say 10 hail Mary's.
nick_t
186
Nov 9, 2019
rslataraI dont understand
DenonFanboy
825
Jan 5, 2019
lol I can hear the coughing too on my jot :p
rastus
1391
Dec 21, 2018
Like the "trophies" hanging on the sword...
A community member
Dec 21, 2018
By more pronounced low end, do you mean that it is more articulate? Or that there is an increase in its presence? I have the LCX that a family member wants to buy off of me, but I’m concerned as to how the THX affects brighter headphones like the HD600. I’m worried it might suck the thump out.
pslayer1
274
Dec 21, 2018
It can be bright for some but I call it 'detail'. The 'detail' on the top end can seem to some as detracting from the low end on some tracks. That said, with the THX/Elex pairing, sub bass is still there. On track 27 - CANTO AT GABELMEISTER'S PEAK from The Grand Budapest Hotel (OST), the sub bass clips my headphone drivers. If the 'detail' isn't wanted, fortunately, the D1 has sound coloring built in to the DAC. The 'Tube 1' setting on the D1 can take the highs down just a tad while keeping the mids and lows. If that's still not enough, there's settings 'Tube 2' and 'Tube 3'. Hope that helped.
A community member
Dec 22, 2018
pslayer1Yeah, it did. im going to jump for it probably when it’s back up.
Boxster
14
Nov 20, 2018
I see you got dat Tidal too. Love the hi-fi.
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