Massdrop x THX AAA 789

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by neogeosnk, Feb 26, 2018.

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  1. InstantWin

    InstantWin New

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    Ahh... got in on the most recent drop for this and it just got delivered today. This thing just sounds so clear, a perfect complement to my LCD2C. I had been using a CTH pretty much exclusively on my desk and while it produces an excellent sound, there's a clarity in solid state amps that I was just missing. Now I can have the benefits of both on my desk and that's a great thing.


    Initial impressions are that this filled that gap for me perfectly and that this thing is a joy to listen to. Will try and post some more impressions after some more listening. :headbang:
     
  2. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    My unit came in today from the recent drop. I know @Grattle wanted impressions vs the Mangi 3. I'll do short term impressions by today but in about 15-30 days will do longer term impressions. I prefer using the unit for months before doing a real review, but we'll see how I feel.
     
  3. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Half day impressions. Full impressions on the unit itself will be when I'm ready, most likely in one-two weeks (or when I feel like it). This is also a summary between the THX and Magni 3 for those who are curious.

    Magni 3: Fun, Non-Analytical, Warm Tonality, Easy Listen, Doesn't Offend, Bass Will Bloom Nicely Without The Extra Fat.
    AAA 789: Focus, Analytical, Neutral Tonality, What You Feed It Is What You Get, Will Offend If You Make it Do It, Boom Is For Losers.

    Smaller LED White Light than the Schiits (less annoying but still is), Power Button is meh but gets the job done. No issues with the volume knob. Plenty of Gain for everything I have. Prefer the Balanced Out than the SEs (but the SEs are good enough for my Fiio IEMS, but I eel they are compressed a bit). Still weird they are using an external power supply, but I can live with it. I love the size of the unit, and having three different connector inputs makes this a nice all in one shop for my headphones.

    Feeding it currently with the Modi 2U. Still some warmness of the AKM Chip in the Modi, but most of it is gone when running it thru the THX. Magni 3 added more warmth to it. With that being said, I don't consider the THX to be a bright amp at this time. I was playing some bright recordings that I had (some Bandcamp releases and Walter Becker - 11 Tracks of Whack), and it didn't make me take of my Clear at all. However, the Clear did told me that the recording is on the bright side and be careful of that volume knob.

    Feels like the THX has the classic SS stereotypes (lean sound, too much detail in all regions that it could overload your ears, not as warm as t00bs, etc.), but it doesn't offend me like the last Audio-GD product that I had over two years ago. Doesn't sound like a $350 amp at all.

    I have a strong feeling that whatever you feed the amp (regardless if Balanced of SE Input) will be like the "spices" of the sound. I'm going to run other sources to this amp and see if what I said is true (Ayre Codex for Balanced Input and SE, and other junk). Sorry not sorry, I don't have any bright sources to see how horrible I can make the THX sound. Then again, to me this is a neutral amp, so feed it shit and you get..... It should scale well with better sources.

    I'm guessing if you love the sound out of the Magni 3 and you want an upgrade from that, I would do the Rev 2 Jot**. Warm Tonality folks may not be a fan of the THX, and they could consider the THX to be going backwards. Depending on what you are feeding the THX and your cans, you can disappoint both trebleheads and bassheads.

    More testing is needed. While this is not the type of sound I prefer, I'm not regretting my purchase.

    **Only if running balanced output to your cans, regardless of what you are feeding the Jot on the source side (balanced or SE). Also the sub-bass is more enjoyable/impactfull for me thru the Jot.
     
  4. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    I'm posting this really earlier than usual. Mostly due to I didn't go out too much during NYs. I also didn't notice really any changes when plugged in for 72 hours. So the last 48 hours I went crazy with it. I need to do a lot shorter reviews next time.

    Full Impressions/Review

    I always thought that when you obtain a new audio product, that you must spend a lot of time with the product. Don’t always try to make a review within the first 24-48 hours of obtaining a product. I like to spend time with something before making my opinions. It works best to give an honest impression when you lose the new toy effect.

    The THX to me is a wonderful all in one headphone amp that can power almost anything you throw at it (maybe not the HE-6, but I never heard one so what do I know). It is not a warm, or a bright amp. It stays greatly in the middle of neutral. It is not going to make your headphones tilt to the bright/dark/warm. Instead, it is going to feed your cans what it is getting from your sources. From trying out different things about this amp, focus more on the quality of your source. In other words, if your source was designed to sound best in Balanced, use Balanced Input to the amp. If you have a DAC that only puts in Single Ended, it’s perfectly fine to use that on the THX and hook up headphones via Balanced. In my opinion, if there’s a DAC that I love but only outputs Single Ended, I would prefer to hook that up to the THX than using a Balance DAC with a shit sound (stereotypical Sabre sound, shoot me plz).

    I originally wanted the THX because I was getting too annoyed that I continue to swap my cables in order to hook up to my desktop setup (Modi 2U > Magni 3). Yes, I can just use a converter, but I wanted to be stupid and get a nice all in one headphone amp box for my desktop. The nice thing about the THX is that it has 4-Pin XLR Input, 1/4 Input, and 1/8 Input. No adapters for me, just put it in. Uber laziness I call it, but I’m cool. So my plan was to replace the Magni 3 with the THX, then use the Modi 2U as my DAC. My goal was to keep the warm sound signature of the Modi, but use the THX to handle amping my headphones.

    To be honest, getting the THX was odd. I’m a fan of Warm Tonality in general. I do have a Rev. 2 Jot that I love in my main sit-down setup. It provided that warm treble, nice bass/sub-bass effect on the “fun” side. When others stated the THX was on neutral to the bright side, I’m like oh no maybe I won’t like it. Then it turned out that the THX isn’t fully balanced, which to me I’m like ok as long as it sounds good I’m fine, it’s only $350.00. In the past I wanted to pick up the first drop of the THX, but the sound signature made me get the Jot. Now with this new drop that recently ended, I’m like why not lets do this. It’s only $350.00, not $1,000.00. I never done any business with Massdrop before (been out of the loop of headphone stuff for years), so this is something new for me.

    So now after using it for awhile, here’s what I thought of it.

    At first, I thought the external power supply was weird looking. I prefer internal power supplies. All of this talk about this power supply goes away when you heard the damn thing. I don’t care about getting a better external power supply, it’s only $350.00. I also like that the amp runs cool, it makes it easy to stake other Massdrop products on top of it (or anything else to be honest).


    Equipment Used

    IEMS: Fiio FH5, Fiio F9 SE

    Cans: Senn HD600, ZMK Eikon, Focal Clear, Audeze LCD2C

    Amps: Schiit Magni 3, Schiit Rev. 2 Jot, Ayre Codex via Headphone Balanced Input (Pono connectors)

    Sources and DACs: Schiit Modi 2 Uber, Modi 3, Fiio X5 3rd Gen DAP, California Audio Labs ICON Mk-II CD Player (no upgrades), Marantz HD-CD1 CD Player


    Build Quality

    It works. What more can I explain? Nice looking black plastic/metal box that isn’t looking like black plastic crap. Power button feels weird, but it works. Volume knob is smooth but maybe not resistance enough when moving it. Input button is fine. The three headphone input connectors appear to be in good quality and won’t fall apart. The same can said about the back inputs/outputs. They work just fine* and don’t appear to fall apart anytime soon.

    *I didn’t test the pre-amp part of the amp, I don’t use speakers. I won’t be able to comment on the quality of the Single Ended Pre-Amp Out.


    Sound


    Headphone Inputs, Source Inputs, and Gain

    I’m going to be honest, I didn’t detect really any changes if running a Single Ended DAC and using Balanced Input for your headphones, and the reversal is true as well. Running headphones Single Ended for the most part to me has no difference if running the same headphone Balanced. However, running the headphone Balanced does give you the most amount of power (which make sense per the specs). I did notice the LCD2C was a little more dynamic when running them Balanced. Same is true with my Clear.

    I recommend running the headphone Balanced, but who cares about what Source being Single Ended or Balanced (unless the Source you are using was designed to work better either in Single Ended/Balanced). People talk about Opamps in the chain and stuff (and not being truly Balanced, meh), stated it could affect the sound quality. I’m going to be honest, I couldn’t detect any negatives when running a DAC Single Ended to my headphones Balanced. If you feed the amp good shit, it will come out good shit to your cans, it’s that simple.

    With regards to the Gain, most of the time I leave it in Level I for most of my headphones. I prefer to use Gain 2 when the recording was on the low level end. LCD2C most of the time I use Gain 2. However, these impressions are when I’m running them Balanced. When running my headphones Single Ended, I was on the higher level of that volume knob at close to 4 O’Clock with my LCD2Cs. Use Balanced Input for most amount of Power in your volume levels.


    Treble/Highs

    Accurate is the best way to explain with some of the stereotypical Solid State “crispness.” If a recording is bright (lets use Junkie Girl in Walter Becker – 11 Tracks of Wrack), then the full digital highs will make you run for the hills. However, if the recording was done greatly (Holst The Planets - Zubin Mehta Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra XRCD), then the strings will come alive with wonderful detail (and that air, my god there’s tons of it only if the recording has it). Of course I was using both the Modi and the Codex for these tracks.

    Some were hoping that this amp and break the veil in the highs for the LCD2C, but no it doesn’t. Due to being a neutral amp, it won’t help the LCD2Cs in breaking the darkness issue on the highs (but to be honest, who cares that’s one thing I like about it). At times I thought the amp was too fast for me, I felt like it was hard for me to focus on the treble region on Jazz Street – Jaco Pastorius because there’s too much details/energy coming at me at once (but to be fair, I thought the recording was shit, RIP Jaco).

    If feeding it with a DAC that has a bias in the warms in the highs (Schiit Modis with the AKM), then the THX will tell you know. However, feed it the Ayre Codex and the THX will amp the organic highs that I receive from the Codex. The THX will not make anything more bright/warm. Trebleheads will be disappointed with this amp if their goal is to have a bright setup with all of their equipment helping them to that cause. Warm Tone fans like me will have to question the THX since it may not help you keeping the highs in check. It may not even give you that warm fuzzy feeling like eating apple pies in this range (which if that’s what you want, get a Magni 3 or a Rev 2 Jot). The THX also told me that the California Audio Labs (CAL) ICON Mk-II CD Player from the early 90s sounds better than the Marantz HD-CD1 from 2016 (ICON sounds inviting, analog like that doesn’t cause digitalitis highs. The HD-CD1 sounds like stale crackers after a while with the highs being dry as f**k after a while).

    The amp made the HD 600 and my Clear sound wonderful in this region. Doesn’t matter what’s the source, it doesn’t push my neutral cans into brighthead land. I even tried to push both of these cans into bright land with Grace Jones – Hurricane using Love You To Life, no dice. The LCD2C and the Eikon didn’t have any complaints here, since I found both of them to have dark treble in general. I was hoping the THX could push the highs out of both the LCD2C and Eikon a little more, but it didn’t do it when running it thru the Modi and Codex. If I had a crap Sabre DAC, and I was feeding it to the THX, the THX will most likely killed my ears if using my Clear (aka too bright). I also would warn people who are sensitive to digitalitis to be really careful on what source you are feeding the amp. While I haven’t been hit with digitalitis (which I’m allergic to), hearing the different DAC changes thru this amp can make it happen.

    In the end I’m happy with the quality of the highs, even if it is not in the turning that I like. I’ll take the Rev. 2 Jot over the THX any day for this region. However, the Rev. 2 Treble isn’t accurate with that smooth treble. But that’s why I love the Rev. 2 Jot, it helps me deal with good music that was produced as shit. Is that the point of this hobby, helping you enjoy music even if they sound good/bad?


    Midrange

    To the point, with fluidness and not having any gainness vocals like in some shitty SS amps. It still have analytical factors which is great if you want to pin-point down the details, but honestly it’s an enjoyable listen with regards to male and female vocals. Grace Jones sounds as she should in Nightclubbing and Hurricane, and so does Chuck D in Public Enemy’s Fear Of A Black Planet. I did notice a little more soundstage than using my Rev. 2 Jot, but It isn’t much of a difference to say it’s a big difference. As stated in my treble part of my impressions, whatever you feed the THX will make the difference also in the midrange. For example, the Modi is fine with the AKM sound. However, when using the Ayre Codex to the THX, the midrange sounds much richer, better than the Modi. The neutral turning of this amp will not add anything extra to sounds and vocals, so a recording overmiked the vocals, you will hear it. Still comedowns to the recording in the end of the day. If it fed shit it will make shit.

    I was shocked that the amp is very fluid in the mids. With my experience with SS amps in the past, they aren’t always fluid in this region. It was quite an enjoyable experience for the most part when using the amp. Even with the worst recordings I throw at it, it was still an enjoyable listen. Others stated there’s a minor-veil on the midrange on this amp. I couldn’t detect it to be honest. YMMV here.

    Sorry that this part of the review is short, there isn’t much to discuss other than it’s big on what’s the source you are feeding it + the headphone you are using it.



    Bass

    Accurate, tight, no added bloom. In other words, if you are a sucker for bass and sub-bass, don’t expect it to give you any extra other than what’s on the recording. This won’t be adding any extra bass on a HD600 or make an Eikon into a basshead headphone. However, it could make certain headphones disappoint when using the THX (I’ll explain more of that later).

    Sometimes it’s nice to have an amp that have accurate bass and just enough sub-bass without making it bloomy. Personally, this is not the type of turning that I like (if you can’t tell by now, I prefer the Rev. 2 Jot and I think others who like a warm tone will prefer the Jot). Kraftwerk 3-D Catalog sounds good enough with my headphones in the THX, but at times I’m like I wish it had more sub-bass. However, running various tunes in the HD600 and I thought the bass wasn’t annoying. Bass guitar’s in Jaco Pastorius Weather Report era sounded great without anything added. The tone on his bass was just right to me.

    Bassheads should not be a biggest fan of this amp, only a fan of neutral will enjoy this amp. Like I said plenty of times, bass accurately will be better with better sources. The Marantz HD-CD1’s analog outs had good enough bass, but using that CD Player as a transport to an Ayre Codex really makes bass guitar’s shine.


    Headphones

    I think the THX best pairs with neutral turning headphones. For me, the HD600 and the Clear were excellent matches. In matter of fact, my favorite headphone to use with the amp is the HD600. It really brings out the best qualities of that headphone and doesn’t get on my nerves on bright recordings, which I thought was strange. Then again, it’s a neutral amp. The Clear does a better job on showing flaws of recordings. So if a recording is bright, good luck with that.

    The LCD2C and Eikon sounds good for the most part on this amp. Per Marv, the LCD2C and ZMF cans should be good matches with this amp. After using my LCD2C and Eikon, I do believe the amp is not the best match for these headphones. The reason why I got the LCD2C is to listen to shit recordings while eating Double Whoppers. I want my sub-bass damn it. The amp doesn’t give me enough of sub-bass for me (which make sense, it’s neutral), but the Rev. 2 Jot does for me. The Eikon is similar as well, I just wish the Eikon had a little sub-bass when using the THX when playing Kraftwerk. When using the LCD2C on the THX, it’s like eating a Whopper Jr, it becomes a Double Whopper when running though the Rev. 2 Jot. The Eikon while sounds find with the THX, it needs more body to make them wonderful for me. No wonder people prefer tubes with the Eikons. With that being said, there's tons of power for both the LCD2C and Eikon. It will make them loud. It all comes down to preference.

    Neutral turning headphones will be a good match for this amp. Unless you want Whopper Jr with your LCD2C on this amp, I would recommend the Rev. 2 Jot for that and the Eikon. The Fiio’s IEMS sound good enough on the THX, but I would recommend warmer amps for those IEMs since they can sound flat on this amp.


    Conclusion

    It’s a black box, it will stack well with other Massdrop or other products on top of it. It doesn’t sound like a $350.00 amp. Yes, the THX had to make some adjustments in order to meet the price point, but it shouldn’t avoid people from buying it. I feel like I had to spend at least trip or quadruple to get something that sounds 5%-10% better than this. Great neutral amp that is good to test Sources/DACs and brings out the recording as is.

    People will complain about the amp not being fully balanced, the external power supply, opamps, and volume knob. People will also complain the looks to be boring as well. Honestly, who gives a f**k for $350.00. I would bitch very little if this amp was $1,000.00 (and others would bitch a little as well). Funny that I said that, if this amp was made ten years ago, it would be at least $1,000-$2,000 minimum. The price/performance in the audiophile world has gotten leagues better as of late.

    This amp won’t replace the Rev. 2 Jot that’s in my main setup, since I prefer a warm turning for serious music listening. However, it will replace the Magni 3 that’s on my desktop. My actual plan was to just use this on my desktop, and bring the Magni 3 and Modi 2U as my work setup. The Modi 3 will be my current desktop DAC until something interesting/cheap comes around. If I’m able to score a Grace Blanaced SDAC to run that Balanced, that might be something fun to use on the THX.


    TLDR

    $350.00 Neutral/Accurate Amp that doesn’t suck. Run headphones Balanced for full power, perfectly fine using Single Ended sources/DACs. I prefer neutral turning headphones on this unit. Don’t get suckered in the bitching that made this amp hit the $350.00 price point. Hear it or buy it. Ton’s of amp for the price. Love warmness and sub-bass, get the Rev. 2 Jot. Highly recommended. I wish this was more popular, it's an excellent all in one amp station for the price. Can't comment on pre-amp part of amp.
     
  5. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Has anyone here used this and an arcam rhead before? Have an rhead but haven't tried the 789 before.
     
  6. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    Honestly the last 50-100 or so units sold out damn fast. I think it's already on its way to be very popular, especially on subsequent drops :) if they make an (optional) one with an embedded SDAC for those who want that, that'd sell quite easily too I'm sure. Looking at the insides' screenshots, there's room to spare in the chassis for sure.
     
  7. sheldaze

    sheldaze Friend

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    I noticed your signature - the rHead was source “independent”. It just did its thing, which was a nice thing, but almost with any source. Your signature says you’re looking for sources and amplifiers, and rHead will not tell you as much about source signature as would the THX AAA.

    However the THX AAA is brighter - not bright, just bright relative the rHead. You will not get the same warm-ish sound through your existing headphones. In fact, you’d likely need to adjust to having a more dynamic sound in general. The rHead was more conservative.

    Volume on the rHead was incredibly linear, especially for low volume use. I’ve not enough experience with the THX AAA to tell how well its volume works. It has multiple gain settings, so should work well. Still that perfect volume is something you may miss on the THX AAA.
     
  8. taisserroots

    taisserroots Friend

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    Thing about this amp, is that I don't think the amp itself is veiled.

    I still have my teaks which I've been waiting to sell and they aren't veiled to begin with, nor do I hear it with the amp.

    The issue is that with the hd580 you can tell the existing veil. It's not like the iha1 which minimises the veil massively or the lyr 3 which starts to cut through it. It just leaves the existing veil there. It sort of reminds me that I'm waiting on another project to finish to buy those headphones because of the issues hd6x0s have.

    However, I still prefer this to a lot of the amps out there.
    Compared to all the Gilmore stuff this definitely has a more natural tone. I find the Gilmore stuff is a bit soft warm and has some glare issues (think a lot more tizz than the Gungnir Multibit A2+ mojo2 harder edge/grit). I also find that they compress the stage and overall dynamics, everything sort of sounds like less dynamic recordings with little depth despite the impacts being decent.
    With whatever version jot electromod takes to shows I find that it has similar tonal issues to the Gilmore stuff, to different degrees (don't remember well enough but that isn't as important) but it compresses the width a lot compared to the depth instead.
    While the cayin iha6 has fewer issues compared to those two I find it also has this glariness and graininess in the treble and some extra warmth just not as bad.
    But the iha6 starts moving to staging which is more natural.
    Somehow I find the thx does really well compared to other gear. I get a sense of depth when notes decay and I get some body to the impact as well.
    I feel like there is a change to the body of a note as the it turns from impact to decay.
    However, compared to better amps the Microdynamics, feel a bit compressed. What I mean is that the decay of something like a cymbal doesn't show as much variation, while you get the good layering with the macrodynamics, the separation the quiet sounds like a pianist talking, you also feel like the change in body with the decay is not well defined that it loses that characteristics when it comes to finer texture and body and changes in a note. I feel the cayin is a closer amp in this quality.

    The tone is a major benefit for me. I don't find a lot of stuff at this price point neutral. It's often warm or bumped in the treble. My geekout is definitely warm, so are most of these amps. At most compared to the iha1 and hpa4 there was a bit of a midbass bump, but that's very slight and more my preference because I feel like it has more grip that way

    Even compared to a lot of tubes and hybrids I find it's combination of characteristics still unique.
    I don't find the lyr3 carries a lot of the positive attributes of tube staging. My main issue with with the stock tubes I feel like the bass and lower middle are slow, while the upper mids and treble are more normal, creating a disconnect which bothers me.
    I find it a bit grainy, but what it did well was make my hd580 sound less veiled, while it was still there it was less apparent compared to other amps. In fact the iha6 helped combat the veil too. I do find the thx has better dynamics and layering, but the compression in the Microdynamics creates a slight disconnect, so while it is competitive there with other stuff it's just much more noticeable.

    Compared to he Feliks euphoria the thx has an advantage with bass control and grip, the euphoria can get a bit muddy sometimes and the bass is a bit slower. The timbre is a bit wetter than the thx where I find the other solid state amps a bit too dry in an unnatural way (iha6 is one of the better ones in that regard). While the macrodynamics and overall seperation aren't as well defined(very close, iha 6 similar to the thx here) the Microdynamics are noticeably less compressed and more defined, you get a feeling of the texture and the body the decay has and it feels more continuous. While I would say the timbre is a bit too wet and the tone isnt as accurate, the precision of the microdynamics is a lot better and it's definitely more resolving and depending on what bothers you, can be a bit more cohesive sounding.

    Overall it's my preferred amp in this price range. The strengths of this amp matches my preferences.
    The main issues I have is that it really highlights the hd6x0 veil and the microdynamics are compressed while the macrodynamics are really good so it feels discontinous.
    I find its a very good amp, which offers a clear upgrade over entry level stuff/aio amps and does a lot of things well which you don't get untill you reach more expensive gear which fixes the problems this amp has.
    It's more, this takes the right qualities of better stuff I like whilst being in a reasonable budget.
     
  9. Roen

    Roen New

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    According to Andrew Mason from THX, since the Balanced Input can accept Unbalanced inputs, using a properly wired RCA to XLR cable can provide very small, marginal gains to ground interference reduction, so you could go with that as well. You don't get any power gains, obviously. It just costs a few extra bucks if one were to so choose to view this as not a waste of money.

    As all the inputs are converted to single ended within the amp, I'm not surprised you don't notice any difference between Bal HP out and SE HP out.
     
  10. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    Pin 3 to RCA shield right?
    https://benchmarkmedia.com/products/benchmark-rca-to-xlrm-adapter-cable (or for EU people). I personally went plain RCA and have no real signal/noise problem honestly. Not sure this kind of set-up has an actual benefit, but perhaps.
     
  11. Roen

    Roen New

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    That's the one. Mine are from BJC.

    As much as I don't believe in cables, I just went with them because they're the cheapest option in the world of "audiophile" cables and $46 for a pair of 1 ft cables won't make or break me.
     
  12. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Pin 1 on an XLR is shield. Howecer, when running unbalanced, Pin 2 is hot and pin Pin 3 and Pin 1 are sometimes tied together. You can run Pin 3 to the shield, but the ground is lifted. Some DI boxes have a ground lift switch that dows this as sometimes lifting ground reduces ground loops depending on situations.

    Most always I see it as Pin 1 & 3 tied together when running unbalanced.
     
  13. Roen

    Roen New

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    Basically tie them together at the shield, rather than at the XLR socket, was the recommendation.
     
  14. dropadred

    dropadred New

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    A bit misleading information IMO. What Andrew Mason should say is that RCA to XLR (when done correctly, of course) can achieve a partial CMRR (common mode rejection ratio, or how much of a nasty filthy interference picked up along the way you can cancel at the input of the differential stage) of a fully balanced interconnection. I would never ever in my life say "marginal gains to ground interference reduction", that is an utter, pardon my french, schiit.

    Not only it is not how one should refer to CMRR, but word "ground" in this case refers to ground loops and that will not fix even an unhealthy dose of the snake oil ("ground" will be still there via sleeve of RCA, only with two differential components where signal and chassis ground is separated you can achieve this when you cut off PIN 1 at one end.
     
  15. Roen

    Roen New

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    Sure, I accept your correction, I didn't know how to put it accurately. I was hoping someone more knowledgeable would opine on the situation.
     
  16. Sean_S

    Sean_S New

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    One reason to use balanced is if you need higher output levels, since balanced outs can run at higher, sometimes much higher, voltages.

    Sean
     
  17. dropadred

    dropadred New

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    Oh, I thought what you posted was directly posted by him. But in this case, absolutely no worries, I just don't like manufacturers say schiit.

    Hey, welcome at forums, when you have a second, come introduce yourself here
    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/new-members-introduce-yourself.17/ .
     
  18. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    When going RCA->XLR(m), you may also see the shield floating at the RCA end, or sometimes it even gets tied with a capacitor.
     
  19. Rthomas

    Rthomas Friend

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    Hi Guys,

    Anybody know if plugging two headphones (one into balanced output & one into single ended output) can damage the amp?

    Thanks!
     
  20. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    On RCA to XLR. The fricking amp has SE inputs. Stop wasting your time. Don't spend a penny or minute more. It's a high value $349 amp, not a TOTL McIntosh or bespoke ECP amp.
     

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