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expireddlfdr43 posted Sep 18, 2021 12:47 PM

Drop + THX AAA 789 Linear Achromatic Audio Amplifier

$199

$299

33% off
+ Free Shippingat Drop
113 Comments
49.7K Views
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Deal Details
Drop has Drop + THX AAA 789 Linear Achromatic Audio Amplifier on sale for $199. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member dlfdr43 for posting this deal.

Specs:
  • Note: All parameters measured at 0 dB gain, 1 kHz, with balanced inputs and 300-ohm load unless otherwise noted
  • Inputs: Stereo XLR-3 gold-plated Neutrik; Stereo RCA gold-plated
  • Outputs: 1/4 in (6.35 mm) TRS gold-plated Neutrik; 3.5 mm TRS gold-plated; XLR-4 balanced gold-plated
  • Frequency response: + 0.01 dB / - 0.03 dB 20 Hz–20 kHz; + 0.05 dB / - 0.15 dB 10 Hz–50 kHz
  • Input impedance: 50 kOhms balanced or unbalanced
  • Chassis: High-grade CNC-milled aluminum with bead-blasted finish
  • Power supply: 24 VDC inline brick, universal input 100–240 VAC
  • Dimensions: 8.3 x 9.1 x 2.2 in (210 x 230 x 57 mm)
  • Weight: 3.4 lbs (1,520 g)

Editor's Notes

Written by RevOne | Staff
  • About this Deal:
    • This price is $100 Lower (33.4% Savings) than the list price of $299.
    • Highly rated with 4.8 out of 5 stars from over 850 reviews.
  • About this Store:

Original Post

Written by dlfdr43
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Drop has Drop + THX AAA 789 Linear Achromatic Audio Amplifier on sale for $199. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member dlfdr43 for posting this deal.

Specs:
  • Note: All parameters measured at 0 dB gain, 1 kHz, with balanced inputs and 300-ohm load unless otherwise noted
  • Inputs: Stereo XLR-3 gold-plated Neutrik; Stereo RCA gold-plated
  • Outputs: 1/4 in (6.35 mm) TRS gold-plated Neutrik; 3.5 mm TRS gold-plated; XLR-4 balanced gold-plated
  • Frequency response: + 0.01 dB / - 0.03 dB 20 Hz–20 kHz; + 0.05 dB / - 0.15 dB 10 Hz–50 kHz
  • Input impedance: 50 kOhms balanced or unbalanced
  • Chassis: High-grade CNC-milled aluminum with bead-blasted finish
  • Power supply: 24 VDC inline brick, universal input 100–240 VAC
  • Dimensions: 8.3 x 9.1 x 2.2 in (210 x 230 x 57 mm)
  • Weight: 3.4 lbs (1,520 g)

Editor's Notes

Written by RevOne | Staff
  • About this Deal:
    • This price is $100 Lower (33.4% Savings) than the list price of $299.
    • Highly rated with 4.8 out of 5 stars from over 850 reviews.
  • About this Store:

Original Post

Written by dlfdr43

Community Voting

Deal Score
+43
Good Deal
Visit Drop

Top Comments

dweekie
617Comments
114Reputation
I have this and had a JDS Atom.
Updated to a balanced DAC and cables to match.
Difference was not worth the hundreds of dollars invested.
Money is far better spent on headphones.
Go to Comment
cobelali
974Comments
311Reputation
This is an amp, not a DAC.
Go to Comment
paruchuribros
883Comments
77Reputation
Chord Hugo is a $2500 product 🙄. Cobalt is a portable and you can get better alternatives for this like TempoTec Sonata E44 which is 79 bucks.

I like the 789 for IEMs and full size headphones (not many THX based amplifiers support IEMs like 789) and desktop setup with SU-8s.

The below recommendations from Andy vault.
1 TempoTec Sonata E44
2 Ovidius B1 Apogee Groove
3 Hidizs S9 Pro E1DA 9038SG3
4 Astell & Kern PEE51 Hidizs S9
Go to Comment

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113 Comments

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Sep 19, 2021 4:10 AM
974 Comments
Joined Dec 2015
cobelaliSep 19, 2021 4:10 AM
974 Comments
Quote from shilderb :
would these be good for the Senheiser HD58X?
Yes, I use it to power both hd6xx and 58 jubilee
Sep 19, 2021 4:16 AM
617 Comments
Joined Nov 2009
dweekieSep 19, 2021 4:16 AM
617 Comments
Quote from ichysiuk :
This or Schiit Magnius?
I have HD6XX right now, but may get new cans in future.
But I'm looking for something like Audeze LCD-1 or Hifiman Sundara, so amplifier will bot be that important for the upgrade.
Flip a coin. My Modius dac doesn't stack with the 789 (I got the amp back before the rebadge to Drop), so that's somewhat annoying. The Maginus supposedly has worse single ended inputs, and THX has issues with high gain on inputs and supposedly develops volume scratching with poor support from DROP. Either way, performance differences are overly exaggerated among these chip amps in general and other factors should be considered. If you already have a decent opamp based amp already, save up for the extra headphones instead unless you're really craving a balanced chain.
Sep 19, 2021 4:21 AM
617 Comments
Joined Nov 2009
dweekieSep 19, 2021 4:21 AM
617 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank dweekie

Quote from arunix :
I want this but I already have the JDS Atom.
I have this and had a JDS Atom.
Updated to a balanced DAC and cables to match.
Difference was not worth the hundreds of dollars invested.
Money is far better spent on headphones.
2
Pro
Sep 19, 2021 4:26 AM
513 Comments
Joined Nov 2009
B1G_Mac
Pro
Sep 19, 2021 4:26 AM
513 Comments
Ugh, literally just had this delivered this week for $278. Anyone know if Drop offers price adjustments?
Sep 19, 2021 4:32 AM
1.4K Comments
Joined Jun 2010
IDAnonymousSep 19, 2021 4:32 AM
1.4K Comments
Quote from arunix :
I want this but I already have the JDS Atom.
Quote from dweekie :
I have this and had a JDS Atom.
Updated to a balanced DAC and cables to match.
Difference was not worth the hundreds of dollars invested.
Money is far better spent on headphones.
me too. I just can't justify buying it for more when I got the jds atom for $65 second hand. My use case doesn't include balanced or sensitive iem. I can't justify the much higher price tag for aesthetics/metal casing since sound quality is the same. I had a drop CTH with the same casing before. I actually prefer the smaller footprint of the atom on the desk with a KTB dac. And it's SE drives high end headphones well. Tempting but that is my reasoning behind it. When there are too many hobbies, got to learn how to maximize money. SD causes impulse buys because of the fear of missing the one time low price. But 789 has enough competition now that we will see this price again.
Last edited by IDAnonymous September 18, 2021 at 09:34 PM.
Sep 19, 2021 4:34 AM
293 Comments
Joined Oct 2014
jimjiSep 19, 2021 4:34 AM
293 Comments
Quote from kmogilinedi :
I am actually curious how this sounds and wanted to try this out separately not to use with Hugo. I want to have this for desktop set up.

How does it play hi-res files and can we connect an external DAC to this Amp?
You will need to connect a dac to this since it's amp only. Again, if you have a Hugo I wouldn't bother with this amp. Get a tube amp instead
Sep 19, 2021 4:51 AM
495 Comments
Joined Nov 2016
kmogilinediSep 19, 2021 4:51 AM
495 Comments
Quote from jimji :
You will need to connect a dac to this since it's amp only. Again, if you have a Hugo I wouldn't bother with this amp. Get a tube amp instead
Thanks a lot. I've got my answer. I will look for tube Amp.

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Sep 19, 2021 5:16 AM
442 Comments
Joined Jun 2018
JohnS2672Sep 19, 2021 5:16 AM
442 Comments
This or a Schiit Magni Heresy which can be had for $99? I'm new to the audiophile scene and am trying to gauge my best starter options.
Sep 19, 2021 6:35 AM
7.8K Comments
Joined Apr 2009
ursusSep 19, 2021 6:35 AM
7.8K Comments
I thought Drop posts were not allowed on SD. A year or so ago I got a warning for that.
Sep 19, 2021 7:03 AM
3.4K Comments
Joined Jul 2017
fintlewoodlewixSep 19, 2021 7:03 AM
3.4K Comments
Quote from kmogilinedi :
Can this be comparable to Chord Hugo or Cobalt portable headphone amp/DACs?
Chord Hugo has a very good but not state of the art DAC. The THX aaa 789 doesn't have a DAC. The Chord Hugo has a good headphone amp. The THX has a great and far more powerful headphone amp with cleaner sound.

Chord is great stuff, and is likely not worth replacing, but the THX headphone amps are better.

At the same time, I bet 99.9% of people wouldn't know the difference.
Sep 19, 2021 7:11 AM
3.4K Comments
Joined Jul 2017
fintlewoodlewixSep 19, 2021 7:11 AM
3.4K Comments
Quote from JohnS2672 :
This or a Schiit Magni Heresy which can be had for $99? I'm new to the audiophile scene and am trying to gauge my best starter options.
Either one is going to be so good that you'll likely never need to replace it. And the Heresy costs half as much while having slightly cleaner signals. But the THX has balanced output. Long term, both are great, but I'd take the THX because you'll be able to go with balanced headphones if you so choose. Then you'll literally never need to upgrade.

Then get a nice, clean DAC to team them up. Lots available 100-200 bucks. Then you can save up for a really good pair of headphones.
Sep 19, 2021 7:12 AM
8 Comments
Joined Jun 2019
PurpleBorder765Sep 19, 2021 7:12 AM
8 Comments
This is a great price. I bought mine at 250. It sounds amazing. I have it hooked up to a Aune Magic DAC using a Burson Audio Vivid Op Amp and the headphones are HD 58X Jubilee. I'm new to all this and put this together a few months ago and can't belive how good music can sound. The sound stage is amazing and clear. I'm hearing things in tracks that I've never heard before. I'm looking to upgrade my headphones next, possible some planar headphones.
Sep 19, 2021 9:03 AM
502 Comments
Joined Sep 2013
ghostthizzSep 19, 2021 9:03 AM
502 Comments
Quote from JohnS2672 :
This or a Schiit Magni Heresy which can be had for $99? I'm new to the audiophile scene and am trying to gauge my best starter options.
Ifi dac V2 save up for it! Awesome sound.
Sep 19, 2021 10:52 AM
2.7K Comments
Joined Dec 2019
User18383921Sep 19, 2021 10:52 AM
2.7K Comments
Quote from poopymcpoopyface :

At the same time, i bet 99.9% of people wouldn't know the difference.

this.
Last edited by RunningOnEmpty September 19, 2021 at 03:54 PM.

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Sep 19, 2021 11:59 AM
1.3K Comments
Joined Jan 2009
atx11Sep 19, 2021 11:59 AM
1.3K Comments
Quote from arunix :
I want this but I already have the JDS Atom.
I have both. The Atom looks good on paper but the AAA is far superior. That is, assuming you have a superior dac and headphone to match.
1

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