Drop THX AAA One Review - Best headphone amplifier under $200?

(Not affiliate links - just for information)
Drop THX AAA One Linear Amplifier: dro.ps/headpho...
Drop THX AAA 789 Balanced Amplifier: drop.com/buy/d...
Drop THX AAA One Written Review: www.headphones...
Become an expert on headphones: www.headphones...
Learn about headphone measurements and frequency response: www.headphones...
How frequency response impacts sound signature: www.headphones...
Podcast: theheadphonesh...
Twitter: / headph1show
Twitter: / resolvereviews
Source equipment
Amp - SPL Phonitor X: www.headphones...
Amp - Cayin IHA-6: www.headphones...
Amp - Schiit Magni Heresy: www.schiit.com...
Amp - Cayin HA1A MK2: www.headphones...
Amp - Ampsandsound Kenzie OG: ampsandsound.c...
DAC - Soncoz LA-QXD1: hifigo.com/pro...
DAP - iBasso DX220: www.headphones...
DAC - Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro: www.headphones...
Headphone Recommendations:
Entry level
AKG K371: www.akg.com/He...
Sennheiser HD 560S: www.headphones...
Sennheiser HD6XX: drop.com/buy/m...
Midrange
HiFiMAN Sundara: www.headphones...
HiFiMAN Ananda: www.headphones...
Focal Elex: drop.com/buy/m...
Audeze LCD-GX: www.headphones...
High End
Audeze LCD-2 (with EQ): www.headphones...
Focal Clear: www.headphones...
HiFiMAN Arya: www.headphones...
Sennheiser HD 800S: www.headphones...
ZMF Auteur: shop.zmfheadph...
HEDDphone (heavy): www.headphones...
Very high end
Rosson Audio RAD-0: www.headphones...
ZMF Verite Closed: shop.zmfheadph...
Focal Stellia: www.headphones...
Summit
Focal Utopia: www.headphones...
HiFiMAN Susvara: www.headphones...
IEM Recommendations:
Moondrop Blessing 2: www.headphones...
Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk: shenzhenaudio....
DUNU SA6: www.headphones...
Thieaudio Monarch: www.headphones...
Campfire Andromeda 2020: www.headphones...
64 Audio Nio: www.headphones...
64 Audio U12t: www.headphones...
Empire Ears Odin: www.headphones...

[@ResolveReviews]

If anyone is wondering about the bruises on my arm... Taron beats me when I try to steal all the good gear from his desk.

[@jayh8840]

did you succeed!

[@sameermana2003]

@@jayh8840 he's reviewing a cheap arse amp so I'm guessing no😂

[@ResolveReviews]

@@jayh8840 Not this time, clearly got caught. But it's worth the risk usually.

[@ResolveReviews]

@Lucca Silva Hah! I do want to one day meet up with Crin and make a vid. He's in Singapore though.

[@konna200]

LoL!

[@monochromios]

At "I'm dead inside" I fell off my chair. Great review Andrew.

[@michaelreed649]

Me too

[@TheDodgefan9]

Might also be useful to do Asgard 3 and Modius to show both balanced vs single ended and discrete vs op amps.

[@xzackly7131]

Schiit Asgard 3 is another $200 option. I really like mine but can't really comment on comparisons vs higher end stuff. I do prefer it over the $100 Atom though.

[@sleepyrhythms6668]

Same. Full bodied, Class A/B, smooth, and slightly euphonic. I have several friends who have commented on it being a nice upgrade from their 789. Yes, an upgrade.

[@doublecrossedswine112]

It should be better than the Atom, it costs twice as much

[@xzackly7131]

@@doublecrossedswine112 I don't think it's twice as good, it's more subtle than obvious differences. I don't like to say things make a huge difference because everyone views things differently. Ask another guy and he might say the Atom sounds the same as it.

[@doublecrossedswine112]

@@xzackly7131 there are so many good amps/dacs now. It's more about getting the sound you prefer. I want clinical sound, so the Atom is perfect. If you like flavored sound, Schiit offers that. Both are great products. Since this THX amp is also clinical there is no reason for me to get it since I have the Atom and I don't need more power for the dt1990s. If I wanted flavor I'd probably grab a tube amp.

[@nonnegaard]

LETS GO! I've been waiting for this for a while now!

[@edwardferry8247]

Very nice lighting, thank you for the review.

[@arthurhaywood2184]

The THX 789 is also a single ended amp. It just has balanced taps on it but internally it's still a single end.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Well it's a difference between fully balanced differential and balanced in practice. It has the primary benefits of 'balanced', plus it takes balanced inputs, so it's fine to say that it's balanced in my opinion.

[@tysontyson1244]

​@@TheHEADPHONEShow Sometimes balanced XLR outputs is a benefit. On the SMSL SP200 the XLR is a benefit because the TRS socket is VERY poor quality. So, if you are new to headphones, don't get the SMSL if you intend to use the TRS socket. This is the only reason that I use the XLR with balanced cables. Just this one amp. However, ALL of my higher end single ended headphone outputs are superior to ALL of the XLR outputs on my mid-fi low-fi headphone amps. So, it would make more sense to go with a higher up single ended output amp with the money that would be spent on balanced cables. This is why I recommend all new to headphones to stay away from balanced. It is not good to let those new to the hobby be mislead that they should go balanced. . Single ended, this is the way.

[@tysontyson1244]

​@@nhatlam96 I have listened to the SMSL SP200 with Grado SR325e, Grado SR225e, Grado SR225, AKG K712, Fostex T50RP MK3, Philips X2HR, Philips SHL3300, Beyerdynamic DT-990PRO (250-ohm), Beyerdynamic DT-880 (2003), Sony MDR-CD780, Cooler Master MH-752, Beyerdynamic DT-770PRO (80-ohm), Grado SR80, Grado SR80e, Sennheiser HD-280 (2016), Sennheiser HD-280 (original), Sennheiser HD-650, Koss PortaPro, Koss KSC75, Monoprice Retro, Monoprice 9927, Stellar Labs HC-5985. DACs were Emotiva XDA-2, Khadas Tone Board, Schiit Modi 3, Schiit Modi 3+, Monolith Liquid Spark DAC. . For every single one of the aforementioned headphones, there was at least one $100 headphone amp that sounded better than the SMSL SP200 with one exception, That was with the Fostex T50RP. The Fostex T50RP is a good match for the SP200 but like I said earlier, the connector jack is very poor quality. It would be too difficult to remove and solder on a new connector when this is just a $2xx amp. Not worth the time or effort to correct. However, the XLR output works well. . I just had the Fostex T60RP arrive less than a month ago. I will put it through the listening process as well. Hopefully it is a good match with the SMSL SP200 too because unlike the Fostex T50RP, it has a balanced connector and I have already made a balanced cable for it.

[@Farengast]

@@tysontyson1244 Lots of amps do this on purpose because true balanced outputs don't do a damned thing for headphones. Benchmark has an excellent blog post on the topic here: benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audio-myth-balanced-headphone-outputs-are-better TLDR, headphones can't even "see" balanced versus single ended. The only reason to use the connector is it has slightly lower impedance compared to TRS. Most people who think true balanced obviously sounds better are just responding to the often significant volume difference between the two on the same amp and the well studied bias towards louder when assessing quality.

[@tysontyson1244]

@@Farengast Great link. Thank you. It explains why balanced is a waste of time. And, it also states that the XLR connector is better. I do like that the XLR connector will not short out each time I pull out or insert the the XLR plug connector from the socket when I am using balanced cables. Apposed to TRS connectors which short every single time I pull out or insert the TRS plug connector. As much as I switch headphones every few seconds, it really adds up.

[@miladesn]

this is basically same deal as ATOM for 2x price and limited availability through Drop. But I guess you get a THX logo if that makes you happy. I don't get it, it's too expensive for a basic feature set amp.

[@pietossing]

Atom doesn't sound as good as the thx 789. It's most of the way there, but it's not as dynamic. The difference is worth it.

[@Skeeb23]

Curious to hear your Magnius review when you get your hands on one. I have the Magnius/Modius on order from Schiit but they are heavily backordered right now for parts. Upgrading from my Heresy/Modi3 stack so I can go balanced. Really enjoying your reviews, so thank you!!

[@michaelreed649]

Schiit Asgard would be the direct competitor to this amp and a comparison I would love to see . Both $199, Asgard 5w, w/ class A. Both single ended amps. It could be a good comparison.

[@ResolveReviews]

Yes, also a good option. I'll see about getting some more Schiit amps in.

[@markbeasley1]

I recently bought an Asgard 3, and I agree the Asgard 3 would be the strongest competitor for the THX. I am totally in love with mine.

[@yabadabauk]

I love my Asgard 3. Have used various amps....Atom, Magni 2 and most recently a Topping L30 and whilst the L30 is probably more neutral, the Asgard 3 sounds just slightly more 'lush' in a really nice way and is way more powerful. It drives my 600 ohm DT990's really well.

[@michaelreed649]

@@ResolveReviews i hope that happens. This is my favorite channel and i like Schiit audio.

[@michaelreed649]

@@markbeasley1 i love mine as well. I just have not heard enough to know how it compares to other amps. ;-)

[@AY-dw4om]

the better sense of left and right is because of dual mono design of the THX architecture, no left/right bleed between the channels.

[@LakerTriangle]

I said this before - Schiit has 5 year warranty...Have you ever tried to return something to Drop?

[@feels5460]

Drop in my experience is great when it comes to returns and RMA's. No questions asked, I'm always able to return for full refund and at no cost to me. RMA's are free and fast too. I'm pretty impressed with their service.

[@LakerTriangle]

@@feels5460 Definitely not the experience I've seen across their site or in forums.

[@feels5460]

​@@LakerTriangle I see a lot of those. It's really surprising to me. I haven't had a bad experience with them once, It definitely has something to do with region. I'm in the US which is the same country as their warehouses (as far as I know, I may be wrong). Everything I ask to be replaced is done so very quickly and with no questions asked. People give Drop a lot of flack but I guess I might just be fortunate.

[@HackerMan46]

It's not just about the length of the warranty but also the quality. My experience with a schiit has been horrible. I bought a vidar that took 1 month to arrive from the official distributor; the transformer was extremely loud, like a tractor and I was getting a big pop whenever I turned it off. After talking with them I sent it back to repair and got it back after well over a month with the same exact problems. They decide to admit that the transformer is defective and proceed to order a new one that required 4, I repeat, 4 months to arrive and after another shipment on my expense the amplifier is still loud and detective. After 10 month from the purchase I decided to sell it and get a decent amplifier from another brand

[@Zensō-music]

The Schiit warranty length varies depending upon the price of the product.

[@alivm8088]

i think schiit asgard 3 is a better amp

[@alivm8088]

@@nhatlam96 less about numbers more about sq

[@GlitzPixie]

@@alivm8088 I think Schiit understands better than most that "better measurements" don't automatically equate to better sound, especially since the measurements we currently use don't paint a complete picture and in many cases don't really correlate in any way with how we hear things

[@bitterbuffalo8997]

Really depends on what you're looking for. The Asgard 3 is not a netural amp, so anyone who is looking for that THX signature should look elsewhere. From a happy Asgard 3 owner.

[@GlitzPixie]

@@mg00 nope. You can have amps that measure "identically" that still sound different. Coloration is not inherently bad, your ears are not a computer or a measurement rig, they're ears. You're allowed to enjoy coloration and to have preferences

[@GlitzPixie]

@@mg00 you say hardware "should" be neutral, but you don't have an argument for why, you just accept it as a given that neutrality is preferable. I doubt you're going to convince any of the many, many people who enjoy tube amps that they ought to avoid distortion. I just don't agree. If the specific characteristics of any given amp were that easy to model with current software, these amps wouldn't be as popular as they are. And to say that something is "just" subjective is also meaningless here, the entire experience is subjective. If one thing sounds better than something else, it doesn't matter whether or not that source "objectively" measures better.

[@yogiwp_]

Topping A50S run circles around this. I compared it side by side against the O.G. 789 and having hard time convincing myself that the 789 is better.

[@tysontyson1244]

I am not a fan of either but when given the choice between Topping and any other brand, I would always choose the other brand. Topping is garbage. I don't like poorly designed, poorly built electronics like Topping products.

[@tysontyson1244]

@@mg00 The Topping L30 malfunctioned and destroyed itself along with headphones attached. In all of the forums you can read about them. Some of the Topping products are beta products engineered poorly yet sold as a completed product. Topping uses inferior electronics. Some have shown the insides of the amplifiers and the poor craftsmanship including basic soldering done poorly. This is all just with the Topping L30. Read about all of the other problems associated with many of their other products. Topping is garbage.

[@tysontyson1244]

@@mg00 That is a lie. I did not read just one single thread. I have read many threads, and I have created multiple threads in many forums. I purchased a Topping amplifier around ten years ago. It malfunctioned right away and has been sitting in my garage unusable since. I purchased the Topping L30 and it malfunctioned and became unusable burning up my headphones in the process. I am here to warn others so that they too do not make the mistake of purchasing Topping products that will malfunction. Topping makes garbage.

[@tysontyson1244]

And, no Topping did not give me a free replacement of my burned up headphones. Topping is a horrible company.

[@hal9xxx321]

Lockdown is not too bad after all. A while ago I was waiting for this to be released for months. Now that we're all lost a sense of time I be like "Oh what the heck? it's here"...

[@giorgosapo4508]

In my opinion the best comparison would be against the Topping A50S that is incredible at 200$ and offers a balanced 4,4mm output as well.

[@shadouxg7150]

More like Asgard 3

[@wagstaff6135]

Excellent review. "Entry-level, reference-class" wasn't a thing at all not too many years ago....

[@tomgibson1902]

Hey Andrew - recognized that black and gray! I’ve had an Elear with Clear pads for a while.

[@MartinLeschinski]

Thank you for not bashing the THX sound. It is what it is.

[@tysontyson1244]

THX is not my cup of tea. However it does present a heavy sensation of slam, if that is sort of thing that one is looking for in an amp. I enjoyed the slam at first, but the novelty soon wore off.

[@ResilientME]

An idea for a new series: comparing different approaches to the same goal. I've seen a lot of people combining the Airest R2R DAC with THX amps who want a system with a musical sound. Unfortunately musical is a vague term used for many different types of sound.. Comparing various systems with one reference & one colored component could help people in learning if they should chase a new DAC(NOS, R2R, AKM Velvet) or an amp(Class A, tubes, hybrid) in achieving their personal interpretation of musical sound.

[@Poludioskroz]

Great review,as usual...at 4:56 you mentioned speaker amps,maybe you could do video about using integrated amps as headphone amps? (I have Pioneer A-30,250mv at 32ohm and DT990pro sounds loud at 10 o'clock already...headphones amps usually have more than 10 times output power...so I'm interested how those two types amps compares) Thanks.

[@ComradePenguin13]

While we're making comparison requests the old flavour of the month SMSL SP200 might also be interesting. Slightly more expensive but in theory a bit more power, still THX and balanced inputs even if the output is open to more debate.

[@deadline7610]

Thanks for the recommendation. First impressions, plays very nicely with my Sundara's.This is an upgrade from my Zen Dac. At Drop now for150 sealed the deal. Now looking for a SE dac in same price range on the warm side ? Thanks

[@stevenjackson8226]

This is such a tough one. So many great choices, and for this amp so many great choices at and around this price. I suppose that the question of the best one isn't so much of a question if they all are excellent - can't go wrong.

[@shadowroxas2086]

Another downside for this amp is its only available in US compared to the competition.

[@fclp67]

I heard from some people doing sub 200$ amplifier round ups that the Schiit Asgard 3 is like the best of them all. Like no question best. Question is does this beat it?

[@arslanmalik151]

I bought massdrop Sennheiser 58x during the holiday and i was wondering what kind of ampler would recommend from massdrop for around 150 dollars

[@DBSTH0R]

Well done. You covered all the important details. Especially that auto power off feature, loved it with my 789. The part I will disagree though is the pairing with Focals (Clear Pro in my case). While perfectly ok and I could listen to it for hours it was a bit too bright, and it just did not synergize well for me. For this reason, I got the A90 - much better analytical pairing IMHO. Perhaps if I had a warmer sounding DAC they would have paired better... Agreed on the buttons feeling cheap. The pot "feel" was great... for the first 6 months. Then it developed the so called "scratchiness" upon minor volume changes (known 789 issue). To get rid of it, each time after turning the amp on I had to turn the volume up and down again throughout the full range, before playing any audio. Physical rotation was as smooth as on day one.

[@evil_twit]

That is a high desk :p

[@josephangelodelosreyes4206]

No pot issues like crackle from 0 volume? 789 has this at start

[@Artaois13]

Do you think the Elear with dekoni perforated sheepskin comes close to Elex since Massdrop just wont sell the Elex pads again?

[@spartanV48]

Most likely no

[@octagest]

pls review the e-mu teaks and compare them to the x00 ebony if possible

[@dudemanismadcool]

How can one tell if their amp is not good with low impedance IEMs/headphones?

[@pliedtka]

What's inside of it, a schematics by chance or diagram how the circuit work. A Lot of mambling about nothing. BTW, what's with L30 amps frying op-amps?

[@joshswanedits]

Will this run a Ayra v2 nicely? or would it benefit from the 789?

[@xerosphoenix]

How would this compare with a Geshelli Labs Archel 2.5?

[@jeffryaf]

Please review the Topping L30. Would love to hear your opinion about it.

[@thehawk05]

My guess......probably won’t like it. He’s not a fan of the A90 sound and the L30 uses the single ended section of the A90 amplifier from my understanding

[@whn2309]

What would you run the Adorama Hifiman He6se with that won’t be too expensive?

[@prabinpaudel5572]

Andrew needs to do a schiit week. 😁

[@bardenhick2121]

Asgard probably still the winner in my book

[@NO_SIMP_ZONE]

Is it better than topping l30?

[@kenorax]

is this good for Beyerdynamics DT1990 pro?

[@shadowroxas2086]

What would a viable alternative be in europe?

[@mickael486]

How does this Amp compare to something that's the same price like the Topping DX3 Pro+ ? I'm trying to power my Sennheiser 560s and my Hifiman Sundara's. I'm concerned that my Sundara's may get too bright.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Neither change the FR so should be good

[@mickael486]

@@TheHEADPHONEShow oh ok Thanks. My only worry is not being able to lower the treble since there isn't an option. See, I don't know if it would be safe to send the RCA output to my a/v receivers input.. say the CD RCA? and then adjust the treble/bass from the receiver.. It would either work, not work, or I could possibly damage something horrible. Idk... I had 1 audiophile community member tell me that I could do it, but I'm very nervous. He was referring to the Topping DXR3 Pro+. (My receiver has only inputs and no bypass)

[@Artaois13]

Mmmmm probably gonna stick with the fully balanced Schiit Magnius at this price. Honestly don't see a place for this at all.

[@mariodrv]

Rather get the Asgard 3 oder save up for the Jotunheim 2 which seems to punch up there with 1k+ amps. A good discrete implementantion will ALLWAYS beat opamps. This guy teares the Magnius a new one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnzSkH2mZamdmtk And here one of the best reviews of the Asgaard 3 I have seen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/boGqqmCdrbWBgJY Currawong claims the Jot 2 can even power a Susvara good enough: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pl6XkItuhaahnKs But what do I know. :)

[@kristoffer8740]

@@mariodrv Magnius is the most boring and lifeless sounding amplifier that I have owned, and I have aslo owned the THX AAA 789.

[@marcelplummer395]

this with dt 1990 would be alright?

[@adrianmorrish8494]

By saying u r dead inside u just proved the opposite, ☺️, good review I do like the balanced output specs for an extra 100 bucks

[@sketchy7718]

what DAC did you use with that AMP ??

[@gordonfreeman4491]

Great review as always, but God the mic placed like that looks stupid ;)

[@DamneDalkuDDo]

Please review xduoo xa 10

[@shawnpwatsons1]

Listened to this thing for 10 minutes and it was a "NO" for me using my iDSD BL as a DAC. It just sounded too analytical and dry. Not impressed at all.

[@pietossing]

an amp is not supposed to have a sound. it's doing exact what it should.

[@genuinealloy8316]

Dude its an amp

[@musicxxa6678]

THX sounds kinda sterile and weightless to me. But it sounds airy and not crowded.

[@misutatomasu]

This or SH-9? I know they are priced differently but still.

[@diatoun]

Nice video ! To late this product. 2018 is over. Now topping etc do just as well for less :(

[@alivm8088]

how dose it compare aginst 170 dollor ifi zen can? i mean it have ballance class a 4 gain and xbass and 3d

[@dannybos7024]

Form a coherent sentence first and then I'll give a proper answer to your question.

[@HeliBenj]

Lots of features, but weaker in power and distorts at high volume

[@HeliBenj]

@@dannybos7024 Like the world is waiting for you to dignify it with your knowledge. Have you considered this gentleman maybe doesn't speak English perfectly because is not a native? I'm French BTW and speak 3 languages, how many do you speak?

[@dannybos7024]

@@HeliBenj I’m Dutch and I’m perfectly fluent in German, Spanish, English and Swedish. I don’t see your point. Even if the guy wasn’t fluent in English, looking up a basic sentence on google translate shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes. I’m not asking for a lot here; I can only help him if I get a proper sentence to work with.

[@alivm8088]

@@HeliBenjacctualy it have more power in ballance distortion?? i dont see any one say that

[@bitterbuffalo8997]

Get a Schiit Bifrost 2 in for review you coward. Just kidding, great review. Has everything a man could ask for, amplifier and a headphone try on shot.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Ya the Schiit stuff is very popular, so it's not always available to get for review haha.

[@screwb1882]

Schiit Magnius is better and has way more power.

[@kristoffer8740]

Schiit Magnius is the most boring and lifeless sound amplifier that I have used, and this comes from someone that has owned the THX AAA 789.

[@Uebelkraehe]

Dead sounding amps for people who are dead inside.

[@donb5637]

No this amp sounds awful. If you have ever listened to any real quality amplification, this will be an insult

[@error4159]

So this sounds better than the L30 or the Heresy because (bullshit phrase) and (bullshit phrase) and (bullshit phrase). Got it.