I tested this further now and found a perfect example, not with vocals but with flutes. In the Your Name soundtrack 三葉の通学(Mitsuha no tsuugaku), this is painfully audible on all three headphones I currently test on.
For record the source is lossless 16 bit at a sample rate of 44100 Hz, so standard CD quality.
On the Atom amp, the flutes sound exactly as you’d expect. Super smooth and rich with barely any texture, if any to begin with. On the SP200 it almost sounds like a Cello playing with so much texture that it actually sounds like a completely different instrument that’s somehow broken.
Output impedance can be ruled out as both are very close to 1 ohm.
Has anyone got an idea? Testing those two amps this is literally the only thing that’s leaving me behind completely baffled.
@M0N with the incredible amount of gear you have heared and tested so far, do you maybe have any clue as to what this could cause? Not only because it’s just me but also @Alfredo3001 experiencing this with their THX amp.
Actually makes a lot of sense, thanks for the answer! I just wonder how come nobody really seems to address this in their reviews? Why is nobody really bitching about this online?
That’s a pretty apparent and very audible issue with THX tech in my opinion then.
Personally I have mentioned on here that thx are definitely not end game amps, and with headphones in the 1k range and above they kinda fall apart and show their flaws. Personally if I wanted a neutral and accurate amp in the thx price range, the rupert neve rnhp is where it’s at
For most people thx is all they need, and if they don’t cross the like 800 and above or get picky headphones most people can’t complain. It’s easy to recommend a thx amp for most people, but with higher end stuff I would really just suggest looking into better amps imo
Also a decent amount of people can’t pick that out either, hearing is a skill that you have to develop with experience and learning (so good job lol)
Well, I mean 1st there is no end game lol, and 2nd if you want to see what I have currently, you can check my profile. There are lots and lots of options from 1k and beyond, so I think it would really come down to preferences there.
Hate the term neutral and accurate. It implies a correctness that I don’t think it embodies.
THX didn’t invent feed forwards it’s been around since the 80’s at least and probably before that.
All amp designs have tradeoffs, companies like PS Audio build 0 feedback designs, which are generally considered to be better sounding, but will never have good measurements.
Designs like the THX have a ton of feedback, and hence better measurements, but feedback is generally considered a bad thing for the sound in amp design.
FWIW the only THX amp I’ve heard the 789 is a good sounding SS amp, but it’s certainly not as good as some of the higher end stuff.
TBH I would rate some other similarly priced headphone amps better than the benchmark to me, but the benchmark is a step up even though it is still thx
I hate it because you can have a dozen amps that all have flat frequency sweeps, and all sound different to each other, and it ends up being applied to the dryest, least interesting sounding one. Then people seem to think it’s a positive description…
Thanks a lot to both of you! I’ve learnt quite a bit about all this today. The only thing that really baffles me is that the THX stuff is so incredibly overhyped online and stated as the only SS amp you’ll ever need / want when in reality there is issues and limits with this tech. Not even picky reviewers like the guys from AudioScienceReview have pointed something like that out (even in the slightest). Maybe I’m also just cursed with being able to hear those subtleties
Alot of z’s high end reviews have been tainted by the thx amps imo lol. A fair amount of the higher end headphones get let down by the thx amps and his reviews get skewed. A good example was his focal clear review. On a thx amp the clears sound very close to the elex, but on a good solid state that works well with them they do pull ahead and get less similar and reasonably better than the elex imo.
And to be clear here (not a pun I swear), I am not telling someone to not consider a thx amp, I’m just saying that they aren’t an end game or end all be all or something
Yes we’re talking about a review site where the primary reviewer admits in some reviews he just does a cursory listen to the equipment…
FWIW given the price and the power levels the 789 and other THX amps deserve the hype, where it’s gotten out of hand is sites like ASR claiming they are end game based entirely on the stupidly good THD+N number.
Sorry LOL If you don’t mind me asking, is there anything one could go by besides those measurements to pick smth like an amp / dac if you can’t listen to them beforehand? A lot of very intriguing gear is simply not in my reach to test listen to.
I mean reviews and impressions are a good judge if you really can’t get a listen in, just get as much info from people you trust as you can, and then make it off of the collective thoughts. Also you can pick up amps from places with free returns and test in your own home if your wallet permits.
I’ve always thought measurements should be used to compliment experience, but instead they are typically used to supplement experience. It’s good to check measurements to see if anything is glaringly wrong, but if not, then the subjective aspect starts to move in
This is certainly an issue and I bemoan it often. But you really need to listen to things.
The problem is the numbers will give you indications of gross problems, but they are not a measure of overall quality. Any amp with THD+N over 80 dB’s is not going to be an issue, and I regularly use a valve amp that won’t even hit that.
If your smart you can “audition” with used gear, buy it, compare, sell it. But that’s harder to do with lower priced gear.
Local get togethers are a great thing if you can attend.
