Thatās a good way of looking at it. I wouldnāt say that itās something I would call āfakeā detail in oversampling mode per se, but it is over emphasized detail, to where you might notice more detail in nos mode or the unsharpened image even though itās not as immediately apparent. OS mode does show a bit more artifacts on this dac for sure. Still though OS mode can be helpful depending on the setup as it can make things more lively on an overly relaxed or dull system (as you have heard lol) but personally I like nos mode more
1 Like
Lol well take things at a time of course and donāt get too unreasonable
1 Like
NOS with slow filter does seem to work a lot better with the THX 789 thanks for all the helps guys. I guess Iāll decide if I want better sounding speakers or headphones and the decide if Iāll drop $2K on speaker amp/pre or a headphone amp.
The Bryston headphone amp is used for about $1100 USD right now, tempting, but in silver.
In nos mode the oversampling filters are completely bypassed
glad itās working better for you
Not a bad price
1 Like
Fairly tempted to sell my Ether CXs so I can get an Ares II. At that point though, I will only have a pair of HE6SE V2s to listen with. Any headphone amps under 1k you could recommend with the potential setup I mentioned above? As of right now, all I have is the THX 789. Itās a hard decision because I love the Ether CXs. The build, the sound, although sound not as much as the HE6SE V2s, and the look.
As an Ether CX owner, selling it seems like a great idea in general.
1 Like
Not a big fan? I think the sound is good, definitely not as fun as the HE6SE v2s, and thereāre built beautifully. If I were to sell them I would probably pair the Ares 2 with the Singxer SA-1 class A Balanced Amp. Overall I think it would sound amazing with the HE6SE v2s.
This is what I posted in the thx 789 thread. Iām guessing the he6 needs more than 9 on the volume pot at high gain?
So, I was always so confused why people called the THX 789 thin sounding or brittle, because I never heard it that way with my chain. This was especially true with my Anandaās that are already considered thin by some. It turns out my Modi 3 with varying apple iPhone/ipad chargers was giving me the fuller sound to complement the THX 789 already.
It seems chain is really, really important with this amp. I bought a DAC upgrade, a Denafrips Ares 2 DAC that I found far too forward and with a painful treble paired with the THX 789. After playing with my chain I did this
Mac->Audirvana->UPNP Raspberry Pi with Pi2Aes Running Volumio->toslink (monoprice)->Denafrips Ares 2->DIY Mogami Balanced Cables->THX 789->Diy Mogami balanced cables->KSC75/Ananda/LCD2c/Elex/HP50
They keys were
- Having Audirvana upsample to 4x power of 2 with a max of 192khz,
- Setting the THX 789 to high gain and keeping it there
- Never go above 9:00 on the volume dial
If you switch to a lower gain and turn the volume pot past 12 the treble becomes painful and the sound is too upfront. Itās likes itās screaming at you. This is also happens before any clipping can occur due to the balanced input.
Very efficient headphones/iemās can go to lower gain settings as long as the volume is never past 9:00, but if the dynamics are lacking try high gain. With the above settings, I get the full bass slam with my balanced modded HP50 on medium gain, balance mod guide for those headphones pending.
This does not solve the imaging issues of the THX 789, left and right is no problem, but behind or forward I really need to close my eyes or try to concentrate on it. I donāt know if this is better on higher end amps because I have never heard them.
Note that the mode of the Ares 2 dac NOS/OS/Filter are irrelevant for taming the THX 789. Choose whatever you like. P.S. if you have an Ares 2, spend 10 minutes to due the bass mod on YouTube it actually works (for me & others, YMMV).
If you need more than 9:00 on high gain, too bad youāre out of luck. I strongly suggest buying a different amp for your headphones.
1 Like
A lot of great information here. I appreciate appreciate thought and effort put into the post. I will have to take the time to research what programs your using, like Audirvana, and try them out for myself. I will stick with the 789 for now, but once I, probably, sell my Ether CX I will buy a Singxer SA-1. The Singxer is class A so it should be a bit warmer than the 789. From there I plan on selling my 789 and my current balanced DAC to get an Ares II.
Edit: also, the HE6SE v2s need a bit more power than 9 on High gain, but Iāll set my DAC to max volume and try the volume knob at 0900 on the 789.
1 Like
Thatās a sexy looking amp. I wonder how it compares to the liquid platinum.
1 Like
Ooh, one more thing. Do not stack the ares 2 on top of the THX 789. It does something that makes me clench my jaw with the music and makes the music more fatiguing. High freq noise maybe? Must be the massive toroidal transformer.
Its a real shame, the look really good stacked on top of each other.
Definitely noted. Iāll keep searching for AMP options to pair with the Ares II. Iāll have to use it with my 789 until I find a replacement.
1 Like
Considering the burson 3x is also a pre-amp is really tempting.
I probably wonāt buy more expensive headphones. End game is speakers.
Sorry @M0N one last question! Would you use the Burson soloist 3x, or the fully balanced Flux FA-12 with the Ares 2 with the Anandaās. I might pull the trigger on the Flux FA-12 today. I hear it has a warmer tonality than the burson soloist, but I really want to hear that holographic sound stage.
Is the liquid plat better than both for the ares 2? I guess I could live with itās looks with itās lower price lol.
So I havenāt heard the fa-12, Iāve only heard the fa-12s and the fa-10, but based off those two, I would most likely rather have the soloist 3x as long as I didnāt mind something a bit more forward-fun leaning (depends on the opamps used), as it was more technically impressive to me when it comes to spatial recreation, control and dynamics, and impact, timbre might be similar with a slight edge to the burson, and the burson is more detailed. Signature wise the flux amps were more warmer relaxed, and the burson were more warmer forward, neither harsh nor lacking body
I would say itās more on the level of the fa-12s, but not to the level of the burson imo. I would say that it depends on what you want to prioritize. Really though I donāt think any of these amps are a bad option lol
2 Likes
Thank you! I tried to listen to the my ares 2 and THX 789 for about 20 minutes today, and even 3 hours later my ears still hurt! This is an audio emergency lol.
After the THX 789 I still might overcompensate with the more relaxed flux fa-12. Iāve definitely hit the point were pleasing and relaxing >> detail. I wish burson had a sale soon.
Honestly imo any of the aforementioned amps are more detailed than the 789 so you donāt have to worry about losing detail, it just wonāt be shoved down your throat lol
3 Likes
Even my Blon BL-03ās out of my MacBook sound better than my $3K headphone system 
Well thatās a big problem lol
Hi Mon which would you recommend this or the 2541 for vio 280?