This is the official thread for the Drop + THX AAA One
This thread is for discussion and reviews.
- RCA in, 1/4 inch headphone, pre out
- 2.7w @ 32 ohms, 280mw @ 300 ohms
Drop Link[Reviews]
Z Reviews
I think this amp needs a balanced out.
2 Likes
Did they use the same image on the 789?
The Grace SDAC Balanced has an unbalanced 3.5mm out that could be used to connect to the AAA Oneâs RCA input.
2 Likes
@Laminatorâs point is valid AND yours is too. The image is a bit misleading as the intent of the SDAC balanced is to beâŚyou knowâŚbalanced.
2 Likes
Would be nice to get a peak under the hood.
1 Like
Feel like they are a full year behind on this one. Also, the wait on these for a pre-order is pretty ridiculous. At this point, just spend the extra hundred bucks and get the 789.
Or save $100 and get an Asgard 3 
5 Likes
Preaching to the choir.
There are some people that just like that allure of the THX-AAA stuff. I was at one point, too, but after giving some other amps a go and doing some A/B testing, I agree with some people that say its a bit sterile sounding.
2 Likes
Agreed. Itâs also NOT âachromaticâ as it claims. The treble is thin and sharp, IMO. I donât argue with the fact that sensitive measuring equipment shows that THX amps change an incoming sine wave virtually zero, but something is happening sonically. Iâve had the privilege of hearing many acoustic instruments live over the years. Particularly with things like cymbals or even the upper reaches of a piano, the sound coming from a THX amp is much thinner and sharper than what I hear IRL. That change is coloring the sound from what those things actually sound like. To my ears, THX (and most other op-amp based amplifiers Iâve heard) produce sounds that are further away from ârealâ or ânaturalâ than the Asgard or Liquid Platinum or G111, or even a super budget amp like the Liquid Spark or entry-level OTL tube amp like the Darkvoice. Thus, I canât get behind the âachromaticâ claim for THX. However, not everyone has to agree with me on that. If THX sounds real and lifelike to you [general âyouâ], enjoy it!
3 Likes
Below are patents from THX that talks about their tech now employed in various amps. âThe purpose of this feedforward network is to add a correction signal to the output that (ideally) cancels the distortion introduced by the output stage.â The '221 patent describing the '355 patent.
Hmmm,
Iâm completely out of this Thx world that was hyped in the beginning after hearing the Smsl Sp 200.
I canât judge the one from Massdrop and it wonât come to that.
Because I wonât see any difference between a Sp 200,789,the one and the monolith.
I suppose except for a few nuances one or the other will be a bit warmer here and there the other will be cooler.
And when I go deeper into this Thx topic I realize that it was more a sound development for big stages like theatre, cinema.
And to sum it up it is also true.
When I watch a movie in stereo and the same movie again in Thx format, I give the Thx that comes first, I really have the feeling to be in the middle of it.
If you canât hear the stereo sound of a car driving 10 meters behind you, itâs very clear with the Thx and you can even recognize the 4 or 6 cylinder engine. 
I had the same feeling for example when I heard the sp 200 back then that it is much more in the middle of the hall instead of at the front where the sp 200 is mUsik actually plays.
But for listening to music I prefer the stereo version, there is still nothing better even after 50 years, not strangely enough.
And there one would like to be at the front, either on stage or in front of the stage.
But not in nowhere.
But apart from that, I donât think the idea of Massdrop with the One is a bad idea for the small purse.
Itâs minimalistically designed but still scratchy and ostentatious.
What wouldnât be wrong is a Thx based amp with integrated Dac where the whole thing is tuned more smoothly.
Maybe Iâll keep an eye on this one for a home cinema, because you canât complain about the price, if it had a stereoout I would think about the project 
.
Have fun with it for those who want to buy it, 
.
2 Likes
Ok, subjectively yes, but not what I meant.
Sorry shitty joke lol. But yes drop doesnât like keeping things in stock very often lol, they even still have the ready to ship logo there
1 Like
Itâs there own product, Iâm not even interested in it, but why just why. Also was this out before or after the SMSL SH9? What is the appeal?
***Also the banner up top is the main point of the post