Any comments on Questyle CMA400i vs. Drop THX AAA 789?
Just got my AAA 789 from Dropā¦2 units actually in case one dies but I can use with my A16 realiser by Smyth Research when it delivers one dayā¦
anyway using with Khadas Tone Board of of Rpi with Ropieee and Roonā¦driving either TFZ S2 Pro or Thieaudio Phantoms (modded) with blanched OPPO PM1/2 cable and pretty happy I must say.
will be trying with more IEMs in time, but very clean and authoratice sounding so far - that said its a combination of many things ion the signal path, and I would prefer to be using a better DAC with balanced outputs - all in good time.
free prime shipping
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Wow! Drop are selling on amazon now! they got a bunch of audiophile stuff up there.
As I said a few months ago, I think Drop is trying to clear them out for somekind of replacement. I mean now we have the SP-200 for around $100+ less.
Well you can buy the 4xx for 130 USD on massdrop and 170 on Amazon, so you are paying a premium
Interestingā¦ Especially the review on the Cavalli hybrid
Probably explained by some combination of tariffs and Amazonās additional cut. Iirc the 4XX is now being shipped directly from China if you order it from Massdrop. Obviously not the case here if itās Prime eligible, I think.
Got my 789 from Amazon on the way.
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Any of you pros have an idea how to fix noises when turning the volume up and down?
Seems like dust got in thereā¦ l donāt want to damage the unit of courseā¦
Thanks
itās probably the pot failing, it was a common problem on the earlier Massdrop CTH. If itās like the CTH, the pot needs to be replaced and itās not a part you can buy.
Youāll need to contact Massdrop.
Thanks.
Failing as in it will stop working soon??
Itāll probably crackle indefinitely, but it could fail I guess.
Itās not user serviceable, the pots used are not generally available even if you were willing to solder a new one in.
Contact Massdrop, they are usually pretty good about replacing items like this.
Replacing the whole unit l assume?
Will write them and see what they sayā¦
Thanks
The 789 Potentiometer is cheap af, when I opened mine to check it was some knockoff Chinese brand trying to be Alps. I also had the same issue with the left channel being scratchy, and while the potentiometer IS desolderable, the damn volume knob is part of the pot, like itās not one of those knobs you can get off the pot, itās as if though the pot was soldered onto the board, and when the knob was put on, it was as if though it was designed to never be taken off, so you have to break the pot to get it out of the case or else the knob wonāt let you remove the pot, and then youād need a new knob too since again, the knob is part of the pot. Not bad if you keep the 789 since there are Vishay pots that can replace it on Mouser, but hurts resale value if you get bored of it and try to sell it on ebay.
Then again if you have a warranty, try sending it back, although theyāll still replace it with the same pot brand again.
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Thanks for the info !
It seems to me dust got in or somethingā¦ the crackles are not electrical in nature it seems.
lāve been tapping gently on the knob and around it on the housing and it actually helped[!]
Almost no crackles nowā¦ l will see what happens and if it gets worse.
I wrote to Drop and will get an answer on mon/tueā¦
Thanks ; ]
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It might not get worse, but itāll start crackling again. Itās that the potentiometer is probably dirty or has something on itās tracks thatās making that noise. The pot is cheap, but I recommend to let Drop handle it unless you want to DIY it, that option though will affect resale if you one day want to sell it. Try to specify if they can specifically select the best pot from the batch if they do take it in for a repair so that problem wonāt resurface again, and maybe handle the pot with a light touch for now on, since again, theyāre the cheapened part of the amp essentially.
(Technically it could function better/last longer/be more precise due to a better component, but since it isnāt Stock or āOriginalā, the value drops in this case for this particular amp, kinda the opposite for recapped tube amps/vintage SS amps, although even then there are specific capacitors that affect prices, like vintage with vintage caps and tube amps with Audiophile grade caps).
Sometimes better isnāt better, which is odd to say.
Nice!! Let us know what you think? And what are you coming from? How does it compare
Drop were very quick to reply and suggested a new replacement. Shipping covered by them.
l asked for a few more days to consider because going to the post is a hassle for meā¦and like you wrote the replacement unit might have the same problemā¦and l might pay customs AGAIN for the new unitā¦
Currently l love this thingā¦ and l donāt consider selling itā¦
So a few minutes ago l decided to try my luck with a small amount of electrical contact spray with a small tube directly on the pot through the vent.
So far ALL CRACKLING IS GONE ! ; ]
So far so goodā¦
Will wait a few more days and decide.
Thanks for helping
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