THX is a brand synonymous with sound, best known for its eardrumtickling deep note trailer played before the movies in theaters. For years, THX has partnered with hardware manufacturers, offering their sound experience to enhance the audio capabilities of everything smartphones a laptops, and now the company is finally throwing his own consumer product: a small amplifier that promises to make headphones sound better if you’re willing to give up the convenience of wireless.
Before I dive into you, I’ll admit that I’m by no means an audiophile. I’m happy to hear music through a couple of lightweight wireless headphones with the audio compressed several times (while streaming, and then compressed further so that it can switch to the limited wireless bandwidth of the Bluetooth protocol) before it reaches my ears. But I’ve also spent a lot of time behind a mixing desk with professional studio headphones pumping live music to my ears and I can easily feel the difference between the two. Most of the time I’m happy to prioritize comfort over quality, and I have little interest in charging and obsessing over a home stereo setup that costs tens of thousands of dollars, but when I work from home and listen to music I always i will get a pair of over-ear headphones instead of shoots.
THX’s first consumer product may seem like it’s only aimed at audiophiles, but after trying the $ 200 Ynix for a few weeks, I think it’s definitely an update that everyone who wants to enhance their headphone listening experience should consider. But to really take advantage of what it offers, you’ll also want to consider a serious upgrade to the headphones, and I mean spending a lot on the north, even from Apple’s $ 550. AirPods max.
The THX Onyx is a combined amplifier and DAC (digital to audio converter) designed to make the audio coming out of a pair of headphones sound as good as possible. The headphone jack on your laptop or smartphone (above) is already working as much as an amplifier as a DAC, they convert digital audio files or streams into analog signals and then transmit them to the controllers on a pair of headphones and, for most consumer audio equipment, do a proper job.
But your laptop and media smartphone also use mid-range amplification and DAC components to keep prices low, which can lead to compromises in sound quality and audio fidelity when converted. digital files, as well as in the introduction of unwanted noises. It can even cause a large pair of headphones not to be strong enough because the amplifier built into a device simply does not send enough power through the headphone jack.
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The Onyx may not be the first headphone amplifier available (audiophiles have relied on this type of device for years), but THX has created what could now be the most sleek and easy-to-use DAC for consumers. Squeeze inside the thin dongle there is a THX achromatic audio amplifier (which promises to increase sound levels with minimal noise and distortion) combined with a ESS ES9281PRO DAC which includes an “integrated hardware MQA renderer.” It sounds very technical and most consumers don’t need to know what that means, but MQA, which stands for Master Quality Authenticated, is a new standard that promises CD quality sound through digital files that are still small enough. to transmit or download, and is a standard that is quickly adopted through high-fidelity transmission services audio.
In simple terms, the THX Onyx is an easy-to-use USB-C dongle (includes an old-school USB port adapter) that provides an alternative place to plug in headphones for better sound. It takes all the power you need from a computer or mobile device and does everything it can to deliver better sound to headphones automatically. There are no buttons to press, no bookmarks to activate, nothing to set up. It just works.
As easy as it is to use the Onyx, it includes a big compromise: you’ll have to hug the cables again. The improvements in sound quality it promises are not available through wireless headphones. It gets even worse if the smartphone you use is an iPhone with an outdated Lightning port (there’s a reason Apple doesn’t use Lightning on their laptops) instead of USB-C. According to THX, you will have to pair the Onyx with Lightning adapter to Apple’s $ 29 USB camera to work with iPhones, adding one more dongle to the mix.
Getting back to life with headphone cables and dongles isn’t easy, but if you listen to music regularly through headphones or excessive headphones, you’ll immediately notice a difference when you use the Onyx. I tested the amplifier / DAC with a couple of Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM4 headphones (with an audio cable connected) and I immediately realized that the sound is louder and fuller. When connected directly to the MacBook Pro’s headphone jack, I can turn up the volume to the Sounds for most songs without the sound levels being uncomfortable, although near the top levels it starts to sound like the signal is saturated. With the THX Onyx I can only turn up the volume a little beyond half the gear before the Sony headphones are too loud during my years, but even at these levels there is no compromise as to the good sound of the music and that it doesn’t sound like the amplification has reached its limits, it’s just my ears.
But it’s not just about being stronger. A louder signal helps the headphones produce a fuller, more nuanced sound, with a larger dynamic range that helps ensure that what you’re listening to is closer to what the sound engineers behind a sounder wanted to hear. clue.
If you really want to experience all the benefits of the $ 200 THX Onyx, you’ll want to spend a little (or a lot) money. Streaming services like Amazon Music HD and apps like Audirvana they provide access and playback of higher bit rate audio files, as well as video services such as Disney +, Hulu and Netflix. Apple Music does not currently offer a higher quality streaming option and only Spotify recently announced a HiFi option, so while testing the THX Onyx, I relied on Tidal HiFi ($ 20 a month subscription with a free one month preview) that offers many tracks on a “Master” promising level studio quality audio.
Onyx itself will let you know the quality of the track you are listening to her set of three color-changing LEDs. Blue has a CD quality or slightly higher, yellow is high resolution, red is Direct Stream Digital (which Sony and Philips used for super audio CDs) and magenta is for MQA certified tracks from maximum quality. I was skeptical that I would hear a big difference by changing the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones between the MacBook Pro and THX Onyx headphone jack while listening to the “Master” quality tracks via Tidal, but my ears had no trouble discerning what it was. The music coming in through the MBP headphone jack was noticeably flatter with less dynamic range than when connected to the Onyx. I’m not sure if the difference is big enough to justify spending $ 20 a month on Tidal HiFi if you’re using a $ 350 headset, but it could be if you upgrade.
The other obvious way to take advantage of a device like the THX Onyx is with a better set of headphones, so in addition to the Sonys, I also tried the Onyx with a pair of $ 1,000 Beyerdynamic T5 High-end Tesla headphones. Nbecause my ears have had a better taste of life, they will never be happy with wireless headphones again. Imagine grabbing a high-performance sports car after filling the tank with a Zippo lighter and refilling it with jet fuel. The Beyerdynamics still provides a better listening experience than the $ 350 Sonys when connected directly to the MacBook Pro, but when connected to the THX Onyx, the T5s are given everything they need for a $ 1,000 headset to make a greetingamazing fine audio track sound.
Audio compression often removes the frequencies from our ears to reduce the size of files, but with a high-definition digital stream, the Onyx, and a $ 1,000 headset, you feel it all. Flying the original Star Wars Tidal’s theme made me feel like I was sitting on stage with the London Symphony Orchestra and now I understand the stereotype of the rich old man sitting in a plush leather chair with a giant pair of expensive headphones. I didn’t want to take the Beyerdynamics disabled.
Like many of you, I often roll my eyes at audiophiles who look their nose at anyone who hasn’t shell out tens of thousands of dollars for audio equipment, but the reality is that even if you have a much smaller budget, you still you can greatly improve listening. experience. TTHX Onyx is a good first step in that direction. Keep in mind that this is a $ 200 upgrade that could put you on a slippery slope to spend a lot more money. You have been warned.