THX is a brand synonymous with sound, best known for its eardrumtickling deep note trailer played before movies in cinemas. For years, THX has partnered with hardware manufacturers to provide sound expertise to enhance the audio capabilities of any Smartphones to notebooks, and now the company is finally releasing his consumer product: a small amplifier that promises to make headphones sound better if you’re willing to give up wireless comfort.
Before we nod, I will admit that I am by no means an audiophile. I’m happy to listen to music through a couple of lightweight wireless headphones with the sound compressed several times (while being streamed, and then further compressed so that it can squeeze into the limited wireless bandwidth of the Bluetooth protocol) before it reaches my ears. But I also spent a lot of time behind a mixing board with professional studio headphones that pumped live music into my ears and I could easily hear the difference between the two. Most of the time I am happy to prioritize convenience over quality and I have little interest in bankrolling 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 will always end up a pair of over-ear headphones instead of buds.
The first THX consumer product may seem to be intended exclusively for audiophiles, but after trying the $ 200 Onyx for a few weeks, I think it’s definitely an upgrade that anyone who wants to improve the experience of listening to headphones should consider. But to really take advantage of what it offers, you’ll also want to consider a serious headphone upgrade – and I’m referring to Apple’s northern spending of even $ 550 AirPods Max.
THX Onyx is a combined amplifier and DAC – digital-audio converter – which is designed to make the sound coming out of a pair of headphones sound as good as possible. The headphone jack on your laptop or (older) smartphone is already working both as an amplifier and as a DAC, converting digital audio files or streams to analog signals and then passing them along the drivers in a pair of headphones, and for most consumer-grade audio equipment, they do a proper job.
But your average laptop and smartphone also use high-performance amplifiers and DACs to keep prices low, which can lead to trade-offs in sound quality and audio fidelity when digital files are converted, as well as unwanted noise. . It can even lead to a large pair of headphones that are not strong enough, because the amplifier built into a device simply does not send enough power through the headphone jack.
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Onyx may not be the first headphone amplifier available – audiophiles have been relying on this type of device for years – but THX has created what could be the most stylish and easy-to-use amplifier / DAC available to consumers. Tight inside the thin dongle is a THX achromatic audio amplifier (which promises increased sound levels with minimal noise and distortion) associated with a ESS ES9281PRO DAC which includes an “integrated MQA hardware renderer”. Everything sounds very technical and most consumers don’t need to know what that means, but MQA – which means Master Quality Authenticated – is a new standard that promises better than CD quality sound through digital files that are still small enough. to stream or download, and is a standard that is quickly adopted in streaming services, promising high fidelity audio.
In simple terms, the THX Onyx is an easy-to-use USB-C dongle (includes an adapter for old-school USB ports) that provides an alternative place to connect headphones for better sound. Extract all the power it needs from a computer or mobile device and do whatever it takes to give a better sound to a pair of headphones automatically. There are no buttons to press, no dialing calls and nothing to set up. It just works.
As easy as it is to use Onyx, it comes with a big trade-off – you will have to hug the wires again. The sound quality improvements it promises aren’t available through wireless headphones. It gets even worse if the smartphone you use is an iPhone with an old Lightning port (there’s a reason Apple doesn’t use Lightning on its laptops) instead of USB-C. According to THX, you will need to pair Onyx with Apple Lightning USB adapter for $ 29 for it to work with iPhones, adding another dongle to the mix.
Returning to a lifetime of headphone cables and dongles is not easy, but if you regularly listen to music through a pair of on-ear or over-ear headphones, you will immediately notice a difference when using Onyx. I tested the / DAC amplifier with a pair of Excellent WH-1000XM4 headphones from Sony (with an audio cable attached) and I immediately noticed how much louder and fuller the sound is. When connected directly to the headphone jack of the MacBook Pro, I can turn up the volume to the end Sonys for most songs without the sound levels being uncomfortable, although close to the higher levels it starts to sound as if the signal is overloaded. With THX Onyx, I can’t increase the volume until after half before Sony headphones are too loud for my years, but even at these levels there are no trade-offs in how well the music sounds and doesn’t sound. as if the amplification is reaching its limits – only my ears are.
However, it’s not just about being stronger. A louder signal helps the headphones produce a more nuanced and complete sound with a wider dynamic range, which helps ensure that what you hear is closer to what the sound engineers behind a song wanted to hear.
If you really want to experience the full benefits of the $ 200 THX Onx, you’ll want to spend a little (or a lot of) money. Streaming services like Amazon Music HD and apps like Audirvana provide access to and playback of audio files at a higher bit rate, as well as video services such as Disney +, Hulu and Netflix. Apple Music does not currently offer a high quality streaming option and only Spotify recently announced a HiFi option, so while testing THX Onyx, I relied on Tidal HiFi ($ 20 / month subscription with a free one-month preview), which offers many tracks at a “Master” level that promises studio quality audio.
Onyx itself will actually inform you of the quality of the song you are listening to It is set of three color-changing LEDs. Blue is CD quality or slightly above, yellow is high resolution, red is Direct Stream Digital (which Sony and Philips used for Super Audio CDs), and magenta is for MQA certified quality parts. I was skeptical that I would hear a big difference by switching the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones between the MacBook Pro and THX Onyx headphones while listening to “Master” quality tracks through Tidal, but my ears had no problem discerning which one it was. The music that penetrated the MBP’s headphone jack was smoother, with a smaller dynamic range than when connected to the Onyx. I’m not sure if the difference is large enough to justify spending $ 20 / month on Tidal HiFi if you’re using $ 350 headphones, but it could be if you’re upgrading.
The other obvious way to take advantage of a device like THX Onyx is with a better set of headphones, so in addition to Sonys, I also tested Onyx with a pair of 1,000 USD BTesla eyerdynamic T5 High-end headphones. Ndue to the fact that my ears had a better taste of life, they will never be satisfied with wireless headphones again. Imagine taking a high-performance sports car for a spin after filling the tank with Zippo cigarette lighter fluid and then refilling it with jet fuel. Beyerdynamics still offers 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 pair of $ 1,000 headphones to say hellothe sound of the audio son is incredible.
Audio compression often eliminates the frequencies to which our ears are less sensitive to reduce file sizes, but with a digital streaming hifi, Onyx and $ 1,000 headphones, you hear it all. Sanding the original Star Wars the theme through Tidal made me feel like I was sitting on stage with the London Symphony Orchestra and I now understand the stereotype of the rich old man, sitting on a plush leather chair with a giant pair of expensive headphones. I didn’t want to take Beyerdynamics disabled.
Like many of you, I often get my eyes on audiophiles who look at anyone who hasn’t taken out tens of thousands of dollars for audio equipment, but the reality is that even if you have a much smaller budget, you can still improve your listening. the experience. TTHX Onyx is a good step in that direction. Keep in mind that it’s a $ 200 upgrade that could put you on a slippery slope to spend a lot more money. You have been warned.