- Onyx for mac 10 8 5 install#
- Onyx for mac 10 8 5 Pc#
- Onyx for mac 10 8 5 Bluetooth#
- Onyx for mac 10 8 5 series#
It’s worth noting that the hit to the smartphone battery was far greater on harder to drive headphones such as my 300 ohm Sennheiser HD-6XX, which averaged 20% battery loss in an hour of listening. I didn’t notice a major hit to the battery across a range of different headphones including the Audio Technica M50X, Sony MDR-1A and the Razer Nari Ultimate. The Onyx draws all the power it needs from your mobile device. iPad Pros that use a USB-C port work perfectly without any extra adapters, however. IPhone owners should note that the THX Onyx will only work with Apple’s slim Lightning Camera Adapter and not their larger USB 3 Camera Adapter because it’s incapable of providing adequate power to the THX Onyx. The compatibility is better than Astell&Kern’s Dual USB-C DAC, which doesn’t support iPhones, and also didn’t work on my OnePlus 9 Pro. It handily includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box for connecting to laptops and desktops.
Onyx for mac 10 8 5 install#
The THX Onyx really is plug and play with no additional drivers to install or settings to tweak. These let you know the quality of the track you’re listening to, with blue being CD quality, yellow high resolution (hi-res audio), red for DSD (the format used for Super Audio CDs) and magenta for MQA.
Onyx for mac 10 8 5 series#
There’s a helpful series of LEDs on the unit’s body. Unfortunately, like most USB dongle DACs, the USB-C connector isn’t quite deep enough to work with the thickness of most phone cases, so I had to take mine off during testing.
The underside of the metal housing is magnetic, which acts as a nifty means of cable management when connected to a smartphone. The long, flexible cable ensures either end isn’t yanked on too hard when taken in or out of a pocket. It has a thin metal housing and is longer and narrower than the average USB stick. The THX Onyx is sleek and easy to use and boasts a few quality of life features that make managing an external dongle DAC less cumbersome. However, a quality DAC and amp combo on its own can make even a low-quality Spotify stream and entry-level headphones sound noticeably better.
This includes the encoding of the music and how it is mastered, as well as the headphones you’re using. Keep in mind there are other factors along the chain that impact sound quality. There are many audiophile-grade dongle DACs on the market at various price points with the most popular one being the DragonFly Red from AudioQuest and the recently released Astell&Kern’s USB-C Dual DAC, both of which were used to compare and contrast the performance of the THX Onyx. It’s also trickier to incorporate a higher quality DAC into a phone because it tends to be more sensitive to interference from other parts of the phone such as the integrated 4G/5G modem. Meanwhile, a cheap USB-C to a 3.5mm headphone adapter (or Lightning to 3.5mm for iPhone) can oftentimes sound worse.Īudiophile-grade dongle DACs such as the THX Onyx is designed to significantly improve the quality of sound sent to a pair of wired headphones or earbuds, and the amp is powerful enough to drive a large pair of headphones. As such, manufacturers often skimp on the DAC and amplifier to save on costs.
The problem is that the amplification and DAC components found in those devices are pretty average, resulting in compromises in sound quality as well as unwanted noise.Ī hyper-converged device like a smartphone, for instance, has to perform many other functions.
Onyx for mac 10 8 5 Bluetooth#
This includes smartphones, tablets, laptops and Bluetooth headphones. If your device makes a sound then it already has a DAC and amplifier. Wait, what is a DAC and why should I care?įor the uninitiated, a DAC and amplifier sit between the digital file being played and your ears, turning the digital information into an electronic analogue signal you need to hear sound. Yes (Mac, PC, Android), no mic on iPhone/iPad
THX Onyx DAC amplifier with THX AAA™ Website But does it do enough to stand out in an increasingly crowded market?
Onyx for mac 10 8 5 Pc#
The dongle delivers plug-and-play compatibility with Android, iOS, PC and Mac as well as vast audio file support such as Master Quality Authenticated (MQA). The THX Onyx marks the storied audio company’s first-ever consumer product, offering both DAC and AMP (amplifier) performance in a small, flexible form factor. You can’t do lossless audio over Bluetooth after all, and coupled with the unceremonious ouster of the headphone jack from modern smartphones, dongle DACs (digital to analogue converters) are increasingly becoming a must-have accessory. Thanks to the advent of higher-quality streaming available on popular music services such as Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and Amazon Music, there’s been more interest in higher quality audio like the THX Onyx DAC.
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