Power throughput is calculated at 180mW, which THX says can drive headphone impedances from 22 to 1000 Ohms – although headphones rarely peak above 600 Ohms. Currently, Tidal’s premium Hi-Fi tier and US-based are the only music streaming services that support MQA. The Onyx has an MQA renderer that performs the second ‘unfold’ to unpack all the data within a file for the best audio quality. The DAC at its heart is the ESS ES9281PRO, the first USB product to have integration with Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) audio.
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THX claims the AAA-78 (by its full name) is also capable of matching the power of desktop AAA/DAC/amp, enabling maximum output power, improved dynamic range and greater sound pressure level. This intends to produce the highest fidelity possible with low levels of noise – its THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion) figure is 112dB (or 0.00025%) – and that should help make music listening a less fatiguing and cleaner-sounding one. The Onyx boasts THX’s Achromatic Audio Amplifier. A headphone with a TRRS terminated cable is needed for fully functioning microphone support.
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Only wired headphones and headsets with TRS/TRRS jack are supported, and THX claims the Onyx can improve the audio performance of a headphones’ attached microphone, which comes in handy for PC gaming. It’s easy to grasp and useful visual feedback when a service isn’t playing at the quality you know it to be. Blue is standard quality (44.1 or 48kHz PCM), yellow is High Resolution audio (greater than 48kHz PCM), red is DSD (Direct Stream Digital), and purple is MQA (Tidal Masters). The main body (which can run a little warm during use) has a full colour RGB light system that reveals current playback mode. The flexible rubber part makes the Onyx more compact to use when out of the house – it can fold back over itself like a snake coiling its body with its magnetic cable. For iOS devices with a Lightning port, the USB Lightning to Camera adapter is needed for full compatibility.
USB-C allows the Onyx to connect to Android, Mac and iOS devices with a USB-C port. The 3.5mm/USB-A connections offer plug and play connectivity to laptops, PCs, headphones and even desktop speakers and stereo amplifiers. The DAC is contained within the all-metal CNC-machined body, then there’s a flexible rubbery part that terminates in a USB-C port with a USB-A adapter that can be slotted on top. The Onyx’s sleek shape consists of three parts. The specs sound impressive on paper but despite THX’s undoubted pedigree, can it replicate its success in the consumer market? Design The Onyx is a DAC/headphone amplifier aimed at those who watch films, stream TV and play games. The company has certified audio for theatres, computer speakers, car audio systems and video games but until recently they’ve stayed on the professional side of the electronics market. THX has been associated with sound for nearly forty years, starting in the realm of cinema when it was created by Thomlinson Holman at Lucasfilm before being spun-off into its current incarnation in the early 2000s. MQA Can natively playback Tidal Master files.
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Headset mic support Supports microphones on PC, Mac and Android.
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