"Homed" Balanced Desktop Thread

[parallax7d]

How do you guys like your Homed Balanced amps? I've had mine for a few months and am enjoying it.

Do you use the crossfeed feature? Would optical input be better than USB input? Would upgrading the power supply be worth it?

Anyone else using Sennheiser HD650's with the Moon Audio Blue Dragon balanced cable on this amp?

[The Monkey]

The HR Balanced Desktop w/DAC (Home versions) has become my rig of choice. I use the crossfeed about 20% of the time, generally on acoustic recordings or recordings that need just a bit of warmth or bass. I use this rig almost exclusively with my balanced HD 650, and I am really very very happy with the amp. I am pleased at how well it handles any musical style/genre I throw at it. I have listened to it extensively with both the Astrodyne and the DPS, and I believe the DPS improves the sound quality noticeably.

I do regret not getting the stepper...

[nkoulban]

I also have the Desktop balanced maxed with all the Home bits and the DPS. My cans are HD650s with Steffan Audio Art cables. This rig sounds awsome. I leave the cross feed on as I don't really hear that much difference with it off.

I have stopped using USB and now run optical and coax, better sound from coax and optical due to higher bit rates and oversampling (to my ears). I run optical out from my notebook (Foobar kernal streamed to and resampled to 92K (The choice of resampling DSPs make a difference too). THis goes to an SRC10 upsampler that upsamples to 192K. This upsamples signal is then fed to the Desktop via coax. It sounds superb and blows USB 16bit out of the water for me.

All in all I could not be happier, more so when I ditched USB.

[arrowmark]

I have the Balanced Desktop with Home Module & Home Dac and love it. I have The Balanced Zu Mobius cable v2 with HD-650. I also got the AKG-K701 with Moon Audio Balanced Black Dragon.

[arrowmark]

I recently hooked up the PS Audio Dac lll into the balanced inputs of the Desktop-------MAJOR UPGRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stefaan]

Is the balanced desktop upgradable to Max DAC? Website says: The Max DAC is the McDaddy of D-A converters. For HeadRoom Max, Home, & standard Desktop amps! I guess 'standard Desktop' amps excludes Millett, Balanced & Portable?

[n_maher]

Originally Posted by Stefaan

Is the balanced desktop upgradable to Max DAC? Website says: The Max DAC is the McDaddy of D-A converters. For HeadRoom Max, Home, & standard Desktop amps! I guess 'standard Desktop' amps excludes Millett, Balanced & Portable?

That's correct, no MAX modules in the balanced Desktop, too much heat in too small a space. And there's no option at all for a DAC in the Millett as there's just no room for it.

[Stefaan]

Too bad there's no stand- alone Max DAC with balanced outputs like the Benchmark DAC1 (USB), I know it's been discussed before a zillion times but this would certainly get my vote. Instead of the home DAC in the amp you could put a variable RCA-plug output and seen the fact that the XLR connections each have a concentric stereo 1/4" jack housed within this would be a killer setup imho. If this is all technically possible of course.. I don't have any products of HR so far, maybe I'll opt for the DAC1 USB combined with HRDB, still deciding on that matter though

[n_maher]

The Home DAC is no slouch, but I'm with you and have been bugging Tyll about a stand-alone balanced DAC for years. Of course I've agreed to stop harping on him about it so I'd best shut up now.

[Stefaan]

I'll go with the 'fully pimped out' HRDB for now before I have to even sell my wallet to get the DAC1.. I'm sure the Home DAC is no slouch but I'll be using primerally my laptop as a source and I like the way critics and members on this and other forums describe the balanced amp, so you can see my problem here.

(Edit: brought up te external DAC idea again in the Pie-in-the-sky thread)