"Homed" Balanced Desktop Thread

[twestby]

Originally Posted by xenithon

Hi twestby,

Just a quick question - do you just run regular balanced interconnects from the balanced headphone jacks on the front when you geed the M3? (that is, can you use the balanced outs like a pre-amps balanced outs?)

Yes, exactly. I run a pair of balanced interconnects from the balanced out jacks on the back of the HR home directly to the balanced input jacks on the M3. Then just trip the "rear output" toggle on the front panel to the "on" position when you want the HR to be your preamp, and you can dump the M5's output through the HR straight into the M3. You can thus enjoy your best cans whilst your 5 year-old falls asleep in your lap listening to your Gallo 3.1s!!

I was concerned about this initially, because I was running balanced CDP outputs to the M3's balanced inputs, and I didn't want to risk blowing output transformers if I screwed up the gain between the HR balanced max and the M3. But it turns out I was a dork and it's not a problem - the HR balanced max seems to be very happy as a preamp, and the M3 and M5 both get along with it well. Initially, I fed the M5 to the M3 directly but Jorge assures me that there is no signal degradation, so I now feed the M5 balanced straight to the HR and connect the backpanel XLRs to the M3. Theoretically, only differences in cable losses should be noticeable, at worst. Note that any EQ you do via front panel inputs (there ain't much available!) will be reflected in the backpanel output, if I understand Jorge correctly.

I should point out that when I acquired the HR balanced max home unit, I did not anticipate using it as a pre-amp or even as the main amp for my can collection. I've even complained about the switches being on the back panel. I must say however, now that it's been in my rack for a couple weeks, that it's, um, PERFECT. I wouldn't change a thing about it. Keep the mini-toggles that are on the rear plate on the rear plate. I'm thinking we get selected other manufacturers to join in with matching aesthetics and balanced inputs. I doubt HR is interested in moving into integrated amp territory. They can however, gain a lock on dynamic can amp territory, to the extent they aren't already The Pan. As an owner of a $15k headphone system and a $35k regular rig, I can say that the former outperforms the latter, IMHO, on a SQ/$ basis.