[john57]

  Well then are there any other balanced tube amps on the market then -.-

The bottlehead new Smack http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php/products/mainline-headphone-amplifier-kit
 Not much in balanced headphone amps more in power amps like  JE AUDIO,  Audio Research are some.

 

[Makiah S]

  The bottlehead new Smack http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php/products/mainline-headphone-amplifier-kit
 Not much in balanced headphone amps more in power amps like  JE AUDIO,  Audio Research are some.

I might just have to invest in a 300 Ohm resistor and enjoy SE. Least till I can get a custom 4pin XLR resitor cord built 

 

[G600]

I'm reading the whole thread, and i have a question for you john57.
You told us you were enjoying your MK6+ with your Esi Juli@.
I own this sound card, and I'm looking for an amp for my upcoming LCD-2.
 
Would you be so kind to describe what you get, and how does it compare with the other balanced DACs you own ?
 
Thanks.

 

[john57]

First the ESI Juli@ is the best balanced DAC I have tried that works very well with the LD VI+. The Juli card has the best clarity and punchy dynamics of all the balanced DAC’s that I have tried. It seems that the LD VI+ is quite picky on the balanced DAC being used to sound best. Also the Juli card give the best flexibility on the computer for watching and listening to videos, music, operas, 3D classical concerts on 3D blu-ray, streaming classical concerts around the world in real time, compatibility with my Giga Studio, works well with MIDI for composing music on keyboards and works with my various DAW(digital Work Station)  software.  I also have M-audio 192 card that uses the same DAC chip as the Juli@ card but the Juli@ sounds better since it has a dedicated Balanced output stage and uses more SMD parts than the M-audio. Also the M-audio makes strange noises during computer shutdown that the Juli@ does not. The drivers on the Juli@ card are a bit more refined and I can use WASAPI in event mode. The only drawback on the Juli@ card is that the breakout cables do not lock on with the computer.
Other outboard DAC’s that I tried was the Behringer SRC2496 which is a tweaker delight with many buttons, switches and lights. However I brought it second hand and the power supply was weak on it and it gotten too weak to maintain the switch settings after one year.
Next was the RDL HR-DAC1 brand new is a bit mellower than the Behringer but had issues in maintaining dynamics and clear transit peaks. The left channel blew out in five months.
Next was the Emotiva XDA-1 which I brought during its closeout sale but found that the single ended outputs was of better sound quality than the balanced outs on the same DAC.
I also have tried unbalanced DAC’s like California Audio labs but never had great treble on it. The Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 which was my first DAC for use in my computer blew out the input receiver while I was updating the M-audio drivers. I have gotten in touch with an engineer for Sonic Frontiers that had a repair shop at the time but was not willing to fix my SFD-2. That’s in a nutshell!

 

[DefQon]

I've been interested in the Juli@ for quite a while but never seem to be able to find decent prices for them, I think I might opt for the Juli@ Xte since it is PCI-Express based which is very handy as PCI is quite dated and becoming more and more redundant in favour for PCI-Express lanes, John how does one hook it up balanced to a balanced amp that sports XLR connections?

 

[john57]

Juli@ cards are hard to find and I was surprised that ESI updated the drivers. When you get the card you would have to take the bottom apart and flip it and reattach so that the balanced hardware chips are connected and the balanced TRS connections are on the outside. Then you get two 1/4 TRS to XLR Male Cables. The TRS goes to the Juli@ card and the XLR to the LD. You can find these on Amazon, monoprice or blue jeans cables. I metion Blue Jeans cable since on their web site you can have any custom length, color or cable type without laying out too much money.

 

[DefQon]

Confirmed my suspicions thanks for that John.

 

[john57]

I did a quick check for the Juli@ and it seems that B&H photo has the cheapest price at $170. While this is not cheap but it is one of the cleanest PCI sound card around and still is. I built all my computer from the ground up from parts everywhere. By the time I finish building the computer it is outdated. It used to be like 10 years ago I was very frustrated with computer technology being so slow for my needs and took hours and hours to generate good quality post video audio work. Now we are at the point of dismissing returns. There are people in the middle of NYC still making a living using Commodore and Amiga computer equipment. I even used Atari desktop computer system which was great for music creation in its days.

 

[DefQon]

Yeah checking out on ebay there returns a few of the XTe models (PCI-Express version) after Euro to AUD conversion works out at about $240 shipped, little bit more than what I paid for my current Creative X-Fi Fatality Professional sound card. 

 

[G600]

Thank you very much for your experience John57.
I'll save a great amount of bucks by using my Juli@ instead of picking a new DAC... Useful for tube rolling !
 
DefQon : you can sell your Creative with no doubt. Even if the Juli@ is looked upon by some to be outdated, it is still a mind blowing soundcard, even for a slightly higher price.
And balanced output for that price...!
You are right to buy it PCIx. PCi is disappearing, and the few motherboards that still use it pass the signal through an external controller, wich may be a bottleneck.

 

[DefQon]

  Thank you very much for your experience John57.
I'll save a great amount of bucks by using my Juli@ instead of picking a new DAC... Useful for tube rolling !
 
DefQon : you can sell your Creative with no doubt. Even if the Juli@ is looked apon by some to be outdated, it is still a mind blowing soundcard, even for a slightly higher price.
And balanced output for that price...!
You are right to buy it PCIx. PCi is disappearing, and the few motherboards that still use it pass the signal through an external controller, wich may be a bottleneck.

Indeed, the Juli@ is intended for studio and professional work so it uses some no parts compromise in terms of quality and engineering. What's even better is should I feel the need to boost my placebo and want MOAR sound quality, I can just hook the Juli@ to an external DAC and enjoy the music.

 

[Makiah S]

  Indeed, the Juli@ is intended for studio and professional work so it uses some no parts compromise in terms of quality and engineering. What's even better is should I feel the need to boost my placebo and want MOAR sound quality, I can just hook the Juli@ to an external DAC and enjoy the music.

Heck now I want one of those Sound Cards :O... my next rig might have one... maybe... 
 
ANY word on the dude who got his w1000x balanced 

 

[G600]

  I feel the need to boost my placebo and want MOAR sound quality, I can just hook the Juli@ to an external DAC and enjoy the music.

 ...if you want to boost placebo AND if you have too much money...

 

[2K9R56S]

  Heck now I want one of those Sound Cards :O... my next rig might have one... maybe...
 
ANY word on the dude who got his w1000x balanced

 
Still waiting.  Hasn't quite been 4 weeks yet.
 
In the meantime, I've installed these:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/271285052169
 
And these:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608006
 
It no longer sounds like a garbage disposal.  Those stock fans are complete $#!t.

 

[DefQon]

Yeah Noctua the way to go. You can have 12cm fans as well as they push more air and run quieter just the vents are more for 80mm's. I can't stand 80mm fans.