[digitaldave]

Sorry if this is a daft question... if using balanced headphones with a balanced amp, I assume one should use a balanced input to the amp as well, for example from a balanced DAC? If you did use a single ended source with balanced headphones and amp, would there be any benefit over using a fully singled ended setup?

Thanks,

Dave.

 

[mofonyx]

There's 'really balanced' (I think the term is full differential balanced?), which I believe is what the b24 is (The β24 Fully-differential Power Amplifier). It will put a balanced output regardless of input. First Watt F1 is also like this.

Then there's the usual balanced by putting one signal against an anti-phase and driving it into the drivers. So in the case of the b22 (The β22 Stereo Amplifier), you would need 4 channels minimum to get a 'balanced' output but you would also need a 'balanced input'.

Not very clued up on this, and a bit too sleepy (that always seems to be the case at the moment). Probably someone here could explain it better because I might have it totally wrong.

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[jcx]

actually I believe the biggest measurable advantage to "balanced" headphone cable termination comes from having separate (and usually much lower resistance) R/L gnd connections vs the TRS jack/plug interface with largish contact resistance and common gnd contact that causes interchannel crosstalk

the drivers really don't care about anything except the difference V across their respective voice coil terminal pairs

if the amp does a good job of SE to "balanced" drive conversion internally ("Dynamid" would be one example, a THS4130 based amp could be another) there should be little gained across the amp/headphone interface once you’ve gone to 4 pin connection

maybe someone in consumer audio has enough noise issues that the greater noise rejection of balanced signal between amp and source helps - but not so likely if equipment is only feet apart, powered from the same branch circuit

“dual mono” “balanced” amps don’t however do any SE to balanced conversion and should be driven with a balanced source to get full output Vswing - otherwise you have an expensive pair of active gnd channels - but the 3-pin Stereo TRS common gnd contact impedance crosstalk would be gone