[humanflyz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Balanced has: Double the voltage swing Double the current Four times output power Much higher power supply rejection ratio Much higher common mode rejection ratio Double the dampening factor, better control over the drivers Less noise Lower distortion Solves ground loop issues (from personal experience) More electrons for a smoother sound (some say this is why tubes sound smoother than solid state) In short, buying two cheap amps and balancing them would definately be worth it.

Aren't you generalizing a bit? Go build a balanced basic cMoy and tell me that it sounds better than a single-ended Dynalo.

 

[ichiboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roam /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cheap, good, balanced. Pick two.

haha, that was clever

 

[cotdt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by humanflyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aren't you generalizing a bit? Go build a balanced basic cMoy and tell me that it sounds better than a single-ended Dynalo.

What I listed is based on exact math: relative to the unbalanced version of the amp. Read that again: relative to the unbalanced version of the same amp. This means all else equal. So a balanced CMoy should be better than the single ended version using the same parts. I can say nothing about how it compares to other amps. Indeed, I've compared the balanced Dynalo to the unbalanced Dynahi, and the unbalanced Dynahi was better. I agree with you that a good single-ended amp will be better than a cheap balanced amp. But what if you already have an amp that you like, and there is no balanced version? Then I claim, based on math and scientific deduction, that there would be an improvement if that person bought another identical amp for balanced operation.

 

[SonicDawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kees /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think that can only work if you have a balanced source, right?

Why, yes of course

~!

 

[Lockout]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif HR desktop balanced or Rudistor nx-33, but even those will cost you around $1000-1250, or more. the SP Sqaure Wave is $1699, but maybe there is an introductory offer making it less. i dont know. the GSX is another one, but that is $1800. Then there is the Apache (around $3000), the B-52 (around $5000), and other rudistor amps over $2000. balanced amps, unfortunately, are not cheap.

How do you like the sound of that Apogee Mini-DAC driving HD650s? Does it work well?

 

[choariwap]

http://www.sft-audio.url.tw/GXLR/GXLR.html

．Full balanced Gilmore headphone amplifier
．Two Dynahi power supplies
．Dynahi output stage
．Single 4-channel stepped attenuator
．Silver solder
．Milled Volume Knob
．430mm x 305mm x 67mm
．Weight : 7Kg


this looks pretty good. do the specs above make this a dynamight?

 

[humanflyz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by choariwap /img/forum/go_quote.gif http://www.sft-audio.url.tw/GXLR/GXLR.html ．Full balanced Gilmore headphone amplifier ．Two Dynahi power supplies ．Dynahi output stage ．Single 4-channel stepped attenuator ．Silver solder ．Milled Volume Knob ．430mm x 305mm x 67mm ．Weight : 7Kg this looks pretty good. do the specs above make this a dynamight?

Nope, it is not a full Dynahi, only uses the power supply and output stage.

 

[episiarch]

I'm new to balanced, but it seems to me that if one had two closely-matched stereo amps (for example my two Gilmore Lite V2's) then with appropriate custom cabling one would have the equivalent of a balanced amp (using one stereo amp per channel), though with separate volume knobs for left and right.

Anything wrong with my logic? I have been thinking of ordering just such a set of custom cables so that I can try out balanced for a while on the cheap before taking the plunge on a GS-X.

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lockout /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do you like the sound of that Apogee Mini-DAC driving HD650s? Does it work well?

it sounds amazing. i'm almost tempted to not buy a balanced amp because of how good it sounds.

 

[cotdt]

SFT is not active anymore. I'm not sure if the Dynahi is still produced, except by DIYers.

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm new to balanced, but it seems to me that if one had two closely-matched stereo amps (for example my two Gilmore Lite V2's) then with appropriate custom cabling one would have the equivalent of a balanced amp (using one stereo amp per channel), though with separate volume knobs for left and right. Anything wrong with my logic? I have been thinking of ordering just such a set of custom cables so that I can try out balanced for a while on the cheap before taking the plunge on a GS-X.

Done.

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kees /img/forum/go_quote.gif Done.

that's pretty cool. getting two matching amps and a balanced source isn't too difficult, but getting a balanced senn cable cable terminated with 2 1/4 inch connectors is not very practical (unless you build one yourself), and even less so for other headphones where the cables are not detachable.

 

[episiarch]

Kees, thanks for the link! Very helpful.

vicoheda, what I thought I'd do on the output side is get a pair of 1/4" stereo to XLR adaptor cables made, so that I could adapt regular balanced headphone cables to this rig rather than get a special cable for each headphone.

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Kees, thanks for the link! Very helpful. vicoheda, what I thought I'd do on the output side is get a pair of 1/4" stereo to XLR adaptor cables made, so that I could adapt regular balanced headphone cables to this rig rather than get a special cable for each headphone.

that would certainly be preferable, but it still seems like a lot of work. i wonder how this thing really sounds. seems more like an interesting experiment than a real solution for going balanced. and two good amps may be as much as, or more than, a balanced one.

 

[cotdt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif that would certainly be preferable, but it still seems like a lot of work. i wonder how this thing really sounds. seems more like an interesting experiment than a real solution for going balanced. and two good amps may be as much as, or more than, a balanced one.

how come you're using a balanced headphone cable but no balanced amp? you owe it to yourself to try balanced.