The $100 balanced amp market only has a few options like the SMSL or Loxie but none afaik are dual mono and battery powered.
But one can buy 2 of the Behringer P1s for $100.
http://i66.tinypic.com/flm49z.jpg
They are battery or supply powered and with 2 of them that should be dual mono.
I was using the Parasound A21 which is a straight up speaker amp with some resistors but it gave out too much heat being class A for 15w. So I bought the Behringers and man I have to say they sound awesome. Better than the Parasound in some respect. Maybe its the batteries or the dual mono but man they sound soooo clean and the separation is better. Imaging and soundstage is better than the Parasound. Its soooo clean that you can get a higher volume because the distortion cues are missing.
Its a very clean amp and it wont add to the sound of recordings....so good ones shine and crappy ones can't hide. Very hard to say it add anything to the sound. Its not analytical or euphonic. Just honest. Seems to have more drive than the Parasound. Parasound is a tad warmer, but I have listened to the Behringers for hours with no fatigue.
Plenty of drive for my M1060s. One of the options is stereo or mono and I had to put the amps in mono to lower the level. Caveat is that you need something to control the volume. Since there are 2 amps for balanced the odds of adjusting their vc to be exact is slim. Though I suppose one could rig something like a rubber band on stacked units to adjust the vc. I have a computer vc that is 54 bits and it works fine to adjust the volume but YMMV. Nobsound makes a balanced passive pre for $50 if you need volume control
Pros
1. Sound is super clean. Soundstage and imaging is fantastic
2. Not fatiguing but very very neutral and true. Never had a sound that was neither euphonic nor analytical. Its like it has no character of its own.
3. Cheap
4. Battery powered
5. Has a pan feature so one could connect a 2nd balanced source.
6. 3.5mm jack- easier with my M1060s to get 3.5mm to 2.5mm cables than 4 pin xlr to 2.5mm
7. Balanced inputs
8. It seems to be faster than the parasound. PRAT is awesome.
Cons
1. It says Behringer on it- no audiophile cred at all
2. Only balanced inputs
3. Soundwise its very revealing. Bad recordings sound bad. Great ones sound great.
4. Batteries last about 10-12 hours and the low battery light will be on for hours. Sound gets distorted and high pitched when the batteries die.
5. Only balanced inputs
6. Need 2 for balanced operation but one will work for single ended.
7. Ideally one needs volume control at the source or a preamp.
Was looking for a summer amp that wouldnt heat the room and I think this will be the main amp going forward if rechargeable batteries sound the same.
Plan to run one P1 single ended and compare to my Vali-2. Will do a comparison. But man running the 1060s single ended is a drag....
But one can buy 2 of the Behringer P1s for $100.
http://i66.tinypic.com/flm49z.jpg
They are battery or supply powered and with 2 of them that should be dual mono.
I was using the Parasound A21 which is a straight up speaker amp with some resistors but it gave out too much heat being class A for 15w. So I bought the Behringers and man I have to say they sound awesome. Better than the Parasound in some respect. Maybe its the batteries or the dual mono but man they sound soooo clean and the separation is better. Imaging and soundstage is better than the Parasound. Its soooo clean that you can get a higher volume because the distortion cues are missing.
Its a very clean amp and it wont add to the sound of recordings....so good ones shine and crappy ones can't hide. Very hard to say it add anything to the sound. Its not analytical or euphonic. Just honest. Seems to have more drive than the Parasound. Parasound is a tad warmer, but I have listened to the Behringers for hours with no fatigue.
Plenty of drive for my M1060s. One of the options is stereo or mono and I had to put the amps in mono to lower the level. Caveat is that you need something to control the volume. Since there are 2 amps for balanced the odds of adjusting their vc to be exact is slim. Though I suppose one could rig something like a rubber band on stacked units to adjust the vc. I have a computer vc that is 54 bits and it works fine to adjust the volume but YMMV. Nobsound makes a balanced passive pre for $50 if you need volume control
Pros
1. Sound is super clean. Soundstage and imaging is fantastic
2. Not fatiguing but very very neutral and true. Never had a sound that was neither euphonic nor analytical. Its like it has no character of its own.
3. Cheap
4. Battery powered
5. Has a pan feature so one could connect a 2nd balanced source.
6. 3.5mm jack- easier with my M1060s to get 3.5mm to 2.5mm cables than 4 pin xlr to 2.5mm
7. Balanced inputs
8. It seems to be faster than the parasound. PRAT is awesome.
Cons
1. It says Behringer on it- no audiophile cred at all
2. Only balanced inputs
3. Soundwise its very revealing. Bad recordings sound bad. Great ones sound great.
4. Batteries last about 10-12 hours and the low battery light will be on for hours. Sound gets distorted and high pitched when the batteries die.
5. Only balanced inputs
6. Need 2 for balanced operation but one will work for single ended.
7. Ideally one needs volume control at the source or a preamp.
Was looking for a summer amp that wouldnt heat the room and I think this will be the main amp going forward if rechargeable batteries sound the same.
Plan to run one P1 single ended and compare to my Vali-2. Will do a comparison. But man running the 1060s single ended is a drag....
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