panyncor
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Posts
- 247
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- 15
For a year, I’ve been pondering the different options for going balanced (while painstakingly saving money for the eventual move). I have a single-ended tube amplifier that I’m very happy with, and balanced tube amps are awfully expensive. So I narrowed it down to solid state, but even then there are a lot of attractive choices. Ray Samuels Audio, Headroom, Rudistor, Singlepower, and Headamp. I considered them all. Over and over. It wasn’t pretty.
Here are factors I considered:
Preamp versatility: Nice to have, but not a major consideration.
Connections: XLR and RCA inputs of course. Ability to phase-split an unbalanced signal into a balanced signal a definite plus. More important, the ability to output unbalanced regardless of the active input. My current source (VDA-2) can put out two unbalanced signals or one balanced signal, not both. Meaning that to avoid switching cables when I move to or from the Extreme, I would need something that can loop-out an unbalanced signal even when the input is balanced.
Size: My main listing area is pretty small. Some of the larger balanced amps are very impressive to look at but would make for cramped quarters and awkward stacking.
Topology: I’ve heard opamp-based amplifiers that sound wonderful. But given a choice, I prefer the purity of all-discrete designs.
LEDs: The glow of tubes is great. The glow of LEDs, not so much — the fewer the better in my view.
Sound: Ah, now that was a tough one. Something unabashedly solid-state to provide a pronounced change-of-pace from the Extreme? Or something that provides a signature closer to the tube sound I love, but with the convenience of solid state and the advantages of balanced drive? I went back and forth on this one a lot.
In the end, after four phone conversations and a half-dozen e-mail exchanges with Mikhail, I went with the Singlepower Harmony XLR. For people who aren't familiar with it (I wasn't before talking with him), the Harmony occupies the middle tier in Singlepower's solid-state lineup, a step up from the Square Wave and a step down from the Transparency and crazy-expensive SS-1. Mikhail has been working on the basic design for nearly four years, and a PM conversation with the owner of a Transparency (which Mikhail says is very close sonically to the Harmony) convinced me that this was the way to go. It helped that the appearance and size were exactly what I was after: understated elegance and impressive compactness.
By default, the Harmony comes with the same power supply that’s standard on the Square Wave. But, of course, there’s an upgrade option: The same four-part power supply that’s built into the Transparency’s case comes in a separate, matching enclosure for the Harmony (not unlike what Channel Islands does with the VDA-2 and VAC-1). Here’s the rest of my configuration:
Mine will be arriving in early April, but here are a couple pictures that Mikhail sent to tide me over. For comparison, you can also see the current Square Wave models.
Here are factors I considered:
Preamp versatility: Nice to have, but not a major consideration.
Connections: XLR and RCA inputs of course. Ability to phase-split an unbalanced signal into a balanced signal a definite plus. More important, the ability to output unbalanced regardless of the active input. My current source (VDA-2) can put out two unbalanced signals or one balanced signal, not both. Meaning that to avoid switching cables when I move to or from the Extreme, I would need something that can loop-out an unbalanced signal even when the input is balanced.
Size: My main listing area is pretty small. Some of the larger balanced amps are very impressive to look at but would make for cramped quarters and awkward stacking.
Topology: I’ve heard opamp-based amplifiers that sound wonderful. But given a choice, I prefer the purity of all-discrete designs.
LEDs: The glow of tubes is great. The glow of LEDs, not so much — the fewer the better in my view.
Sound: Ah, now that was a tough one. Something unabashedly solid-state to provide a pronounced change-of-pace from the Extreme? Or something that provides a signature closer to the tube sound I love, but with the convenience of solid state and the advantages of balanced drive? I went back and forth on this one a lot.
In the end, after four phone conversations and a half-dozen e-mail exchanges with Mikhail, I went with the Singlepower Harmony XLR. For people who aren't familiar with it (I wasn't before talking with him), the Harmony occupies the middle tier in Singlepower's solid-state lineup, a step up from the Square Wave and a step down from the Transparency and crazy-expensive SS-1. Mikhail has been working on the basic design for nearly four years, and a PM conversation with the owner of a Transparency (which Mikhail says is very close sonically to the Harmony) convinced me that this was the way to go. It helped that the appearance and size were exactly what I was after: understated elegance and impressive compactness.
By default, the Harmony comes with the same power supply that’s standard on the Square Wave. But, of course, there’s an upgrade option: The same four-part power supply that’s built into the Transparency’s case comes in a separate, matching enclosure for the Harmony (not unlike what Channel Islands does with the VDA-2 and VAC-1). Here’s the rest of my configuration:
- Stepped attenuator
- Black Gate output capacitors
- Selectable XLR and RCA inputs
- Neutrik combo jacks for one balanced headphone or two unbalanced headphones
- RCA loop out
Mine will be arriving in early April, but here are a couple pictures that Mikhail sent to tide me over. For comparison, you can also see the current Square Wave models.
