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Jim, it is fully balanced all the way through from input to output, that is if a TRUE balanced source was used.
It is balanced at output, just like the Protector, if single ended source , like iPod, is used.
Ray Samuels
Thanks for the input & clarification Ray.
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I could convert an apple into an orange with a little spray paint and some carving, but it wouldn't be a true orange.
You can't make a true balanced signal from a single ended signal. You can create a pseudo balanced signal, but it's not a true balanced signal. For a true balanced signal you need to start with a true balanced signal. And that was my point. It might sound great, but it's not a true balanced signal, and really what's the point in a portable system?
Can anyone explain to me what is hoped to be gained with a balanced portable system? And I thought the main objective of a portable system was to be portable. If I'm missing something please enlighten me.
But an orange will never taste like an apple, and to claim so would be a lie. Perhaps a more apt fruit analogy is a hybrid apple made of two distinct purebred types. It contains some of the best qualities of it's parents, without some of their downsides. The implementation of balanced output in the Protector is not a secret, and discussed at length in several threads on Head-Fi.
Now I couldn't comprehensively define who would use such an amp, nor every use case. People are so varied in their needs & willingness to go the extra mile in a portable system. Not to mention what "portable" really means to them. Some people will carry a large-ish camera case filled with source, amp, cables, & full-sized headphones, while some people don't want more than a Clip & a pair of IEMs or 'buds. Some people just want something to walk around the streets with, while some people need a high-quality setup for their best headphones to transport to the office, or onto the deck with a mint julip. For me, I simply happened to really like the sound of the balanced HD650's with the Protector when I heard it. The ability to convert my SE home source meant I didn't have to purchase a new one to enjoy that sound. I also had an amp that could sit next to my source & not take up another shelf - pretty cool. It also runs on DC power, off the grid. The fact that I could get the same drive using an iPod or other SE source is a great feature, imo. At the moment, I'm using the Protector at work in a single-ended configuration, but it's nice to have the option of balanced drive.
I've never heard a set of balanced IEM's, so I couldn't say for sure that there is a benefit to such a configuration. But there are more than a few here on Head-Fi that have & believe there is a benefit. Again, the ability to get the benefit from a high-quality, but (more ubiquitous) single-ended portable source is a cool thing. For those people, they have a portable amp (now two) to satisfy their needs.
It seems that your criticisms of the Protector and the SR71b stem more from a theoretical place, rather than hearing the amp. Engineering can come up with many good, but different solutions to a problem. Few designs meet the needs of everyone. Just look at the variety of cameras, or phones, or cars, or...well, you get the idea. I think the Protector & the SR71b meet the needs of a segment of portable headphone listeners. More importantly, it sounds great, and is made really well. Having lifetime support from the maker is nothing to sneeze at either. Again, I invite you to listen to one. My guess is that it will drive a pair of Thunderpants pretty well (just a guess, though). If you don't like the result, that's fine too. But dismissing something based on prejudices is doing yourself a disservice, imo.
