Hey all,
We’re getting ready to finalize the feature set for a possible upcoming balanced amp, and we thought you might want to let us know what you think about balanced amps, what features you want, if it should include the kitchen sink, if it should be priced under $50*, etc.
To sweeten the pot, everyone who responds before August 31, 2011 will be entered to win a Valhalla (triode OTL) headphone amplifier. We’ll announce the winner, chosen by random drawing, on September 2.
Here are the questions:
Do you have balanced headphones? If so, which ones? No balanced headphones. Only stock Denon AH-D7000.
If not, are you looking at balanced headphones or a balanced amp in the future? Maybe, it's a long shot however because of its costs. (I'm referring costs to recabling and amp)
For balanced headphone output, how important is it to have dual three-pin XLRs as well as a 4-pin XLR? Not very important, but I do want to see more 4-pin XLR headphones and 4-pin headphone outputs out there. Having one 3-pin XLR connector is already bulky enough.
For a balanced amp, how important is it to also have single-ended outputs? Very important. Having both outputs gives more versatility. Neutrik NCJ9FI-S helps save space and cost.
If single-ended is important, is the quality of the single-ended outputs as important as the balanced outputs, or is this more of a “utility” thing so you can use all kinds of different headphones? More of a "utility" thing.
Thanks in advance for your responses!
All the best,
Jason
*Note: This is a joke. Doing balanced right (balanced from input to output, *good* quad pot, true differential output stage, etc.) ain't cheap. Please don't tell all your friends "Schiit is gonna do a balanced amp for $50!" Because that's not gonna happen.