[dyl1dyl]

 
- Do you have balanced headphones? If so, which ones?

Nope, but will get my lcd 2 rev2s balanced once the statement dac comes out.

 

- If not, are you looking at balanced headphones or a balanced amp in the future?

Yes, I am. I've never ever tried a proper balanced setup and I do plan to upgrade to full-balanced in the future.

 

- For balanced headphone output, how important is it to have dual three-pin XLRs as well as a 4-pin XLR?

4-pin is all that is needed.

 

- For a balanced amp, how important is it to also have single-ended outputs?

I would like to have it but only it its of good quality.

 

- 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?

It would be awesome if the quality of the single-ended output is as good as the balanced ones, so I could compare the balanced and single ended outputs directly.

 

[songmic]

1. Do you have balanced headphones? If so, which ones?
As of now I do not own any balanced headphones.
 
2. If not, are you looking at balanced headphones or a balanced amp in the future?
If Schiit Audio will indeed release a balanced amp in the future, then yes.
 
3. For balanced headphone output, how important is it to have dual three-pin XLRs as well as a 4-pin XLR?
I think a balanced headphone amp should have both 3-pin and 4-pin XLRs, unless the mere presence of 3-pin can lower the quality of the 4-pin.
 
4. For a balanced amp, how important is it to also have single-ended outputs?
If having an extra single-ended output can deteriote the quality of the balanced outputs, then no. If not, the more the merrier.
 
5. 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?
Once again, if the addition of a high-quality single-ended output deteriote the quality of balanced outputs, then I'd say no. If not, the quality of the single-ended output is just as important.
 
A balanced headphone amp from Schiit! That's very good to hear. Of course, I'm sure you haven't even started making it, but reflecting on the great success of Asgard, Valhalla, and Lyr for their exceptional value and design at phenomenal value (for something made not in China but in the USA), I'm really looking forward to its production. If the balanced amp were to be released with critical acclaim, I'd seriously consider recabling my current headphone to a balanced one.
 
Although you probably won't be able to tell us the precise date of its release, could we at least have an approximate time frame (for example, before the end of this year)? Will it be a solid state or have tubes? Will it be of the same size as Schiit's previous line of creations? And most of all, the price: will it be another exceptional yet affordable amp for under $1000, or a very high-end Schiit that costs up to a couple of thousand dollars? If you have plans about pricing - whether to make it affordable like the rest or aim for something a lot higher - I'd like to hear about it.
 
Anyways, I'd love to win that Valhalla! Keep up the good work!

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Only one more day! We'll close up entries tomorrow at midnight PST. Get 'em in if you haven't already!
 
After that, we'll segregate the posts that are actual responses to our questions from the comments (like mine here), put all the names in a spreadsheet, and do a random-number select of the winner. We should announce the next day.
 
Good luck!
 

 

[Trysaeder]

^It would save a lot of time to just get a random number between whatever, then roll again if it's not an actual response.

 

[DjAmTraX]

I don't own any balance headphones, yet.  I hope to get a pair in the near future, but I need to get a GREAT amp that does single-ened and balance in one box first.  I like my Beyer T1 a lot so I may get another and make it balanced to compare the two. For me, the amp has to do both.  Don't want another box in the room that will only play with balanced headphones.  I don't care much about XLR or TRS in the headphones end.
 
Hope I win!

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Cool, we'll announce the winner later today!

 

[Jason Stoddard]

 
Quote:

^It would save a lot of time to just get a random number between whatever, then roll again if it's not an actual response.

We can't do that. It increases the chance that people with multiple responses will win (and there are several). We need to strip out the redundancies.
 

 

[LibraryGuy]

Of course I saw this thread today. >.<
 
Jason, you guys will get some of my money eventually.

 

[tkteo]

 
Quote:

Oops. Missed the deadline. Nvm.
 
Do you have balanced headphones? If so, which ones?
Audeze LCD-2.
 
If not, are you looking at balanced headphones or a balanced amp in the future?
Yes. If I want to go the balanced route I will also consider buying a disc player/transport with 2-ch balanced outputs.
 
For balanced headphone output, how important is it to have dual three-pin XLRs as well as a 4-pin XLR?
Having both options would accomodate more people's range of headphones. My LCD-2 is going to use 4-pin XLR though.
 
For a balanced amp, how important is it to also have single-ended outputs?
Same as above, more people are accomodated. But from a technical standpoint would it result in the amp being not "totally" balanced?
 
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?
Well if you want to maintain and improve on a reputation for both reasonable prices AND quality then I would not recommend a sub-par single-ended output. If implementing single-ended is going to compromise the quality of the amp, then please do provide us with the rationale. I would understand why you would want to build a balanced amp with only balanced outputs.
 

 

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Hey all,

Thanks for the input. It's definitely helped us solidify what we're going to be doing for the balanced side of things. What we've decided:
 
1. We're going to change our plan for one single "statement" hybrid balanced amp. It's now going to be two amps: an all solid-state, simple balanced amp aiming for maximum balanced performance for the price, and a hybrid statement amp.
 
2. We'll have both 4-pin, 3-pin, and single-ended phono outs on both amps.
 
3. Both amps will have single-ended output as well, and it will be the "high quality," not the "utility" variety. This isn't as trivial as it sounds, since our balanced topology is not simply another amp stage running an inverted signal. So, single-ended is an entirely separate output stage (using the same differential voltage gain stage, though.)
 
And now, the news you've really been waiting for: the winner!
 
Please congratulate Duetta, of Post#138 fame. You're the winner of the Valhalla! I'll PM you to get the shipping address, and we'll send that out immediately.
 
For everyone else, thank you sincerely for all the input. You'll see the first evidence of it in a few short months.
 
All the best,
Jason
 
 

 

[Lurkumaural]

Congrats duetta!
 

 
(I thought Jason's post said we'd see evidence in a few short minutes.  I cannot describe how excited I got.)

 

[duetta]

Wow!
 
Thanks, Jason.  Sent you a PM with my info. 
 
Duetta

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Duetta,
 
That's odd--I didn't get the PM. If you'd like, you can just email me at jason@schiit.com
 
All the best,
Jason

 

[tkteo]

Quote:

1. We're going to change our plan for one single "statement" hybrid balanced amp. It's now going to be two amps: an all solid-state, simple balanced amp aiming for maximum balanced performance for the price, and a hybrid statement amp.
 

Jason, I can't quite recall... so does this mean there will be three new amps introduced between end of this year and Q1 2012? The two you mentioned above and a third one if I recalled correctly?

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Nope, two amps and two DACs are planned. But only one amp and one DAC will be selling before the end of the year, I suspect.