[edisonmach]

Hi guys,

This is a heck of a place you have here. I drifted over from Slashdot and found an entire community of like minds.

I'm a recording and sound engineer and I record music and broadcast TV using analog and digital equipment. I'm looking for a Tube amp that has balanced inputs and maybe balanced outputs, if I can dream. My music recording gear is 100% analog and I use a method very similar to Ken Christianson's True Stereo methods. Forgive my ignorance of the search functions. My membership was just validated today and this is my first post.

Thanks,

Ed

 

[zoboomofo]

Hi edisonmach, and welcome to the jungle.

I'm afraid I don't have a wide experience with these amps, but I can try to steer you to some candidates. Here is a list of manufacturers in somewhat chronological order of lionization

yourself

(see Headwize.com project page under tube headphone amps. That page is the mecca of headphone / headphone amp tinkering and education)
Earmax
David Berning
Antique Sound Labs (distributed by Divergent)
Holmes Powell
E.A.R.-Yoshino (HP4 and V20 at headphone.com)
Headamp (electrostatic headphones only) (see under Kevin Gilmore at Headwize)
Cary
Ray Samuels Audio
Singlepower
Eddie Current (see Moth Audio)
Woo Audio
Rudistor

I'll add web pages, and others that I may have forgotten as I go.

Some of these manufacturers would seem to fit under the cottage industry group, so you may be able to request custom inputs/outputs.

 

[john_jcb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edisonmach Hi guys, This is a heck of a place you have here. I drifted over from Slashdot and found an entire community of like minds. I'm a recording and sound engineer and I record music and broadcast TV using analog and digital equipment. I'm looking for a Tube amp that has balanced inputs and maybe balanced outputs, if I can dream. My music recording gear is 100% analog and I use a method very similar to Ken Christianson's True Stereo methods. Forgive my ignorance of the search functions. My membership was just validated today and this is my first post. Thanks, Ed

I don't recall seeing any tube based headphone amp with balanced inputs and outputs. I would ask to see the insides of any amp that is said to be balanced as I would worry that the design is not truly balanced but rather just the same insides connected to XLR connectors.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by john_jcb I don't recall seeing any tube based headphone amp with balanced inputs and outputs. I would ask to see the insides of any amp that is said to be balanced as I would worry that the design is not truly balanced but rather just the same insides connected to XLR connectors.

The EAR HP4 has true balanced inputs, and a balanced passthrough. However, the headphone outputs are single-ended.

Tom Hankins has custom-ordered a SinglePower Supra SDS with balanced inputs and outputs, but IIRC delivery should occur in January, so there won't be news about how it sounds before that.

Moving to the electrostatic side, the Stax SRM-007t has balanced inputs, as does the Headamp.com version of the Gilmore Blue Hawaii (the only version I've seen or heard).

The two amps that have balanced input and output that I can think of off the top of my head are the Headroom Blockhead and the Headamp Gilmore Balanced Reference. Both of these are solid state.

 

[john_jcb]

Thanks Hirsch for confirming what I thought; that there are no tube headphone amps out there today with balanced inputs and outputs.

Do you know what tubes Tom will be getting in his amp?

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by john_jcb Do you know what tubes Tom will be getting in his amp?

I think in the 12SN7 thread he indicated that he would ask Mikhail to put in a 6-12 volt filament option, so that he could use 6SN7's or 12SN7's.

 

[3lusiv3]

Welcome to head-fi, sorry about the wallet.

I would have thought Mikhail would make a custom amp of that type?

 

[timoteus]

Details: http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/bo...ges/78900.html

 

[Tuberoller]

Ray Samuels Audio has a true fully balanced Tube amp coming,complete with tube recitfication. You should contact him at Ray Samuels Audio (or send him a PM,he's a member)for more details.

 

[edisonmach]

There is no mention of Balanced amps on any of the listed sites. Should I contact builders directly? Is there contact info on the listed sites.

Cost is really not a concern since it's for studio use so please feel free to mention any amps that you're aware of.

 

[zoboomofo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edisonmach There is no mention of Balanced amps on any of the listed sites. Should I contact builders directly?

Yes, contact them directly. There should be contact info on the builder's websites. I think it'd be worth it to enquire about a special custom amp for your balanced needs because some of these builders have tailored amps for customers before.

 

[timoteus]

I'd like to add this interesting quote from Mick Maloney of Supratek:

http://www.supratek.biz/quest.htm --> bottom of page

Quote:

Balanced operation I often get asked about the advantages of balanced operation-my reply is based on the following: Balanced/unbalanced is a conentious subject. It comes from the pro audio world where they need it to balance out the noise pickup from very long cables. True balance involves either using balancing transfomers or turning a Single Ended cicuit (as most preamps are) into a push pull circuit with double the components, circuitry etc- this is the only way to achieve "true" balanced throughout the preamp. There's a lot of hype about it, with a lot of so called balanced operation being psuedo balanced, which is basically having an XLR socket wired to accept a balanced signal and turning it back to unbalanced. Personally I prefer Single Ended operation every time- there's an ease and effortlesss about it, wheras true balanced sounds more electronic to me, especially the push pull types of operation. One area where it is useful is in helping with RF noise in the big cities- it is not an isue for me in my country town isolation, but places like NY benefit from it and in my mind the best way to use balanced is to take it off the output transformer of a preamp, which fortunately we can do with the Supratek pres- it is true and perfect balanced with the minimum of circuitry to degrade the sound. ( there's virtually no circuitry!) One balancing point in a preamp is all that is necessary- the output transformer turns the single ended circuit into a balanced circuit with two phases and the noise common to both channels (hum, RF etc) is greatly reduced. Going for balanced throughout is sonic overkill that does more harm than good IMO- it has been a successful marketing campaign by some companies, but it is marketed to sell amps. The Cortese,Sauvignon, Grange and Cabernet come standard with balanced/unbalanced outputs- there is a significant increase in quietness with the balanced output - but with the effortlessness and spatial presentation retained.