[Tassie Devil]

Looking to see if I can improve the NuForce DAC 9 - Sennheiser HD800 setup which uses a digital input from a Meridian Sooloos system (so USB not needed). The headphone cable is balanced.
 
The Metrum Octave DAC looks very inviting BUT it will require a headphone amp and one with balanced output for the Sennheiser headphones.  
 
I've gone cross-eyed researching and can find amps with balanced input but very few have balanced out. My prejudice is for SS not tubed.
 
All suggestions (new or used) gratefully received.
 
TIA
 
John (too old to be seen chasing moonbeams but he just cannot resist!)

 

[Clemmaster]

The audio-GD SA-31 has a balanced connector for convenience but is single ended so no need to converting the SE signal from the Octave.

There are several options I can think of but you should give a budget first.

 

[Tassie Devil]

Quote:

The audio-GD SA-31 has a balanced connector for convenience but is single ended so no need to converting the SE signal from the Octave.
There are several options I can think of but you should give a budget first.

Fair question.  I guess under $750 used if possible.  Not much point going overboard with a really good DAC to hook it up to a mediocre amp.  However I would guess the DAC would be more expensive than the equivalent amp but such logic never really applies in this madness!!
 
Time to retire here now so it will be tomorrow to follow up your suggestion - thanks.  All other suggestions gratefully received as this is an area I've never taken a keen interest in previously
 
John

 

[Tassie Devil]

Can someone clarify this for me:
 
If I feed unbalanced analog into a head amp from a DAC, what advantage, if any, is there using balanced out to the Sennheiser HD800 headphones?
 
TIA
 
John

 

[Hooster]

Quote:

Can someone clarify this for me:
 
If I feed unbalanced analog into a head amp from a DAC, what advantage, if any, is there using balanced out to the Sennheiser HD800 headphones?
 
TIA
 
John

You will get the benefit of balanced drive for your HD800s. In most cases more control over the drive units, better bass and better channel separation than single ended drive.
 
The Audio GD NFB-6 is below your budget and it has balanced drive, in and out. Just be aware that it is very high resolution and if your source and or sound files are harsh sounding it will not make them sound any nicer than they are to begin with. Of course you will also know all about it if your files and source are top notch, but just keep that in mind. In my experience the NFB-6 is a fantastic pre amp for a speaker system so it is an excellent buy if you need one of those too. (I actually can't think of any pre amp at anywhere near the price of the NFB-6 that I would rather have for my speaker system and that is not taking into account the excellent headphone outputs it has.)