Headphone Heights

Balanced drive headphone amp and cans, but not source

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Frihed89

I have a headphone amp that can drive balanced headphones. However, my source is a Mac + unbalanced USB dac. What will I lose vs. all balanced? What will I gain vs. all unbalanced?
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.

Follow Ups:

RE: Balanced drive headphone amp and cans, but not source - Caucasian Blackplate 23:27:23 10/31/13 (0)
This can depend a bit on the circuit. If you have a fully differential amp, then you might want to evaluate a balanced source. If the amplifier is not differential, there may be extra goodies inside to accept the balanced source, and these may or may not color the sound.
I don't think you will lose much of anything... - genungo 10:20:45 09/20/13 (5)
... because the audio signal tubes in our "balanced drive" DNA headphone amps are DC heated there should be zero background noise generated either by the amp itself, or by the amp in conjunction with most any type of single-ended source component. At least, that's how wonderfully my DNA amp performs in my own headphone system.
The sonic benefits of using a "balanced drive" amplifier (with or without a "fully balanced" system) are: Less crosstalk between channels for better channel separation, a doubling of the slew rate and voltage swing power for faster transients and better dynamics, and lower distortion for cleaner sound.
Another possible benefit of balanced drive might have to do with the use of XLR connectors. Victor Khomenko of BAT asserts that XLR connectors are superior to RCA connectors, partly because they offer better electrical contact. I think that XLR connections are superior to standard headphone plug jack/plug combos for the same reasons. When your electrical connections are as tight and as firm as possible (as I believe they are when you use XLR connectors) better signal transmission occurs and along with this come improvements in clarity and dynamics.
Some headphones seem to benefit from balanced drive more than others do.
Some people don't hear or notice much difference between single-ended and balanced drive operation, while others seem to hear the sonic differences quite easily.
BTW, so long as you are using interconnects shorter than 2 meters long, you would be unlikely to experience much audible benefit from a "fully balanced" system. But a "balanced drive" amp will provide the aforementioned benefits, regardless.
So, I don't believe that using source components with balanced outputs would provide much of an advantage in your case. Fully balanced topology is not a feature found in DNA Audio products, to date.
That said, I'm sure that Donald North himself would be much better at answering these kinds of technical questions than I am. Have you tried asking him about this?

Edits: 09/20/13 09/20/13 09/20/13 09/20/13 09/21/13 09/21/13 09/21/13 09/22/13
- RE: I don't think you will lose much of anything... - Donald North 00:38:19 09/21/13 (2)
  "The sonic benefits of using a "balanced drive" amplifier (with or without a "fully balanced" system) are: Less crosstalk between channels for better channel separation, a doubling of the slew rate and voltage swing power for faster transients and better dynamics, and lower distortion for cleaner sound."
  
  Balanced drive through a center tapped output transformer should provide better isolation of back EMF interaction between channels, however it doesn't provide double the slew rate or voltage swing. To get this, you need a differential output stage with 2 active devices.
  - RE: ... - genungo 12:42:59 09/21/13 (0)
    Thanks for the clarifications.
  - Thanks, nt - Frihed89 04:31:24 09/21/13 (0)
    nt
    Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
- RE: I don't think you will lose much of anything... - Frihed89 23:33:54 09/20/13 (1)
  Thanks very much. By fully balanced you mean from inputs to outputs, with the same back to the source's output stage?
  Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
  - RE: I don't think you will lose much of anything... - genungo 15:19:04 09/23/13 (0)
    Yes, by "fully balanced" I meant balanced ins and outs.

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