Headphones and the Devialet

[Elztalbiker]

@Womaz: both is possible, depending from your HP-Ohms


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[Womaz]

Ok so after all these years of owning the balanced Taurus amp I have just discovered that I am not even using it in balanced mode .
It’s connected to my 200 by rca connections , both from the 200 and into the Taurus amp.
The amp has XLR balanced inputs on the back but I have never used them .
I am using the balanced headphone output at the front to connect my headphones .
I am assuming this means. I am not taking full advantage of my amps capabilities as a balanced headphone amplifier .
Or am I missing something simple here ?
Can I buy a 2 rca to 2 XLR cable to use , and would this give me the balanced amp.
As you can see my knowledge of all of this is not that good

[Elztalbiker]

Technical you have a fully balanced headphone amp. The output from your Devialet is unbalanced - always, Your Auralic produce from an unbalanced signal an balanced. In your case, it is from input to output not an real balanced amplification. Your unbalanced signal will transformed in balanced signal at the input stage of your head amp.


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[Womaz]

Technical you have a fully balanced headphone amp. The output from your Devialet is unbalanced - always, Your Auralic produce from an unbalanced signal an balanced. In your case, it is from input to output not an real balanced amplification. Your unbalanced signal will transformed in balanced signal at the input stage of your head amp.


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Thank you for trying to explain this to me . I have read it 3 ties and I still don’t understand :-)
On the plus side I had a good laugh at myself:-)

[Womaz]

Technical you have a fully balanced headphone amp. The output from your Devialet is unbalanced - always, Your Auralic produce from an unbalanced signal an balanced. In your case, it is from input to output not an real balanced amplification. Your unbalanced signal will transformed in balanced signal at the input stage of your head amp.


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So if I am reading your message correctly , then I can not have a balanced output from my Devialet when using it with a headphone amp ?
If this is correct then there is little point in me looking for a fully balanced headphone amplifier , unless I plan to use it without the Devialet

[thumb5]

The main point of using balanced wiring is to reduce noise pick-up, or more accurately to reduce its effect.  It was introduced mainly for professional audio applications where there can often be long cable runs in noisy environments.  If you're not getting any audible noise or hum with the current configuration I'd stick with it.

If you switch to using RCA-to-XLR cables from the Devialet's pre-outs into the balanced inputs of the Taurus that's still not going to give you a fully balanced configuration.  This is because the Devialet's outputs aren't balanced so any noise picked up on the way to the Taurus will not be reduced when the single-ended wiring is converted to balanced, typically inside the XLR plug or immediately before it.

To convert to "properly" balanced wiring you'd need to have a single-ended to balanced converter taking the pre-out signal from the Devialet and converting it to balanced XLR outputs, then use XLR cables to the balanced inputs of the Taurus.  The converter would have either some active electronics or transformers in it; this in itself might generate some distortion.

In short, I wouldn't worry that you're missing anything.  And "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

(That said: if you do change the wiring, human psychology is such that you might hear a difference initially because you're expecting to and/or listening more carefully.)

ETA: I see I took so long writing this that the discussion has moved on already!

[Womaz]

Hi Ian
Thanks again , that makes a lot of sense . I think this is how I had interpreted the message above after the third reading ;-)
So there is a fix , but that fix may actually make things worse .
It’s relevant right now as I am looking to replace my HP amp so I am assuming there is little point in me prioritising a balanced HP amp .
I am considering the Burson conductor 3 series . The single ended is £1800 and the balanced is £2200 . I would have probably gone for the balanced one before I started investigating and reading today
Thanks again

Of course I could go for a balanced amp if I take the 200 out of the chain .......it gets more complex . ;-)

[Elztalbiker]

Your Auralic is fully balanced. Fully balanced is only possible, if the source and the amplification ( from beginning to the endm) are all balanced. Your source the D 200 is not balanced. It‘s doesn‘t matter because your Auralic own inside one converter. The unbalanced signal from your D 200 will be converted to a balanced signal by the input stage from your Auralic


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[Womaz]

Your Auralic is fully balanced. Fully balanced is only possible, if the source is balanced. Your source the D 200 is not balanced. It‘s doesn‘t matter because your Auralic own inside an converter. The unbalanced signal from your D 200 will be converted to a balanced signal by the input stage from your Auralic


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So I have a balanced headphone amp, that is not really acting as a balanced amplifier because the Devialet is not acting as a balanced source ?

[Elztalbiker]

Yes that is absolute right?


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