Hooking Up A Balanced Headphone Amp
 

I'm looking to upgrade my headphone amp and was thinking about going balanced. How can I hook up a balanced headphone amp if I only have one set of balanced outputs on my preamp?

Suffering the same problem. Just have to turn off the amps and move the cables back and forth (pita). Or, could get a high quality switch box. Really hate to add another piece of gear and the additional contacts, etc.
http://www.goldpt.com/sw2x.html

That's my problem with the switchbox. Just something else to degrade the signal. I had one on my speakers once so that I could use my Usher X-719's for home theater and 2 channel. When I could I bought by Dynaudio's and then got the rest of the Ushers to complete my HT setup.

The high-$$ alternative is a fully balanced preamp from BAT (built there in Wilmington, no less) or Arc or similar where all the outputs are balanced. The Goldpoint boxes are about as high quality as it gets, but still................

Jack - not sure if you mentioned it but are you looking for a balanced output headphone amp? It will have four wires, two for each driver. It may or may not have balanced inputs or be fully balanced throughout. Or are you just looking for a headphone amp with balanced inputs?
Tom

Without having a dedicated source for each speakers and headphones, and without dual XLR outputs on your sources or preamp, you're going to be making a sacrifice (i.e. at a minimum an extra connection) for one or the other.

I'm not sure I'd ever want to run a preamp into a headphone amp (which has its own volume control), though I know some do that with a tube pre to fatten up the sound, and if you need input switching to a common set of sources then that pushes the point.

Lots of balanced headphones amps do have an XLR loop-output, but the downside is that you inject and extra set of connections before your amp & speakers. And since most audiophile have much more invested in speakers, that may not be an acceptable compromise.

I think the better scenario for your setup is to make use of the existing RCA output, and massage it to work for your new balanced headphone amp. A few balanced headphone amps have differential inputs that can take a single-ended input with NO performance penalty - examples of this include the upcoming new Headamp GS-X mini, and almost any Stax amp. If you get one of these amps, you're golden! Other balanced amps cannot do this, and require a balanced input for best performance - examples of this are the older Headamp GS-X (Mk I and Mk II) amps, and the Headroom Balanced amps. If you get one of the latter amps, an option is to insert a Jensen ISOMAX transformer that will convert and SE signal to balanced XLR. I've used these to good effect. It's better to not have to use them, but I've heard them improve performance for amps like the Headrooms and older Headamps that would otherwise have been handicapped by a SE source.

BTW there is a Headroom Balanced Home (Max modules) on US Audio Mart for an absolutely screaming deal right now ($625). Beautiful sounding balanced amp that sounds like it costs $4K; I still enjoy mine on occasion with Sennheisers despite also running a top-tier $20K Stax setup for my main headphone rig. This Headroom amp also pairs superbly with Focal Utopias. Also pick up some Jensen ISO-MAX for like $225, and you can be done with a top-tier headphone amp for so little cash.

I noticed that Music Direct has the Musical Fidelity MX-HPA headphone amp with balanced inputs on sale, but I need 2 sets of balanced outputs on my pre amp because my Bryston DAC is plugged into the one set on my current pre.

My BP-25 pre also has only one set of XLR outs............ am thinking the BP-17cubed as it has a pair of XLR outs as well as a pair of RCAs. Am happy with the BP-25 but would like to run the BHA-1 balanced.

iFi Pro iDSD takes care of my headfi in a single box - great sounding DAC and a headphone amp built in is reasonable and handles most of my cans.

Also has a balanced 2.5mm output or failing that get the big iFi Pro iCan if you have hard to drive headphones.

Tempting............. but all ready own & like the BHA-1.

Ivan was able to get XLR Wireworld cables for me that had two connectors to one output. They worked well, I used them when I was on the ship and wanted to split outputs to two XLR input headphone amps.

I'm having difficult issues running the output of my Bryston BDA-3 and Esoteric K-03. I am trying to run one output from a headphone amp into my integrated Moon Evolution with one set of XLR inputs. I know that all cables are good as is all the equipment, but I'm missing the output of the right channel. I checked everything exhaustively. I suppose I have to pull every cable and start over..................

But wouldn't you just get the left channel or the right channel depending on which output you choose?

I did a fairly thorough check and know that all my cables and equipment are fine. I suppose I will disconnect everything. I think the problem is my attempt to run both headphone amps in line, and the Stax has no XLR out. I've obviously done something wrong.

Split Balanced cables. Blue Jeans Cable custom makes them and utilize Belden 1508A wire. Basically a y-cable with XLRs. I have four of them (2 sets for each channel).