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It finally happened!

It's been quite awhile since I've contributed a post but I think it's about time. Since my last post I have changed several components of my system. I went from Von Schweikert vr4 MKIII Sr to Vandersteen 5A. I got an Aurender N10 streamer. I changed out my Belles Power Modules 350A amp for an Ayre V-5xe. I went to balanced cables from pre to amp. I thought it sounded pretty decent when I put in the Ayre. A couple of months after I visited another member of this site and heard his system. I left frustrated with mine. His was so spacious and airy and just right. I thought mine sounded good until I heard his. I wondered what else I was going to have to do to get there.  Maybe a different DAC? I have an Aqua La Voce S2. Maybe treatments? I just didn't know. Well... I had a 'Duh and a 'Aha' moment. My Belles A28 Reference preamp has selector switches of course on both input and output. When I put in my balanced cables it played and sounded better so I didn't do anything further. Something in my pea brain finally clicked! I needed to set my output switch to Balanced! Automatically better! Then I realized I had another pair of balanced cables and by golly! My DAC has balanced outputs! I hooked them up and set my input to balanced and was blown away! I know someone will think it should have been obvious. It's like I bought a whole new system! 

dadork
dadork OP
635 posts
 

@richardbrand I have Audioquest Black Beauty's from pre to Amp and Heaven's Gate from DAC to pre. 

@ronboco no, it's definitely not the same space and I'm not trying to create the exact same sound but it was enough to let me know I had something off track. 

macg19
1,320 posts
 

@ronboco 

Is the other members room the exact same as yours ? I’m guessing not so it can be a fools errand trying to match someone else’s system.
 

The fools errand is asking rhetorical questions and then answering them yourself.

Nowhere did the OP suggest he was trying to match someone else’s system.

 

richardbrand's avatar
richardbrand
1,362 posts
 

@dadork 

Thanks - Audioquest I know, but Heaven's Gate is new to me.  The brand that is.  No chance of me getting close to St Peter ...

kahlenz's avatar
kahlenz
300 posts
 

I only noticed a higher signal level when I went from unbalanced to balanced connection. I'm sure the EMI background noise levels improved, but I heard no difference (apparently well under the noise floor).

Since then I have upgraded my amp, pre-amp, and DAC. All have single-ended connections. On the radar is a Chord Qutest DAC (also single ended).

I'm convinced properly deployed balanced connections can make a subtle difference in some systems. I have no discernible reason to upgrade my components to balanced connections (in my system: Schitt Bifrost, Odyssey Candela, upgraded Odyssey Khatego, and Harbeth P3 ESR). Others with more revealing systems will likely have different results.

retiredaudioguy
284 posts
 

I run Balanced from DAC to pre and from pre to main amp.  The main amp is a home brew that is ONLY balanced, no phase splitter. TT to phono to pre are single.  The TT to phono VERY carefully routed in free air away from everything else.

I have wondered why SS phono stages are not typically balanced as the amplification is usually an op-amp, which by its nature is a differential amplifier. 

The TT to phono is Transparent Super, all the others are Cardas Clear Reflection. The Cardas cables are slightly forgiving but don't seem to affect the air and space.  The sound is fuller than when I was using the Benchmark balanced cables.

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