If as I think the amps are bridged, what happens to the channel that isn't available when using the RCA adapters? It would be half of the amp's power being sent to ground.
That was what I was addressing in my previous post when I said:
If the power amp architecture is as Rwwear envisioned, then the maximum output power of the amplifier (the point at which it would clip) would be reduced by 6db (compared to balanced drive), and that reduced clipping point could not be overcome by the volume control.
Actually, 3/4 of the amp's maximum power output would be lost (a 6db reduction), not 1/2 (a 3db reduction). One side of the amp would swing to the output voltage it is supposed to. The other side of the amp, instead of swinging to the same voltage but with the opposite polarity (minus instead of plus, or vice versa), would be at 0. So the net voltage difference across the speaker that is connected between the two outputs would be half of what it is supposed to be. Half the voltage = 1/4 of the power = -6db.
If an attempt were made to overcome that loss by turning up the volume control, then on loud peaks of the music, that would cause the amp to have to output more power than that reduced amount, the sound would clip/breakup/distort. Noslop did not report that he heard any distortion, just that the volume was lower, which tells me that something else was going on, such as his unbalanced preamp having less gain than his balanced preamp.
It's important to keep in mind that reduced power capability does not in itself mean reduced volume (although there would be reduced volume as well, by 6db). A moderate loss in volume, such as 6db, can be overcome by turning up the volume control a bit. What a loss of output power capability does is to reduce the volume level at which clipping/breakup/distortion occurs.
Regards,
-- Al