Hi Granny,
Yep, this is another example of poorly executed balanced circuits that do not meet the balanced specs set by the recording industry but not implemented correctly by home audio. The seeming inability of the home audio and theater industry to conform to those standards is the cause for this problem. And yep, it sure does affect the sound quality of many fine components and has probably caused many bad reviews of products based on the reviewers who don't account for the problem. A true balanced circuit prevents these problems while single ended technology is rife with incompatabilities. Burson Audio makes a single ended buffer available in the USA that would solve the problem and is reported to work very well Unfortunately they don't make the a balanced buffer any more for reasons they only know. Krell with their CAST system is one of the few manufacturers who addressed this problem and essentially implemented a balanced system with their own proprietary connector. As for as I know Atmosphere is the only tube builder that has designed and uses a balanced circuit with tubes, in fact they own a patent for their design. It apparently is much easier to build solid state balanced circuits but the home audio industry does not design for this all the time either. There is apparently much more involved in designing a balanced circuit than just adding a balanced connector to the equipment's design. But if all the manufacturers would conform to the standards set by the music industry impedence mismatches between our equipment would be a thing of the past.
Yep, this is another example of poorly executed balanced circuits that do not meet the balanced specs set by the recording industry but not implemented correctly by home audio. The seeming inability of the home audio and theater industry to conform to those standards is the cause for this problem. And yep, it sure does affect the sound quality of many fine components and has probably caused many bad reviews of products based on the reviewers who don't account for the problem. A true balanced circuit prevents these problems while single ended technology is rife with incompatabilities. Burson Audio makes a single ended buffer available in the USA that would solve the problem and is reported to work very well Unfortunately they don't make the a balanced buffer any more for reasons they only know. Krell with their CAST system is one of the few manufacturers who addressed this problem and essentially implemented a balanced system with their own proprietary connector. As for as I know Atmosphere is the only tube builder that has designed and uses a balanced circuit with tubes, in fact they own a patent for their design. It apparently is much easier to build solid state balanced circuits but the home audio industry does not design for this all the time either. There is apparently much more involved in designing a balanced circuit than just adding a balanced connector to the equipment's design. But if all the manufacturers would conform to the standards set by the music industry impedence mismatches between our equipment would be a thing of the past.