2. amps-preamps
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Why Single-Ended?

I’ve long wondered why some manufacturers design their components to be SE only. I work in the industry and know that "balanced" audio lines have been the pro standard (for grounding and noise reduction reasons) and home stereo units started out as single-ended designs.

One reason components are not balanced is due to cost, and it’s good to be able to get high quality sound at an affordable price.
But, with so many balanced HiFi components available these days, why have some companies not offered a fully-balanced amp or preamp in their product line?
I’m referring to fine companies such as Conrad Johnson, Consonance, Coincident, and Bob Carver’s tube amps. CJ builds amps that sell for $20-$39K, so their design is not driven by cost.

The reason I’m asking is because in a system you might have a couple of balanced sources, balanced preamp, and then the final stage might be a tube amp or monoblocks which have SE input. How much of the total signal is lost in this type of setup? IOW, are we missing out on sonic bliss by mixing balanced and unbalanced?

128x128lowrider57
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Your list will grow exponentially if you add components which are not fully differential. Some refer to this as "truly" balanced, meaning identical circuit topology for the + and - legs of both left and right channels.

Many other manufacturers are using single ended topology, but offer balanced connectors. Some are simply adapters built into the chassis, some use transformers to convert the balanced signal to single ended.

Single Ended Triode amps certainly do have quite a following. The reason that manufacturers designs vary is because no one single design has been proven to be superior.
I have owned good and bad components that were single ended and balanced designs.

Just as there is no "consensus" answer for the planar or dynamic speaker design, tube or solid state amplification design, digital or analog source design, there is also no consensus answer for the single ended or balanced design.
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,505 posts
 
John nailed it, +1.   
68pete
1,001 posts
 
Just because you have XLR inputs or out puts does not mean yo are balanced
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 

As with John I've heard modest and excellent examples of both single ended and true balanced systems. Needless to say many variables determine the final sound heard with a component or full system. I appreciate the stated advantages of differential balanced circuits. Ironically some of the very finest audio systems I've ever heard were with the simpler (technically inferior?) single ended circuits. Either is capable of superb sound quality. Designer/builder talent, parts quality and implementation are major factors involved.

Charles

swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
The reason that manufacturers designs vary is because no one single design has been proven to be superior.

Designer/builder talent, parts quality and implementation are major factors involved.
+1000!!!  At the risk of beating a dead horse, virtually every design is a compromise.  The "best" designs are those whose compromises have an end result that most closely matches the end user's value system.  And that's leaving implementation (which is equally important) out of the equation altogether. 

Not to be flip, but that's why there is not only chocolate and vanilla, but also Ben & Jerry's and Hagen-Daz.  


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