Which headphones of Drop's currently available?
I have some rewards points to burn but there's no obviously good options on Drop right now for headphones Contenders Ultrasone - maybe? I don't own any Ultrasones, so curious. Looks like garbage travel headphone which could be useful also. Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. - Maybe? I have the DT 880 Good price point, really uncomfortable headphones but could be interesting to try the upgraded version. E-MU - strong contender but $400 is a bad price point for what it is. Which of the above would you choose and why? Nothing else on Drop is relevant to my interests, because Already own 6xx 820 800 s Ether cx Garbage / Consumer grade Meze 99 - garbage bass canons, hard pass No gaming headphones obviously Sennheiser wireless - no to wireless/bluetooth Hifiman - I have 2 of drop hifimans and they make really bad cheap shit on Drop, hard pass on HE-R7DX Aeon - I own the closed, Drop refuses to address #padgate so no reason to buy open Beyerdynamic 177x - wireless, nope Too similar 8x / 560s...
Mar 28, 2024
The benefits of balanced tends to be double the voltage swing, and cancellation of common mode noise. However, there are drawbacks as well.
In most cases, balanced equipment doubles the number of components required and thus cost. Additionally, component tolerances for the two phases of a balanced signal must be tighter, thus adding to the cost. This will either make the balanced equipment far more expensive, or force the designer to cut costs in other ways.
I, personally, would rather see manufacturers focus on higher quality single ended equipment so that design choices can maximize component quality and value, rather than having to compromise for the additional design expense of running balanced.
Unfortunately few focus on really high quality single ended gear because of the consumer perception that balanced is always superior.
Particularly for portable gear, I find that the costs of going balanced outweighs the benefits. Take a look at some balanced vs unbalanced measurements on ohm-image.net and you will find that the added distortion from poorly implemented balanced outputs can be significant. I will take a well implemented single ended output over a balanced one any day, especially considering the (typically) lower prices and compatibility with regular unbalanced cables.
For a little more background, I really liked my Torpedo III DIY tube hybrid I built for just under $1000. However I sold it and downgraded to an iFi iCan Micro SE so I can sell my Chord Mojo to upgrade to a Chord Qutest (still waiting on delivery). The iCan Micro is a great value. It makes me curious about what the Pro can do, but I don't really need balanced, the Qutest is single ended output only.
The other thing I'm curious about is step-up transformer gain headphone amps. They're somewhat rare. I only know of the Metrum Aurix (discontinued I think), ECP black diamond (DIY), and EMAC 535SE.
I'm also not opposed to using a differential stage while having single ended in and out. Sometimes that can split the difference of pros and cons. The Torpedo III used a similar arrangement. Also really curious to read about the Schiit Lyr 3 that just came out.
I'll be interested in reactions to the Massdrop / Eddie ZDT Jr. once it's in people's hands. Have you checked out the Feliks Euforia? That seems to have garnered a lot of hype. Woo also has a mix of transformer and OTL tube options, right?
My setup is all portable(ish), but I actually recently bought a single-ended OTC tube amp, the Phatlab Phantasy. (I got a suspiciously good deal on eBay.) I also have an ALO CDM (balanced hybrid tube amp) and it's been interesting comparing them. They're extremely different in sound and how they interact with different headphones. I like them both a lot, though.