I have a BP20 with phono stage. My sources are TT, FM tuner, and BCD1. I'm looking to add a headphone amp to exploit the benefits of balanced headphones.
As I read the BP20 manual, the mute switch shuts off the signal to all outputs except for the tape out. So connecting an amp to the tape out would allow me to use the phones with the speakers muted. Is this the case?
However, I switched the BCD1 from the RCA inputs to the balanced inputs on the BP20 and was pleasantly surprised by the improvement. I'm wondering if there is some way to connect a headphone amp, such as the BHA1, via a balanced connection and still mute the speakers. A fully balanced signal from the source to the phones is what I hope to achieve. Headphone geeks aficionados say the balanced signal improves dynamics.
Somewhere in this website, James or Mike Pickett said that the headphone out on the BP20 is the same signal that goes to the power amp. So, if I get a headphone cable with dual XLRs (one for each can) and plug them into the balanced outs on the BP20, I would get a balanced signal at a balanced voltage which is greater than the voltage from the SE phone output on the front of the BP20. Is this correct? I would need to turn the power amp off to use such a setup. It would be superkludgy, but if such a setup is possible, would it give me a reasonable indication of the improvement (or lack thereof) a balanced headphone amp might offer? How's that for a convoluted question!
Any suggestions or experience with headphone amps would also be appreciated.
