Which headphone amplifier with balanced input?

I have the Grace 901 headphone amp which includes balanced inputs, but it's beyond your budget. I think there are a few Headroom amps that include balanced inputs, but same price issue. I wouldn't worry too much about making sure it has balanced inputs.

Also, there are many amps available in your price range. I would go to Head-fi.org for suggestions. If you can swing it, the new Emmeline XP-7 headphone amp is supposed to be great ($495, also available with a power supply for $695).

I would post this question on www.head-fi.org. I was in need of a headphone amp and I learned quite a bit from this wonderful web-site. After I read and learned, I decided to order from www. jmtaudio.com a Meta-42 based home headphone amp. Links on Jon's web-site will direct you to other builders as well. Good luck w/your search.

2 agreements: head-fi.org (also check out headwize.com), and the XP-7 from www.raysamuelsaudio.com

I got it. It is superb ! Balanced, organic (NEVER thought I'd use that term) sound, detail galore, even some good in-skull soundstaging !

OK, single-ended only, but you don't need balanced with this baby.

Hey, it's nice to see all of the referrals to head-fi, which is definitely the best place to ask this sort of question but it's always nice to hear from the Audiogon crowd on headphone-related matters as well.

Depending on your budget, I wholeheartedly agree with the XP-7 recommendation. It's hard to believe that this is a $495 headamp because the soundstaging it produces in awe inspiring - and it's a small portable headamp! I just got mine this past weekend so I'm still in the honeymoon stages with it, but it's leagues ahead of my Creek OBH-11SE or Antique Sound Labs MG Head. My first impressions are that the XP-7 may just compare favorably with well respected headamps in a slightly higher price category such as the David Berning micro ZOTL or the Sugden Headmaster, but I have not done any A/B comparisons yet. Ray Samuels is a great person to work with as well (as is David Berning).

As another suggestion, a head-fi member named Mikhail also produces some excellent tube amps in all price ranges that are a great bang for the buck. The company name is Single Power Audio, and I'm sure he could include balanced inputs in the design if you so require.

Thanks guys for the very informative replies!

But what about this one: Sugden HeadMaster Headphone Amp?

This seems to be a state of the art headphone amplifier with raving reviews...

Vincent