balanced preamp

Kijanki, we don't have any output transformers so we don't have that expense anyway...

Is it me or is 85 db a poor CMRR figure?

Like I said a lot depends on an effective CCS circuit. I have to say I am quite surprised to see how poor they are in most differential circuits I see. Poor CCS leads to poor CMRR response! You can't do it with a single-stage CCS...

Atmasphere, 85dB is decent especially when you take into account effect of twisted pair rejection, in addition to shielding, in XLR cable. In order to match 85dB rejection in fully balanced amplifier gains would have to be matched to 0.005% - not possible IMHO.

I forgot, you have no transformers but you have a lot of tubes. Not only cost of tubes but they also require more power.

Dsremer,

"I have tried my P.S.Audio PW DAC 11 via the Balanced out directly to the M.L.336 and was impressed with the results, I do not want to take a step back the First Sound pre does a lot of things right.."

Theres absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to go balanced. Most of my components are. After reading your above post, though, I can't help but think that there is a lot more going on as to why you are hearing differences besides the PS Audio being balanced. The 2 units are very different from each other in many ways. I'm just suggesting that there are other factors that make them sound different besides being balanced.

Not only cost of tubes but they also require more power.

Where are you going with that?? That does not have anything to do with CMRR... and is not accurate. The tubes we use are not expensive, and usually cost less than a set of tubes for a transformer-coupled amp of the same power.

From your other comments though it really sounds like the circuits you are used to measuring have poor CCS circuits. 85 db is not a hard figure to attain.

ZD542
Yes Time for a change I would like to try a good balanced pre, even my phono pre will run balanced... My Question should have asked prior Frist Sound owners where they moved on to (in regards to a new BALANCED preamp) and did they improve their system.