Hi Srajan, bon dimanche! I am really enjoying the Kinki EX-M7 even if it has not reached the nirvana level of 300 hours. Quite the amp! I have a question: I note in the preview of the Kinki EX-P27 preamp that Ken Ng proclaims all Kinki amps as "single-ended". I have tethered my Kinki amp to a Lumin T2 streamer with balanced connections as that is the preferred output of the Lumin. Should I try single-ended for comparison? I am a neophyte in understanding what would be the best connection when an amp is designed as single-ended yet a streamer's best output is balanced! Thoughts? Cheers, Michael Fanning
Try both. Designers may use transformers or opamps to convert single-ended to balanced. But many XLR are convenience items which just shunt one active leg to ground. Whenever one has mixed opportunities, it's best to try them to decide by ear. You may hear no difference. Or running the Lumin balanced might dominate over how Kinki treat the XLR feed vs. exiting the Lumin single-ended to match Kinki's single-endedness. And sometimes the difference is superior signal transmission of balanced vs. single-ended cable. Either way, the lesser weevil wins. Srajan
