ESL X and Schiit Aegir

[JudMc]

The problem with the differential amp is how the power is supplied. She told me that it can damage the electronics in the speaker and did not recommend using it. So its not a question of having enough power, its how it is supplied. Differential amps are supposed to be better for non powered speakers. I dont remember a thing about how a differential amp is special.

I've heard the term "differential amp", but I don't know how to tell if an amp is differential. What is in contrast to a differential amp? (A high-current amp??)

 

[Robert D]

"The Differential Reference Module in the XPA-DR1 is made up of a perfectly symmetrical balanced pair of high-performance amplifier modules. Each individual amplifier module already has vanishingly low distortion but, by connecting them as a balanced differential pair, a significant portion of the tiny amount of remaining nonlinearity is cancelled out. As a result, we are able to achieve even lower levels of distortion in the XPA-DR1, resulting in remarkably transparent sound, with unprecedented smoothness and clarity."

So it uses a pair of amplifiers that output one signal I think. The problem lies in the polarity possibly being reversed I think, and that doesn't match well with a powered speaker.

https://emotiva.com/products/xpa-dr1#em-sin-pro-chat-lined