Amp with RCA and XLR Inputs PLUS a switch to Select

I can't make a recommendation but I can confirm that the parasound A21+ sounds like crap with both hooked up.  I tried it once testing some components.  Not sure why.

I never tested the Parasound with both hooked up when I owned the amp. This new great idea :) is brand new.

Here is a comment from an amp manufacturer that I just asked.

- bridgeable amplifiers are sometimes an exception. I think you'll find that quite often that switch isn't switching the input so much as it is making sure that the unused phase of the XLR connection is grounded so it won't make noise. 

Some solid state amps use an entirely different circuit to convert from balanced (usually using an opamp) to single-ended and then apply that to the regular single-ended input of the amp. Such amps might also have a switch. IMO this is a poor way to execute a balanced input; if the actual amplifier itself is balanced that seems to work better.

The AGD Tempo has a switch.  No idea exactly what the switch does.  But it's also bridgeable, so I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for.  AGD will get back to you re. technical inquiries within 24 hrs.

I was looking at the AGD since I liked the GAN tech, I owned the LSA Voyager 350 GAN a few months ago. The Voyager is not ’sufficiently’ different sonically from the AHB2 so I am not considering it. I forgot if it had a switch. I do not know too much about the Tempo.

I am also considering the Atma-sphere Class D but that does not have the switch I was thinking about. Though that amp maybe perfect (minus switch) sonically for what I want.

The Bryston maybe a bit too hard on the bright headphones I will be connecting to the amp. I am trying to get a home demo of a 3B3 or 4B3.

Look into the Modwright KWA 100 SE. it has that switch.

Two preamps and two amps? Headphone system? What are you doing? I'm totally confused. 

I will post a few photos later tonight to update my Thiel speaker and RAAL SR1a headphone system in my office. It is sounding incredible at the moment. However, I have the opportunity to use some system resources that are now just sitting idle to give my 1 more headphone listening option. That is where the questions on the amp are coming from. The AGD Tempo maybe what I was looking for. I sent Alberto an email with my questions.

BTW - The headphone part of this system sounds much closer to 2-channel than almost every other headphone out there. I also work very late at night, so the headphones are used daily.

Check out Accuphase power amp, you can connect both XLR and RCA at the same time, good thing is the input selector switch is on the front panel!

Bad news is their amp are big and heavy. 

For anyone confused by my search for a new amp.

I recently discovered that the Schitt Freya+ preamp | Benchmark AHB2 amp | Musetec 005 | RAAL SR1a sound excellent. A little different from my prior setups but just as excellent as those but with a bit more clarity.

The following device is used to connect my 2-channel amp to my RAAL SR1a headphones. I have 2 of these with 1 not being used.

I moved that above set of gear to my office, so I now have 2 preamps in the office. The other preamp is the CODA 07x which is connected to a KRELL 175XD amp driving Thiel CS3.7 speakers.

The Freya+ preamp has all my sources connected to it using RCA (Tuner and DAC). My CODA 07x preamp has all of the same sources connected to it via XLR.

The Freya+ and CODA 07x can connect to 2 amps each. The Freya+ via RCA and the CODA 07x via XLR to the additional amp.

If I got a 3rd amp I could connect the Freya+ and CODA 07x preamp by RCA and XLR respectively to the 3rd amp. This amp would connect to the extra AMP INTERFACE BOX to the RAAL SR1a headphones. This would give me a variety of flavors to listen to the SR1a without having to unplug any cables.

- Freya+ | AHB2

- Freya+ | 3rd amp

- CODA 07x | 3rd amp

The sound of the SR1a is so good that the cost of this setup is well worth it for me.

BTW - I previously had the SR1a setup in my office via the CODA 07x preamp | CODA #8 amp | Musetec 005 DAC. However, I moved the CODA #8 to my Livingroom last week and was able to move the Freya+ into the office.

From Alberto at AGD

To answer your question, yes the TEMPO and the AUDION and the Vivace have independent XLR and RCA inputs. So you can connect 2 sources at the same time without any mutual influence. The XLR-RCA switch activate 2 relays (one per channel) that do the correct input selection.

Thanks all for your suggestions.

I just bought a NAD M22 V2 and will give it a whirl. I was about to get the AGD Tempo but the NAD M22 which I have heard before could be something different from the AHB2. Whereas the AGD may not (if the LSA Voyager I had is comparable to the AGD).

NAD Masters Series M22 power amplifier Page 2 | Stereophile.com

The Benchmark AHB2 set itself apart from the other three amps with its copious soundstage depth and a slightly more distant presentation, but while I felt an abiding sense of its accuracy and neutrality, it failed to be as lively or exciting as the NAD.

Today, I received the NAD M22 V2 from The Music Room in Colorado. I paid for a used unit, but it looks like they sent me a brand-new unit. No complaints there.

My signal path with the NAD needs some breaking-in but everything works as I wanted, and it sounds pretty good already on my headphones. It certainly sounds different than the AHB2. I will burn in the new headphone signal path for a week and give it a good listen.

Very happy with the results on first listen.