Years ago I would read Charles' posts on AVS forum and gathering respect for him. All of that got flushed down the toilet by reading his posting there.
First of all, and most important, how dare he use such unprofessional language as a member of the industry? He gives us all a black eye. He must remain professional especially in an industry setting. And this is after JA cleaned up his post. What remains is still horrific in this regard.
Second, I have had miswired balanced cables produce hum. If he has not heard of this, then I don't know what to tell him.
Then there is that diatribe about two inputs sounding different due to UL testing, PCB traces and other nonsense? Who is he kidding? Thankfully Jim Austin put him in his place on this.
Anybody serious would know that the only FAIR way to do this type of test is to not only use the same input on the preamp (different inputs will exhibit different amounts of break-in, as the trace on the PCB needs a signal to dissipate the residual electrostatic charge after it is tested with many kilovolts for UL compliance), but to also use the exact same pair of interconnects as they need to be not only the same brand and model, but also have the same amount of break-in time.
Read more at
https://www.stereophile.com/content...ifier-headphone-amplifier#4pFbeiCVuXHKwQVa.99
There there is some shallow bickering over the use of input vs channel? Really?
This is not the Charles I knew. It is just a high-end shill taking, not some experienced engineer.