[merinowool]

Can a headphone amplifier be used as a balanced preamp from it's headphone balanced out using something like this? Or is there something precluding that from working properly?

Thanks!

 

[earfonia]

Can, but the ground pin might not be connected. So floating ground which is ok for balanced. You can take the ground from the regular unbalanced output.

 

[merinowool]

Can, but the ground pin might not be connected. So floating ground which is ok for balanced. You can take the ground from the regular unbalanced output.

Thanks. When you say take the ground from the unbalanced output, do you mean something like this? I've seen interconnects like this before (for DAPs, IIRC), albeit with different terminations.

 

[earfonia]

Thanks. When you say take the ground from the unbalanced output, do you mean something like this? I've seen interconnects like this before (for DAPs, IIRC), albeit with different terminations.

Yes that's right!
One wire out from the 4 pins XLR to be connected to the 3/5mm / 1/4" unbalanced socket ground pin.