Is there really any advantage in balanced digital lines over unbalanced?

Posted by John C. - Aussie (A) on May 31, 2012 at 21:13:23

I ask this question because I have been unable to detect any difference in audio quality between the two situations feeding digital output from a Sooloos Meridian MS600 with apodised upsampled output from FLAC files:

(i) a long unbalanced line -> Benchmark DAC 1 (Empirical Audio modified) -> AKG 702 headphones

(ii) a longish balanced digital line -> Benchmark DAC 1 (Empirical Audio modified) -> AKG 702 headphones

A longish balanced digital line -> Nuforce DAC9 -> Sennheiser HD800 headphones is better but that reflects on the NuForce and headphones.

I have found headphone listening far more critical of audio quality than via amps and speakers so would have expected differences between (i) & (ii) above to have been evident if those differences actually existed because of balanced vs unbalanced.

Even with balanced vs unbalanced in the analog domain I feel the difference could be more due to the fact there is one less amplifying stage involved. I do hear a subtle improvement in the Sennheiser headphones using the balanced output of the NuForce DAC9 but am skeptical it is due mostly to the heavier Warren cabling and my feeling (which could be wrong of course) is that it avoids one more amplifying stage. And it is the same reason that headphone listening in the setup here is better than via Halcro & Plinius amps -> high end electrostatic speakers. Those amps and speakers are exceptional but they all add their signatures to the result.

John

What can be more subjective than music? It reflects our personal tastes and preferences.

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Topic - Is there really any advantage in balanced digital lines over unbalanced? - John C. - Aussie 21:13:23 05/31/12 (20)

RE: Is there really any advantage in balanced digital lines over unbalanced? - audioengr 16:56:47 06/04/12 (0)

RE: Is there really any advantage in balanced digital lines over unbalanced? - SBGK 13:45:55 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Is there really any advantage in balanced digital lines over unbalanced? - knewton 06:24:57 06/01/12 (17)

RE: Slew rate. - rick_m 07:21:42 06/01/12 (16)

RE: Slew rate. - knewton 13:07:30 06/01/12 (15)

RE: Slew rate. - Bromo33333 06:48:39 06/06/12 (0)

RE: Slew rate. - rick_m 18:39:26 06/01/12 (9)

RE: Slew rate. - knewton 19:35:49 06/01/12 (8)

RE: Slew rate. - rick_m 08:22:51 06/02/12 (7)

RE: Slew rate. - knewton 11:41:32 06/02/12 (3)

RE: Slew rate. - rick_m 18:08:35 06/02/12 (0)

Higher slew rates can make interface jitter worse - slider 12:54:21 06/02/12 (1)

RE: Higher slew rates can make interface jitter worse - knewton 05:16:43 06/03/12 (0)

RE: Slew rate. - Tony Lauck 10:17:04 06/02/12 (2)

RE: Slew rate. - rick_m 14:07:12 06/02/12 (1)

RE: Slew rate. - Tony Lauck 17:16:18 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Slew rate. - John Swenson 15:34:49 06/01/12 (3)

RE: Slew rate. - Tony Lauck 10:07:55 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Slew rate. - knewton 16:17:34 06/01/12 (1)

RE: Slew rate. - tonyptony 16:26:03 06/02/12 (0)

Is there really any advantage in balanced digital lines over unbalanced?

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