I'm Getting Unbalanced About Balanced

Hi Mejames, there is really no such thing as a "truly balanced" output from a digital player. There is only one signal per channel stored on the disc, so every player that has a balanced output has to create the inverted signal to achieve a balanced output.

Some players do this in the digital domain and then have separate dacs for the inverted and non inverted signals. Some do it in the analog domain using op-amps or some other analog inverter.

I also agree with Unsound and question the statement in the original post that balanced is the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is good sound. I don't think balanced operation is a prerequisite to get it.

The SET crowd would certainly question whether balanced is the end goal.

I remain,

Herman, balanced and single-ended only apply to analog signals. It is perfectly possible for a CD player or D/A converter to have truly balanced analog output signals.

Balanced has its virtues, but it has a downside of requiring a doubling of amplifier circuitry. This adds to the complexity and cost of a component. It's not at all clear that balanced signals are truly superior to unbalanced designs.