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Dmt37
75
Mar 16, 2018
In the world of audio the balanced amps and cables seem to be much more expensive than their non balanced counterparts. How highly should the balanced gear be prioritized over a more economic upgrade of say better headphones or a more objective dac amp that is unbalanced?
Florimer
25
Mar 16, 2018
Dmt37Well, that really depends on a few things. For example, some people feel like they found a "perfect" headphone for them. After that point your upgrade options become very limited. You either mod the headphone inside the cups, tweaking the sound a little more to your taste, or upgrade dac/amp section. And then come the balanced mods. Generally biggest difference this does (and i still could barely notice) is crosstalk. So, if in short, sometimes the option of higher end gear is just not worth it. While modding (if done properly) is.
DarrylG
49
Mar 16, 2018
Dmt37They're not necessarily all that expensive. For example, you can get the Fiio Q1 MkII and one of the Fiio earphones with included balanced cables for as little as $170.
kukkurovaca
323
Mar 16, 2018
DarrylGThe Fiio Q1MKII isn't fully balanced, which lets it be a little cheaper than a fully balanced unit. (The Walnut F1 pulls the same trick and is $30, and a great little amp for full-size headphones. Too powerful for most IEMs though.)
Fully balanced stuff is more expensive than single-ended equivalents because it's double many of the parts; you're essentially paying for two amps. There are still affordable options, but going fully balanced is usually not going to be a great bang for your buck proposition.
thomasharrick
2
Mar 17, 2018
Dmt37Don't prioritize it. Unless you live near a radio tower, which could have interference, save your money and upgrade your gear.
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