I'm torn between DX3+ Pro and SMSL C200. What is this talk about it not being "truly balanced"? I've read it in multiple places, but never with an explanation or proof.
there are two headphone outputs on the front of the C200:
people have come to expect that the balanced headphone jack offers about twice as much output power as the unbalanced jack on the same device.
However, there's a recent trend in the industry to include a balanced headphone jack, but without the supporting electronics required for a true differential output (so four opamps).
Instead, the balanced jack is just there for convenience and carries the same unbalanced signal as the unbalanced jack.
The C200 is one such device.
SMSL are not lying or anything as in the specs sheet they quote only one set of gains and max power for both headphone outputs, so the two should be assumed equal as far as the signals they carry.
This trend came to be because there's really no advantage of a differential headphone output for desktop headphone Amps, so manufactureres did the smart thing by giving the people the ports they want, but without the useless electronics.
The TRS Line out on the back of the C200 is a proper differential output btw, since that one is actually advantageous for connecting to speakers elsewhere in the room.