SMSL SU-1 with Fosi ZA3 unbalanced 411

[dmoss74]

Hi,

I'm trying to give the living room audio a little separation from the HT setup and have (and will have the following.

Streaming/server access: Node 2i (own)>SU-1(own)>Fosi Za3 (will be here Tuesday)>Kef Q350 pair (own) and older JBL powered sub.

I always hear that balanced outs/ins are supposed to be superior connections, but realistically (for now), will the RCA outs from the SU-1 be all that much worse than a comparable DAC with balanced outs?

I'm quite happy with the SU-1 (coax from the node 2i) as of now.

Is it really going to matter all that much to replace the SU-1 with a balanced output dac? I used to own an SMSL SU-8 (v2), but wasn't thrilled with the sound, so I sold it.

thanks for any input.

 

[gvl]

Unless you run in some sort of audible interference or ground loop issues (unlikely) single ended connection is fine.

 

[Toku]

Hi,

I'm trying to give the living room audio a little separation from the HT setup and have (and will have the following.

Streaming/server access: Node 2i (own)>SU-1(own)>Fosi Za3 (will be here Tuesday)>Kef Q350 pair (own) and older JBL powered sub.

I always hear that balanced outs/ins are supposed to be superior connections, but realistically (for now), will the RCA outs from the SU-1 be all that much worse than a comparable DAC with balanced outs?

I'm quite happy with the SU-1 (coax from the node 2i) as of now.

Is it really going to matter all that much to replace the SU-1 with a balanced output dac? I used to own an SMSL SU-8 (v2), but wasn't thrilled with the sound, so I sold it.

thanks for any input.

If your current audio environment is subject to noise induction or other interference, then a balanced connection makes sense. If not, there is no difference in sound quality between unbalanced and balanced connections.