Is this E50 much better than a SMSL SU-1? worth additional money and changing from RCA to BAL? I am using SMSL AO200 as amplifier towards ELAC Debut B5.2.
The SU-1 has RCA only and the E50 has both RCA and TRS (BAL) outputs. The AO200 amplifier has both RCA and XLR (BAL) inputs, so if you want a BAL connection, the E50 is preferable.
The SU-1's RCA can be connected to the AO200's XLR input using an RCA>XLR conversion cable, and sound will be output, but the performance is inferior to the RCA>RCA connection. I do not recommend such connections.
The E50 has better electrical characteristics than the SU-1, but I don't think there is a big difference in the actual sound quality.
These days, even cheap products have excellent sound quality. After that, please select either with or without a display. However, I recommend the proven E50 in terms of stable operation.
Currently I am using E50 and AO200 with both RCA>RCA and TRS>XLR connections.