[WayTooCrazy]

 I'm interested in dabbling in the "Balanced" side of things. I realize there are a few things I would need. Balanced DAC and Balanced Amp (along with headphones configured in Balanced wiring). What is the "LEAST" expensive way for someone to dabble in a Balanced setup? My thought is the following:
1. Matrix Mini-I  $379
2. Musical Fidelity V90-BHA  $249 (comes with Balanced Headphones).
----------------------------
$628 - Gets me intro into Balanced.
 
  Is there better (less expensive) options?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Personally I would rather spend less cash and get an un-balanced DAC and amp and spend as much as possible for headphones.
But that's just my two cents.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Balanced is not always better. A well designed single-ended amp can be as good if not better. Don't buy into the marketing of balanced... 

 

[Asr]

I agree with the other two responses, plus I recommend not cheaping out on the gear if you genuinely want to hear what "balanced" can do. For a source, you want something with a dual-differential DAC configuration (which cheap sources are very unlikely to have), and for an amp, you want something that's either "dual mono" (like the HeadAmp GS-X) or at least generates the balanced output properly (like Schiit's Circlotron which is used in the Mjolnir 2, or other manufacturers' tube amps that use the transformer to achieve the polarity inversion).
 
And on top of the amp and source, you should also use headphones that will actually benefit from balanced operation, because not all headphones do. Most headphones that benefit from balanced are mid- to high-impedance inefficient dynamic headphones (like the Senn HD600/HD650/HD800, or Beyerdynamic DT880/DT990/T1, or the AKG K7-series, etc), or planar magnetic headphones (Audeze, HiFiMan). I recommend not trying to balance a low-impedance efficient dynamic headphone, because that's actually what I did and I didn't hear a difference from any of them.
 
The "least expensive" equipment I'd personally get if I ever wanted to get back into balanced would be the Schiit Gungnir and Mjolnir 2.

 

[WayTooCrazy]

Thanks everyone for the responses. It was my intention to slowly upgrade to a very nice balanced setup. Unfortunately, my current headphones are efficient (HE-400i & Oppo PM-3). I guess I'll have to decide what direction I want to go in and then go from there.