Digital Music sounds too bright?

Shadorne - Eliminating ground-loops is a good idea.  Few audiophiles do it.  However, balanced alone does not get you galvanic isolation unless you have transformer coupling in the components.  You can get it with this:

http://www.empiricalaudio.com/products/final-drive

Also, it is good to understand that most preamps and DACs, including my own, that generate balanced outputs using solid-state output stage are not really technically balanced because it is impossible for the + and - signals to be exactly the same amplitude, particularly over a wide range of signal amplitudes.  The only way to get this is using a signal transformer.  Once you do this, the amplifier tends to sound a lot better, so ther are more benefits to a transformer than just isolation.

Jitter can usually be reduced more by using a reclocker, even though the DAC resamples and reclocks.

knownothing - You may get to hear my Overdrive SX at future shows, but I'm not doing shows much anymore.  It may be in another companies room.  I am looking to do a headphone amp next, so I may just be in the headphone area at some shows now.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

Shadorne - Ideally, balanced inputs reject all common-mode noise, but in reality they don't.  They will reject some however.  You will still get some ground-loop noise.  The best scenario is using a signal transformer.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio