Truely balanced the better design?

Hey Tekunda,

I think it depends on the design of your amplification. For instance, my amp and preamp are from Electrocompaniet. While they work well in single ended mode, they really shine when hooked up in a balanced configuration which is what the manufacturer intended.
Some manufacturers in the past have slapped on balanced in's and out's as afterthoughts to climb aboard the "Me too" wagon. Sometimes to the detriment of what was potentially very good gear. Personally, I think that neither design really means much to buyers as long as the design is excellent and results in great sound. I don't think I would run single ended interconnects from any preamp to a truly balanced amp if the preamp I had was fully balanced. Perhaps, if you really like your power amp and want to stick with it for awhile, purchase a preamp that can take full advantage of what the rest of your system has to offer. I've been learning that a preamp and amp from the same company usually results in the best each component has to offer. After all, who's components would you use when voicing your own product?
Good luck!

Which EC amps and speakers do you own and which pre-amp of course?
I really like the Electrocompaniet stuff, I love their CDP and will consider it for a future upgrade.
Do you monoblock? I would like to learn more about their amps. Since I have the big Martin Logan ELS Prodigy, I need amps with have enough "juice" to drive my speakers. I cannot do with rather lean amps.
So some input about the Electrocompaniet amps would be greatly appreciated.

I have found many times that I prefer a single-ended connection on front end equipment to a balanced. The fully balanced connection from my preamp to the amp improves sound but the single-ended was considerbly beter from the CD to the preamp. Dale