Forum newcomer grok gave me an idea this afternoon. With the announcement of the Model 990, we've had a lot of discussion about some of its numerous features - including the balanced outputs. In fact, the debate evolved to a very technical level, and there is a ton of good info both for and against the concept of balanced connections. I suspect, however, that most potential 990 owners are going to be like me and hook it up to existing amps or buy amps like the 7100 or 770 to go with it, making the whole issue of balanced outputs moot, so it seems that we might try splitting things out. With that in mind, I'm starting this thread with the idea of letting folks compare their first-hand experience with balanced and unbalanced connections. What about it, folks? It's been a regular topic of discussion here, even before the 990 sprang up over the weekend. A central thread on the topic could be a chance to really kick some things around. (Just try to limit the kicking to ideas, not other gunslingers. )