Balanced Line Cable

Unbalanced line level connections are usually implemented with rca jacks for audio while balanced line level connections typically utilize dual 3 pin xlr jacks for both the input and output.

Balanced line cable.

Any noise picked up along the cable run will typically be common to both legs. As in the unbalanced cable the ground wire still surrounds the signal wires and is used as a shield against interference. A ground a positive leg and a negative leg. But what makes a balanced cable special is the way the gear utilizes that.

However this did not become widespread until repeater amplifiers became available. A balanced electrical signal runs along three wires. Balanced cables have three conductors and three wires. Two signals wires plus a separate ground wire.

The signal wires pass an identical audio signal through each wire while the surrounding ground wire works the same as in unbalanced cables shielding the signal wires from external electronic interference. The difference in signal quality between balanced and unbalanced setups is especially pronounced in longer cable runs. Two of those wires carry the signal while one carries the ground. Balanced xlr connectors have 3 pins.

Balanced connections typically use shielded twisted pair cable and three conductor connectors. Unbalanced cables however only have two wires. Open wires on the other hand with their lower capacitance had been used for. Mic cables are a good example of such situations.

Balanced cable types xlr. Balanced lines are ideal in situations involving lengthy cables and low signal levels where noise can be a problem. Xlr cables can send balanced audio signals up to 200 feet. As you see in the diagram above there are three male pins inside the connector the groundwire the hot signal and the cold signal.

For an unamplified telephone line a twisted pair cable could only manage a maximum distance of 30 km. One for the signal and one for the ground which makes them. Both legs carry the same signal but in opposite polarity to each other. On the other hand short cable runs carrying higher signal levels are less prone to audible noise.

A quarter inch trs cable is another balanced professional audio cable. Balanced audio cables work best with balanced devices. Two signal wires and a ground wire. Balanced audio is a method of interconnecting audio equipment using balanced lines this type of connection is very important in sound recording and production because it allows the use of long cables while reducing susceptibility to external noise caused by electromagnetic interference.

One of the signal wires gets inverted which allows the cable to completely avoid picking up outside interference. The longer the cable the more noise introduced. In both cases one jack is normally used for each audio channel left and right. Balanced audio technology is designed to reduce the effect of environmental noise on the quality of the signal.