Balanced lines are key to good sound. - Bill Fitzmaurice

Pro Audio Asylum

Pro studio recording equipment and music production/industry.

Balanced lines are key to good sound.

Posted by Bill Fitzmaurice (P) on May 6, 2004 at 12:08:27

In Reply to: Monarchy Audio posted by taloyd on May 6, 2004 at 11:48:47:

Balanced lines serve far more purpose than just long runs. Their primary advantage is that they enable input sections to be configured as differential amplifiers, so that whatever junk is picked up on the positive line will also be picked up on the negative line, and when they go through a differential line stage they then cancel each other out, to the average tune of 100dB CMRR. That's not something to make light of.

Just as important is the fact that balanced lines remove the ground lead from signal carrying duty. Probably some 95% of the noise problems experienced in consumer grade gear can be traced to either signal contamination of the signal ground or ground loops, all caused by signal and power grounds being intermixed, and those problems go away when all balanced connections are used. Balanced lines aren't an option for professional sound quality, they are a necessity, irrespective of the line length.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Mackie HR824's with passive pre (cable question) - RJV1976 07:46:31 04/28/04 (12)

Re: Mackie HR824's with passive pre (cable question) - Bill Fitzmaurice 13:26:20 04/28/04 (10)

Re: Mackie HR824's with passive pre (cable question) - RJV1976 14:35:29 04/28/04 (9)

Monarchy Audio - taloyd 11:48:47 05/06/04 (3)

Balanced lines are key to good sound. - Bill Fitzmaurice 12:08:27 05/06/04 (2)

Re: Balanced lines are key to good sound. - taloyd 12:25:04 05/12/04 (1)

Signal and power grounds should not be all connected. - Bill Fitzmaurice 14:35:57 05/12/04 (0)

Ah, there's the rub. - Bill Fitzmaurice 04:56:56 04/29/04 (4)

Excellent.. - RJV1976 05:29:50 04/29/04 (0)

Hey Bill! - oldroadie 05:17:14 04/29/04 (2)

Thanks for the link. - Bill Fitzmaurice 05:14:18 04/30/04 (1)

Welcome - oldroadie 08:28:26 04/30/04 (1)

Follow Ups

Balanced lines are key to good sound. - Bill Fitzmaurice 12:08:27 05/06/04 (2)

Re: Balanced lines are key to good sound. - taloyd 12:25:04 05/12/04 (1)

Signal and power grounds should not be all connected. - Bill Fitzmaurice 14:35:57 05/12/04 (0)

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