If you’ve ever paid close attention to microphones, pro audio equipment, or expensive headphone amplifiers, you’ve probably noticed the phrase “balanced connection” used to describe the equipment’s output, input, or both. The balanced and unbalanced headphone cable can greatly affect the user experience when a person wants to listen to some video or songs using his headphones.
Copper cables can transmit audio signals in two different ways: balanced and unbalanced or symmetrically and asymmetrically, respectively.
There are several myths about audio transmissions, with some suggesting that in-ear headphones can actually detect variations. These variations can sometimes cause mishaps, which is why users should know the difference.
You are in luck because we will explain what exactly balanced and unbalanced headphone cables are and how they function.
What Are Balanced Headphone Cables?
The development of the symmetrical or balanced cable actively addressed a key issue with sound transmission, which is interference from outside the cable.
The only viable approach was to exclude external interference by duplicating the signal on a different wire before carrying it over the cable, since completely eliminating external interference at its source would be physically impossible.
With one addition, a balanced audio cable’s construction resembles that of an unbalanced cable.
Professionals use balanced connections to transmit audio signals across the cable in professional applications.
Due to their longer length compared to signals used for domestic audio, these signals are more susceptible to various potential sources of interference.
Balanced connections include a minimum of three conductors, which consist of one for ground, a matched pair of twisted wires (one for the “hot” signal and one for the “cold” signal), and a connector.
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Users employ unbalanced cables for incoming audio signals, which consist of a ground wire. The two signals have inverted polarity, resulting in their cancellation when transmitted along the cable.
The reversal of the polarity of the cold signal at the other end of the line actively places the hot and cold signals into phase and synchronization. Due to the fact that balanced signals deliver two in-phase signals, they are also louder (by about 6 to 10 dB) than unbalanced signals.
What Are Unbalanced Headphone Cables?
Single-ended (SE), often known as unbalanced connections, are the most common kind of analog electrical connection, such as the ones between your turntable and amplifier or the wire you use to connect your phone to a speaker.
This indicates that a single conductor carries each audio signal, accompanied by a shield that acts as a ground reference and provides a current return to complete the circuit.
The RCA plug for home audio serves as the standard plug for this kind of connection. In semi-professional applications, particularly for electric musical instruments, you may also see the more durable 1/4-inch tip-sleeve (TS) jacks or the 3.5mm tip-ring-sleeve (TRS) jack.
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In stereo applications, “aux” connections frequently transmit two unbalanced signals.
Balanced vs Unbalanced Headphone Cable
The distinction between “balanced” and “unbalanced” primarily lies in the composition of the wires found within a cable. It all depends on the number of wires. Unbalanced cables consist of only two wires: the ground wire and one signal wire.
The ground wire and two signal wires make up the three wires that make up balanced cables.
The ground wire still performs the same function, but there are now two wires carrying the audio signal rather than just one, which greatly reduces interference. The two wires carrying the same audio signal outperform a single line in terms of reducing interference.
The Polarity of Signals
A transformer actively changes the polarity of the signal in one wire just before transferring it into the cable.
A transformer actively changes the polarity of the signal in one wire right before transferring it into the cable. Then there is a positive signal that enters the so-called hot wire and a precise copy of the signal that enters the cold wire but with the polarity reversed (i.e., negative).
The interference captured by the single wire inside an unbalanced cable affects both of these wires, picking it up in the process. The balanced wire picks up a hum if it runs next to a power cable, but it picks up interference if it runs into something else.
Naturally, both positive and negative signals pick up the interference. The two wires’ sum is now equal to zero because their polarities are the opposite of one another. As a result, we couldn’t hear anything if we tried to listen to the audio inside the cable.
Positive and negative signals would completely cancel one another out. We would only hear the interference picked up along the path, whether it be the constant static hum or the audible bump in the line, because this interference didn’t cause a polarity reversal on any of the lines.
Which Cable Should You Use Between Balanced and Unbalanced?
Since the word “unbalanced” has a bad reputation, many users would assume that unbalanced cables should be avoided at all costs. They can distort your audio and are shorter, which limits what you can accomplish with them.
Actually, at distances under 10 feet, distortion isn’t a big issue. Your connection is probably not long enough for someone recording audio from a studio or recording booth to experience distortion.
In reality, at close ranges, unbalanced connections can send signals that are significantly stronger than balanced wires. The offer is even more attractive because unbalanced cables frequently cost far less than their balanced versions.
Due to their more intricate design and requirement for supporting equipment that can make use of the balance function, balanced cables are more expensive.
Because of their clarity and simple design, unbalanced connections that stretch up to 10 feet are popular in recording studios and among lower-budget broadcasters.
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Although certain quarters consider balanced output and cable configurations as the industry standard, your specific needs and available resources ultimately determine the choice.
When Using Unbalanced Cables, How Can Noise Be Minimized?
Careful cable positioning is the greatest way to lessen unbalanced cable noise. Power and audio cables should only cross one time, perpendicularly, rather than running parallel. If parallel wiring is unavoidable, give the audio and power wires as much room as you can.
If you wish to attach a microphone from center stage, you’ll probably need a long connection, and be close to other devices, while the presenter speaks.
The guitar’s loudness during a rock performance drowns out distortion, even when utilizing a longer, unbalanced wire. You can enhance the audio quality of your recordings by knowing the difference between balanced and unbalanced cables.
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Conclusion
This discussion explains how balanced and unbalanced headphone cables differ from each other. Balanced transmission is the method of choice for getting the most error-free signal routing feasible.
In the realm of microphones, it is the only transmission that is conceivable; however, in other fields, it is becoming favored, provided that matching equipment is available (XLR or TRS).
When dealing with significantly lengthy cables (such as tens of meters), using balanced cables is practically necessary.
For further details, you can see the FAQ.
FAQ’s
Do Balanced Audio Signals Sound Better?
Unquestionably, balanced connections will transmit a crisper, stronger signal with significantly less interference. To avoid as much interference as humanly possible in a studio setup, you would want all of your audio wires to be balanced from top to bottom.
Interference is a sin that must be avoided at all costs in the realm of professional audio. Naturally, you should check to see if all of your equipment supports balanced connections first; otherwise, you’ll only waste your time.
Do Balanced and Unbalanced Headphones Perform Differently?
Many people are curious about whether balanced output hardware actually makes a difference and whether it is feasible to tell the difference between an unbalanced and balanced signal.
In actuality, it does. The majority of listeners will notice a significant difference between a signal sent over a balanced audio connection and one sent over an unbalanced one.
However, a number of other elements will also play a role in determining the difference between the audio you hear through balanced connections and unbalanced cords.
Are Balanced Headphones a Better Choice?
It’s time to decide whether balanced headphones are actually the best choice for high-end sound quality. Generally, they are a suitable choice for users to go with balanced headphones.
Just be aware that a balanced signal will be able to deliver far more power with a much faster response time.
Why Should Balanced Cables Be Used?
Professionals route the signals through balanced cables in an effort to reduce the noise generated by electromagnetic (EM) and radio frequency (RF) sources such as fluorescent lights, motors, AC mains, and cell phones.
The conductors of a cable can become noisy for any of these reasons. The goal is to retain clear, buzz- and hum-free audio while reducing the impact of EMI on the desired audio stream.
