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Balanced Interconnects??

Hello, What exactly are balanced vs unbalanced interconnects? I'm looking at some of Audioquests new line of interconnects, particularly the coral, to use as an interconnect between my Rotel integrated amp and CD player. Some of their cables are double balanced and others like the coral are triple balanced.Should these cables be used for special applications or equipment? Any info you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated. My System: Rotel RA-985BX integrated amplifier Musical Concepts modified CD player Vandersteen 2ce Signatures Audioquest type-4 speaker cable 15ft true biwire Shitty Radio Shack interconnects (soon to be replaced) Va
chris_pisani
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
Sorry Pisani, the waveform analogy is wrong. Per the Belden Cable catalog: A balanced line is a cable having two conductors which carry voltages opposite in polarity and equal in magnitude with respect to ground. If any audio signal is composed of both of these polarities, and don't ask me why that is, the RCA connection having only one conductor and one ground usually carries only the positive polarity portion of the signal. It simply cannot carry both at once.
scottagee
20 posts
 
The Parasound 3500 amp has the capability to use RCA single ended connects and run either positive, negative or both for a balanced single ended operation. However Rock is right, it takes 2 cables to be balanced this way. Your preamp or CD player would also have to have both pos. and neg. RCA jacks. Or you could do it the easy way and use XLR connects :-)
greysquirrel
62 posts
 
Your balanced cable description is correct, Rockvirgo; however, your description of single-ended cables is wrong. Just before a balanced output the entire waveform is physically split into two voltages, opposite in polarity and equal in magnitude with respect to ground. A single-ended output simply sends the entire waveform through one conductor and a ground. You don't need to carry each half on a separate conductor unless you want to benefit from "common mode rejection", afforded by balanced transfer of the signal.
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
Yeah I agree electrical energy travels in waves, and either the positive or negative polarity represents the whole waveform. My guess is that single ended stuff has to create the opposite polarity voltage through inversion because it's simply not present at the RCA input.
subaruguru
1,375 posts
 
The AQ Coral sounds great! I'm using it to limp along with my Rotel CD for now. MUCH more transparent and resolving than similar Monster, for example. It replaces the Ruby, and sounds better than it or Topaz, INHO.
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