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Are Expensive Balanced Interconnects Necessary?

Clearly, single ended interconnects yield sound benefits as you move up a manufacturers product line, but do balanced cables yield the same improvement?

vonhelmholtz
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cleeds
5,932 posts
 

tweak1

Differentially Balanced kit means 2 totally independent channels (not touching each other), including 2 separate power supplies (one for each channel/L/R), but often a single PS is substituted ...

That's not at all how a differentially balanced circuit works. A differentially balanced circuit uses both an inverting and non-inverting signal at its input, then amplifies the voltage difference between the two signals to produce the output.

Depending on the design of the balanced circuit, there can be substantial benefits to using it in balanced mode, rather than SE. For example, with ARC balanced preamps, you'll get 6 dB more level using it in balanced mode. That means 6 dB improved s/n.

overthemoon
417 posts
 

Many folks have said what I've experienced:

  1. It depends; the equipment must have differentially balanced circuitry to have significant benefit from balanced cable
  2. There is 6 db more level
  3. Experiment - we all are people with biases.  I've first started Mogami and experimented with Kimber Kables - which I decided to buy because I thought there was an improvement in the dynamics especially at high and low frequencies.

My view is cables can compliment your system - I'd be deliberate on when you decide to invest in cables especially if you are considering upgrading other components.  

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cleeds
5,932 posts
 

overthemoon

... the equipment must have differentially balanced circuitry to have significant benefit from balanced cable ... There is 6 db more level ...

That depends on the particular differential circuit. For example, the AES48-compliant Atma-Sphere amps don’t seem to have higher gain on the balanced outs.

dinov's avatar
dinov
826 posts
 

I would have to say yes, but it depends upon the ability of your system to reveal details in the music. In other words, a very expensive cable may not be able to reveal its full potential in some entry level systems. So yes I would agree with some posters here that it certainly is system dependent. 

ditusa's avatar
ditusa
1,879 posts
 

 For example, with ARC balanced preamps, you'll get 6 dB more level using it in balanced mode.

I think that's because AES48 compliant was ignored by ARC when they designed the balanced circuit in their preamps.  I'm not picking on ARC, I'm just saying. See the articles below:

Mike

http://www.atma-sphere.com/en/resource-why-balanced.html

https://www.ranecommercial.com/kb_article.php?article=2107

 

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