Balanced vs. Unbalanced - What does it mean?

The balanced line system was designed to solve (and very effectively) three different problems: noise in cables, length limitations in cables, and finally (IMO the most important thing to audiophiles) preventing sonic artifacts from cables.

IOW **if your balanced line system is set up properly** you will finally hear no difference between a cheap cable and a very expensive cable. The length will have little bearing on the sound either, plus of course you will have blacker backgrounds as there will be less noise.

Now **it does not matter how long the cable is**! If the cable is only three feet long there is still an advantage, due to the fact that the cable has no sonic artifact.

If you **do** hear artifacts (IOW if one cable seems to sound better than another) then your 'balanced line' system is not set up right.

Decades ago (over 50 years...) this stuff was figured out. All LPs were recorded using balanced lines, in many cases with 150 feet between the microphones and the input of the recorder. If the cables were a problem, we would all know it by now, but as our stereos improve, the merits of many vintage LPs continue to improve- the cables used to make those LPs were/are completely transparent.

To take advantage of balanced lines, the amp has to have real balanced inputs! Some amps have the connectors, but the input is really single-ended. If the circuit of the amplifier is single-ended, sometimes the balanced input is accomplished with an input transformer. This transformer has an artifact; IMO/IME you are always better off with a real balanced input.

Dgaylin-

I am not retracting my comments but it is certainly possible for a given component to sound better via one output vs. another depending on the design of that particular component. In general and in normal environments, there should be no difference between bal and unbal connections.

Kal

Some electronics are designed single ended with balanced operation included so that the buyer would think that the component is a greater performer. The truth is that those circuits that are designed single ended with XLR options sound the same in either configuration. Circuits like those that are designed around a balanced circuit such as Ayre will greatly benefit from balanced operation, although single ended operation is available for convenience.

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I don't know or understand the difference and I really don't care. All I really care about is how either will sound in my system. However, I tried both single ended and balanced. Balanced sounds better in my system.
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