Balanced Cable Line Out

In both cases one jack is normally used for each audio channel left and right.

Balanced cable line out.

Two signal wires and a ground wire. Balanced cables cost a lot more than unbalanced cables sometimes even twice as much simply because of the added benefit they provide. However this did not become widespread until repeater amplifiers became available. The cable construction used for balanced telephone cables was twisted pair.

Two signals wires plus a separate ground wire. Balanced cables have three wires inside the plastic casing. Unbalanced line level connections are usually implemented with rca jacks for audio while balanced line level connections typically utilize dual 3 pin xlr jacks for both the input and output. For an unamplified telephone line a twisted pair cable could only manage a maximum distance of 30 km.

However if you re out to save money then unbalanced cables might be your best choice especially if you re just using really short ones. As the signal voltage in the hot line increases the cold line s signal voltage decreases precisely mirroring the hot signal in reverse. But what makes a balanced cable special is the way the gear utilizes that. In balanced signal paths there is a second signal conductor referred to as the cold line.

A balanced cable by contrast has three conductors in the connector and three wires in the cable. Open wires on the other hand with their lower capacitance had been used for.