Balanced Cable Line Out

As the signal voltage in the hot line increases the cold line s signal voltage decreases precisely mirroring the hot signal in reverse.

Balanced cable line out.

As in the unbalanced cable the ground wire still surrounds the signal wires and is used as a shield against interference. The hot and cold lines transmit identical signals that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. Balanced cables have three wires inside the plastic casing. In balanced signal paths there is a second signal conductor referred to as the cold line.

In both cases one jack is normally used for each audio channel left and right. However this did not become widespread until repeater amplifiers became available. The cable construction used for balanced telephone cables was twisted pair. 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.

Balanced cables cost a lot more than unbalanced cables sometimes even twice as much simply because of the added benefit they provide. 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. Two signal wires and a ground wire. But what makes a balanced cable special is the way the gear utilizes that.

The signal wires pass an identical audio signal through each wire while the surrounding ground wire works the same as in unbalanced cables shielding the signal wires from external electronic interference. A balanced cable by contrast has three conductors in the connector and three wires in the cable.