Balanced Line Signal Cable

The two wires form a circuit carrying the audio signal one wire is in phase with respect to the source signal.

Balanced line signal cable.

One of the signal wires gets inverted which allows the cable to completely avoid picking up outside interference. Balanced cables vs unbalanced cables. Two signals wires plus a separate ground wire. A typical balanced cable contains two identical wires which are twisted together and then wrapped with a third conductor foil or braid that acts as a shield.

Two of those wires carry the signal while one carries the ground. The chief advantage of the balanced line format is good rejection of external noise when fed to a differential amplifier. Common forms of balanced line are twin lead used for radio frequency signals and twisted pair used for lower f. As in the unbalanced cable the ground wire still surrounds the signal wires and is used as a shield against interference.

The other wire is reversed in polarity. As in the unbalanced cable the ground wire still surrounds the signal wires and is used as a shield against interference. But what makes a balanced cable special is the way the gear utilizes that extra signal wire. Two signals wires plus a separate ground wire.

Balanced cables have three conductors and three wires.