Balanced connectors vs analog (unbalanced) connectors

[admin_exported]

I am deciding whether to buy a great CD player that can only connect with regular analog unbalanced connectors to the intergrated amp - or a good CD player that can use the balanced connectors to my amp.

I used to be knowledgable about hifi ten years ago but since then I have been distracted with other aspects of life....

So I am not up to date on the whole balanced connector trend

Please inform me...

 

[Anonymous]

If you have an amplifier with balanced inputs then it makes sense to use them as arguably you're not using the full potential of the amp otherwise.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah - I was feeling the same way - the amp is McIntosh MA6600 connected to B& W CM9's

 

[Andrew Everard]

Although it does rather depend on having a source component with balanced outputs. And just to clarify, balanced connections are analogue, too...

 

[Anonymous]

Can somebody tell me what the point of balanced connectors are? What are the benefits?

I too have somehow missed out on discovering what they are for.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks - I knew that but most people think of "analog" as the unbalanced red/white cables we have all grown up with...

 

[Andrew Everard]

I'm not entirely sure they do, and to distinguish those as analogue as opposed to balanced is surely just to spread more confusion?

And to clarify for Grottyash - and here comes the very simplified version:

Whereas a conventional interconnect commonly uses a central conductor for one leg of the signal, with the outer conductor both carrying the other connection and acting as a shield, a balanced cable has separate conductors for each half of the connection, surrounded by a separate shield with its own connection to the components at each end. ie the plug/socket has three pins, rather than a phono plug/socket's central pin and outer collar.

The two conductors are usually twisted together, and the fact one is carrying an inverted version of the signal on the other means that any interference is effectively self-cancelling. That makes balanced cables particularly suitable for long runs, and in interference-prone situations, such as stage microphones, for example.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks - think I understood most of that.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you Andrew for setting me straight!