Balanced interconnects

[lbafsaj]

Im gonna experiment for the first time using balanced connections between 2 Cyrus Mono x 200 power amps and a Cyrus DACXP+.

Anyone offer advice on budget baring in mind the quality of the electronics and recommended cables ??

Thanks.

 

[SteveR750]

Yes, £25 for a 1m pair of neutrik plugged balanced XLR male to female cables. Just got mine from professionalaudiocables.co.uk

Product code is BFXLR-Mic-BMXLR-0001

£12.47 each (not a pair) plus £2.85 postage. TBH there's no noticeable change but then I haven't been able to listen critically as I'm having software issues that's rendered my source inoperable. I don't believe speding £80 on cambridge audio's "value for money" cables, let alone the stupid amount nordost would persuade you to part with would make any significant VFM difference whatsoever.

 

[davedotco]

As far as I know, the Cyrus components are not themselves balanced, so they will use differential input and output circuits to generate the balanced signal.

In effect you are balancing the advantages of balanced interconnects (sorry...!) with the disadvantage of extra circuitry, absolutely no way of knowing whether either configuration will be better than the other.

Unless you are running long interconnects, in which the noise rejection should be higher on the balanced cables.

 

[andyjm]

Both very good points above. In most systems, the balanced signal has to go through more plumbing than an unbalanced signal, and generally the less plumbing the better.

Balanced links are really only worth it in noisey environments, or where cable runs a long.

 

[SteveR750]

Both very good points above. In most systems, the balanced signal has to go through more plumbing than an unbalanced signal, and generally the less plumbing the better.

Balanced links are really only worth it in noisey environments, or where cable runs a long.

Andy, what about balanced cables where the devices are balanced output / input?

 

[davedotco]

Both very good points above. In most systems, the balanced signal has to go through more plumbing than an unbalanced signal, and generally the less plumbing the better.

Balanced links are really only worth it in noisey environments, or where cable runs a long.

Andy, what about balanced cables where the devices are balanced output / input?

Thats what we are talking about.

The Cyrus components do not have fully balanced circuits which involves two separate signal paths, they are unbalanced like 90+% of all audio equipment. At the outputs a balanced signal must be generated by splitting the signal and inverting phase on one half, the input stage on the next component combines them back into a single signal.

These are the 'differential' circuits mentioned above, the extra 'plumbing' as described by andyjm above. Any advantage of using balanced interconnects is ofset by the extra circuitry.

In this case try and decide.

 

[TrevC]

Balanced connections don't sound any better than unbalanced, the point of balanced connections is to null out cable noise and hum when using microphones etc. Weirdly the only place in a hifi set up where they could be beneficial is the place where they are hardly ever implemented, the turntable.

 

[davedotco]

Balanced connections don't sound any better than unbalanced, the point of balanced connections is to null out cable noise and hum when using microphones etc. Weirdly the only place in a hifi set up where they could be beneficial is the place where they are hardly ever implemented, the turntable.

We used to use them on occasions, SME would make up balanced cables to order. I had a set on my SME20a/koetsu/ARC phono Stage 2.

Otherwise you are quite right, very long cables in an electronically noisy environment might help, but at line level....*unknw*

There are a very few component that use full balanced circuitry throughout, if you went down this route then balanced cables make sense, assuming you buy into the concept of course.

 

[SteveR750]

Hence I can't hear any difference.