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DRaGZ
305
Mar 15, 2018
If balanced audio equipment was originally designed for carrying low level signals for microphones, then why is it important to have that for listening equipment?
kukkurovaca
323
Mar 15, 2018
DRaGZShort answer: it's not. Slightly longer answer: Sometimes going balanced can increase channel separation, lowering noise and altering the soundstage. But the difference won't always be significant or even necessarily desirable. Some balanced amps will outperform some single-ended amps, but the reverse is also true. Really depends on the amps in question.
DRaGZ
305
Mar 15, 2018
kukkurovacaSo is it basically just a marketing buzzword to entice people who are getting into audio hardware? At least for stuff like headphones and monitor speakers.
kukkurovaca
323
Mar 15, 2018
DRaGZWell, I think the (possible) benefit for headphones is not in noise rejection for the cabling, but in the design of the amp itself. Balanced amp designs can have better channel separation and will normally have more power output. How much of a difference that makes (and whether it's worth spending more money on) is debatable.
I like balanced stuff, but the difference between balanced and single-ended is usually pretty subtle.
DRaGZ
305
Mar 15, 2018
kukkurovacaInteresting...
I guess for my own use case, I am interested in hardware that helps me get the most objective listening experience because I'm trying to do film audio mixing, but I also don't have THAT much money to spend. So my DAC is an Asus Xonar U5, my headphone amp is the Schiit Magni 3, and I use really cheap Samson SR850s (I really like listening to these just for personal music stuff, and they sound fairly clean at least to me?). I've ordered the HiFiMan HE400 and Sennheisser HD 58X on Massdrop, but it'll be a while before those arrive.
So I think I was thrown for a bit of a loop when I hear the word "balanced" in the context of all of that and when I research into it I'm like "wait, it was originally developed for microphones?"
*shrug*
ralphgonz
50
Mar 15, 2018
DRaGZProfessional engineers use unbalanced headphones, and would probably laugh at the suggestion that balanced signals would be an improvement for this application.
cspirou
220
Mar 16, 2018
DRaGZBalanced connections minimize or eliminate ground loops. At home this might not be an issue. But if you have a lot gear with everything connecting to each other then you increase the chances of having much more noise if your signal is referenced to ground. Plus it cancels out common mode distortion.
Differential signaling is also needed for long cable runs. Say you are building a 5.1 system and using active speakers for the rear, you are much better off using XLR over RCA because the RCA is rated for shorter lengths and can pick up more noise. There's a reason why ethernet cables are twisted pairs.
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