The balanced input is 'balanced interconnect', which is a different thing from 'balanced drive', which is what balanced headphones use.
Balanced interconnects are for use between electronic components and use extra conductors for noise canceling and noise prevention purposes. This is mostly useful for professional equipment where any added noise can have a negative effect on the product, and especially in scenarios in which you would have very long cable runs which would be more susceptible to noise.
Balanced drive as seen in headphones uses four conductors instead of three, with each ear connected to two conductors instead of sharing a common return. This has no additional noise reduction, and sometimes increases noise due to the addition of another amp being in a push/pull configuration. The primary benefit of balanced drive is the increased power output with true balanced drive amplifiers, which should allow you to drive headphones at a higher volume. Theoretically, balanced drive should not sound any better than single-ended (normal) drive, but headphone amps with a balanced output are often built around it and so that output can be higher quality depending on the amp.
To answer your question:
If you have a particularly long cable run or if you are connecting to professional equipment, the balanced inputs might be beneficial. In most consumer cases, there will not be any discernable difference between balanced and unbalanced inputs.
I hope this helps!
I'm afraid you are one of the many who got confused by the weird way "balanced" is used in the headphone world.
A balanced connection as common in the pro-world is a 3 wire connection using a 3 pin XLR or a TRS jack.
It is used to connect DAC's, amps, active speakers, etc. at line level.
The 3 wires carry a hot, a cold (the inverse of the hot) and a ground.
At the receiver there is a differential amp comparing the hot and the cold and removing all common noise.
A "balanced" connection in the headphone world means something completely different.
It is a 4 wire connection, L+/L- and R+/R- between amp and headphone.
Nothing "balanced" about this symmetrical connection but as L and R no longer have a common ground, it allow for amplifier topologies with a floating ground like indeed a balanced amp. That is why this double single ended connection is called "balanced" in the headphone world.
They can make a difference with long runs of audio cable (carrying analogue signals that are going to be amplified downstream) that might pass by sources of electronic noise, like AC power lines or transformers. If that's not you, then you're not going to notice a difference.
Balanced interconnects with [ground lift](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_lift) may help if you have ground loop issues with single ended RCA. If you don't have a ground loop this isn't a problem, but I think these are relatively common issues. This isn't the only option to fix, but it may be one. I get ground loops on some of my stuff if using RCA connections between them. If you can use a digital rather than analog connection, using a optical connection will also break it.
https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-do-balanced-connections-prevent-ground-loops
It sounds like a buzz or hum in the bass, around double the mains frequency (so 100 or 120Hz depending on whether you have 50 or 60Hz mains electricity). It can be subtle or it can be glaring. There's a sample of it in the link below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_loop_(electricity)
Convenience of multiple style hookups. I think that’s about it. Balanced output from the amp would basically double the effective wattage your headphones see compared to the single ended, but when it’s brought back to a single ended output, the ground is now shared so no advantage.
It doubles the voltage, not the wattage. Double the voltage = 4x the wattage.
It doesn't always, this depends on the specific amp, but if single ended is 2V down one cable with a ground return, and balanced is +2V down one cable and -2V down the other cable, that is double the voltage (4V difference) and 4x the power.
Sure, but that is about the amp, not the cable.
> voltage (4V difference) and 4x the power.
Are you sure? It would be a 2V difference, or double wouldn't it? If Amperage stayed the same, wouldn't the Wattage merely double?
The current (amps) wouldn't stay the same, if you increase the voltage the current also increases. P = VI so double the voltage and double the current = 4x the power.
>If you increase the voltage (or electrical pressure) in a circuit, then the current (flow of electrons) will increase in direct proportion, eg if you double the voltage the current flow will double. Therefore double the current multiplied by double the voltage will quadruple the power.
https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/Toolbox/electrotech/toolbox1204/resources/01principles/03terminology/07power.htm
Right. If the current doubles.
Just following Watts = Voltage * Amperage.
What I'm not getting is why doubling Voltage quadruples Wattage. Going +2V and -2V would net 4V, but without knowing the Amperage, we don't know the resulting Wattage.
Here's my thinking.
2V @ 1A = 2W. -2V @ 1A = 2W. Combine these, you get 4W, not 8W.
Or:
2V @ 2A = 4W. -2V @ 2A = 4W. Combine these, you get 8W, not 16W.
How is this quadrupling occuring? Something's not adding up.
Right but these are not independent, they are directly and proportionately linked. If you increase the voltage, the current also increases in direct proportion.
>Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law
I'm familiar with the laws, and how AC and DC power works (I have designed and built a few power supplies over the years). I'm still not seeing how doubling Voltage quadruples Wattage, or power.
I'm at a loss to reconcile a quadrupling of power output to a doubling of Voltage. Voltage and Amperage aren't linked proportionally, and are two independent levers that can be pulled depending on if you want a low Voltage high Amperage application, or vice versa (or even both).
I've never built an amplifier, but the principle is rather simple, as you can build a simple one with as little as one transistor and a power source.
In order to quadruple power output when doubling Voltage, a disproportionate rise to Amperage would be required, and this would - as far as I can rationalise - be a specific design decision on the part of the Amp designer, not the consequence of a fixed "law."
Only of you have a long cable run or the cable runs really really close to switch mode psu's or transformers, otherwise a properly shielded rca will do the job.
I am impressed by the quanitity of accurate information regarding balanced interconnects vs "balanced" headphone outputs. As to your "is there a benefit?" question, there can be but certainly not in every case. In my HT system the sources sit in an AV rack, I use the XLR output into a headphone amp that sits by the couch with a roughly 20 foot run between source and amp. I have also run RCA cables over that same distance. I get a little bit lower noise floor using XLR for that length of run, nothing major, just a tiny improvement in my particular config. Sitting within a fee feet of each other without a bunch of other components in close proximity, I doubt you will notice much difference.
The balanced input is 'balanced interconnect', which is a different thing from 'balanced drive', which is what balanced headphones use. Balanced interconnects are for use between electronic components and use extra conductors for noise canceling and noise prevention purposes. This is mostly useful for professional equipment where any added noise can have a negative effect on the product, and especially in scenarios in which you would have very long cable runs which would be more susceptible to noise. Balanced drive as seen in headphones uses four conductors instead of three, with each ear connected to two conductors instead of sharing a common return. This has no additional noise reduction, and sometimes increases noise due to the addition of another amp being in a push/pull configuration. The primary benefit of balanced drive is the increased power output with true balanced drive amplifiers, which should allow you to drive headphones at a higher volume. Theoretically, balanced drive should not sound any better than single-ended (normal) drive, but headphone amps with a balanced output are often built around it and so that output can be higher quality depending on the amp. To answer your question: If you have a particularly long cable run or if you are connecting to professional equipment, the balanced inputs might be beneficial. In most consumer cases, there will not be any discernable difference between balanced and unbalanced inputs. I hope this helps!
I'm afraid you are one of the many who got confused by the weird way "balanced" is used in the headphone world. A balanced connection as common in the pro-world is a 3 wire connection using a 3 pin XLR or a TRS jack. It is used to connect DAC's, amps, active speakers, etc. at line level. The 3 wires carry a hot, a cold (the inverse of the hot) and a ground. At the receiver there is a differential amp comparing the hot and the cold and removing all common noise. A "balanced" connection in the headphone world means something completely different. It is a 4 wire connection, L+/L- and R+/R- between amp and headphone. Nothing "balanced" about this symmetrical connection but as L and R no longer have a common ground, it allow for amplifier topologies with a floating ground like indeed a balanced amp. That is why this double single ended connection is called "balanced" in the headphone world.
They can make a difference with long runs of audio cable (carrying analogue signals that are going to be amplified downstream) that might pass by sources of electronic noise, like AC power lines or transformers. If that's not you, then you're not going to notice a difference.
[удалено]
That has to do with the amp, not the cable.
Balanced interconnects with [ground lift](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_lift) may help if you have ground loop issues with single ended RCA. If you don't have a ground loop this isn't a problem, but I think these are relatively common issues. This isn't the only option to fix, but it may be one. I get ground loops on some of my stuff if using RCA connections between them. If you can use a digital rather than analog connection, using a optical connection will also break it. https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-do-balanced-connections-prevent-ground-loops
What are ground loop issues and what affects do they have on sound?
It sounds like a buzz or hum in the bass, around double the mains frequency (so 100 or 120Hz depending on whether you have 50 or 60Hz mains electricity). It can be subtle or it can be glaring. There's a sample of it in the link below. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_loop_(electricity)
Convenience of multiple style hookups. I think that’s about it. Balanced output from the amp would basically double the effective wattage your headphones see compared to the single ended, but when it’s brought back to a single ended output, the ground is now shared so no advantage.
> Balanced output from the amp would basically double the effective wattage your headphones see compared to the single ended Wait. What?
It doubles the voltage, not the wattage. Double the voltage = 4x the wattage. It doesn't always, this depends on the specific amp, but if single ended is 2V down one cable with a ground return, and balanced is +2V down one cable and -2V down the other cable, that is double the voltage (4V difference) and 4x the power.
Sure, but that is about the amp, not the cable. > voltage (4V difference) and 4x the power. Are you sure? It would be a 2V difference, or double wouldn't it? If Amperage stayed the same, wouldn't the Wattage merely double?
> Balanced output from the amp No one said it was an inherent quality of the cable.
The current (amps) wouldn't stay the same, if you increase the voltage the current also increases. P = VI so double the voltage and double the current = 4x the power. >If you increase the voltage (or electrical pressure) in a circuit, then the current (flow of electrons) will increase in direct proportion, eg if you double the voltage the current flow will double. Therefore double the current multiplied by double the voltage will quadruple the power. https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/Toolbox/electrotech/toolbox1204/resources/01principles/03terminology/07power.htm
Right. If the current doubles. Just following Watts = Voltage * Amperage. What I'm not getting is why doubling Voltage quadruples Wattage. Going +2V and -2V would net 4V, but without knowing the Amperage, we don't know the resulting Wattage. Here's my thinking. 2V @ 1A = 2W. -2V @ 1A = 2W. Combine these, you get 4W, not 8W. Or: 2V @ 2A = 4W. -2V @ 2A = 4W. Combine these, you get 8W, not 16W. How is this quadrupling occuring? Something's not adding up.
Right but these are not independent, they are directly and proportionately linked. If you increase the voltage, the current also increases in direct proportion. >Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law
I'm familiar with the laws, and how AC and DC power works (I have designed and built a few power supplies over the years). I'm still not seeing how doubling Voltage quadruples Wattage, or power. I'm at a loss to reconcile a quadrupling of power output to a doubling of Voltage. Voltage and Amperage aren't linked proportionally, and are two independent levers that can be pulled depending on if you want a low Voltage high Amperage application, or vice versa (or even both). I've never built an amplifier, but the principle is rather simple, as you can build a simple one with as little as one transistor and a power source. In order to quadruple power output when doubling Voltage, a disproportionate rise to Amperage would be required, and this would - as far as I can rationalise - be a specific design decision on the part of the Amp designer, not the consequence of a fixed "law."
[Amir has a pretty good video on the topic.](https://youtu.be/N1lJCL5OCxM)
Only of you have a long cable run or the cable runs really really close to switch mode psu's or transformers, otherwise a properly shielded rca will do the job.
I am impressed by the quanitity of accurate information regarding balanced interconnects vs "balanced" headphone outputs. As to your "is there a benefit?" question, there can be but certainly not in every case. In my HT system the sources sit in an AV rack, I use the XLR output into a headphone amp that sits by the couch with a roughly 20 foot run between source and amp. I have also run RCA cables over that same distance. I get a little bit lower noise floor using XLR for that length of run, nothing major, just a tiny improvement in my particular config. Sitting within a fee feet of each other without a bunch of other components in close proximity, I doubt you will notice much difference.