1/4" unbalanced output to TRS or XLR balanced input

DC-XPL

New member
The outputs from my Gina 20 soundcard are 1/4" unbalanced. My monitors accept both TRS and XLR balanced inputs and/or RCA unbalanced inputs. I'm currently using a simple guitar cable for now and I'm not experiencing any noise or hum, but what would y'all suggest for this configuration?

Regards,
DC-XPL
 
If there's no noise or hum, then don't worry about it. Balanced lines (TRS or XLR) really only matter on longer runs or when there's a higher chance of electromagnetic interferrence. The distance from your soundcard to your speakers isn't really work bothering about balanced vs. unbalanced.
 
if a cable is shielded, thats when length directly effects the sound. the shielding acts like a capacitor, and the longer the length, the more high end is rolled off. i just keep things as short as i can, with enough slack so that typical equipment movement wont stress the plugs and jacks (obviously). as sile said, don't worry about it if you truly can't notice anything. be careful with cabling in the recording path, though, as seemingly minimal noise could multiply, and you won't notice it until you've recorded a few tracks.
 
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