Balanced & unbalanced inputs??

E

ebitda

New member
Sorry folks..another daft question from a newbie!

Could anyone explain the difference between these two types of inputs (in simple terms for a thickie like me) and how they are used? I'm looking at a system that includes a Delta 1010 and from reading other threads note that the Delta 1010 only has one of these inputs. What is the drawback, if any, of this?

Thanks in advance

Carl
 
balanced inputs accept a cable that has 3 conductors: a ground and 2 signal lines. an unbalanced input accepts a cable that has 2 conductors: a ground and 1 signal wire. balanced lines are usually either XLR type connectors, or 1/4" TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) connectors, whereas unbalanced lines are usually just 1/4" TS (tip, sleeve), or RCA type. (TRS is like the stereo connector on headphones, and TS is like the mono connector on guitar cords)

when 2 pieces of gear are connected with a balanced line, the output of the sending gear and the input of the receiving gear each have special electronics that is designed to help eliminate any interference picked up by the cable. so, balanced is preferred if both the pieces of gear at either end of the cable accept balanced connections. this is especially a concern when the cable is long, because there more chance for the cable to pick up interference.
 
I have a few questions as well:

I understand the thing about balanced connections having 3 conductors vs. unbalanced having only 2. One of my questions is: the +4/-10 level I/O's only apply to balanced connections, correct?

Also, is there any significan disadvantage to using unbalanced connections? I know that if you have long unbalanced cables, they are prone to picking up disturbance. But apart from that, is there anything I should know?

I am considering a recording setup with unbalanced RCA inputs. To use these, I'd need mic preamps and get XLR (or 1/4") to RCA cables, correct? And if I'm recording direct from say a guitar multi-effects pedal, then one (or two, for stereo) 1/4" - RCA cables would work properly? My bass amp has a balanced XLR DI...would this cause a problem with the unbalanced connection? My guess is that it should be fine as long as I'm careful with the gain/volume/output from the amp/balanced output.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I am about to take the plunge and buy the recording setup, but I want to know if I'll be ok with this, or if I should go for a setup with balanced I/O's (which I normally would, but the deal on I'm getting on the unblanced one is pretty good).

Thanks in advance.
 
Many people are somehow under the impression that gain structure (signal of either -10dbv or +4dbU) is tied to whether or not cables are balanced or not.

They are 2 separate characteristics.

It just so happens that most gear that runs +4dbU levels is ALSO equipped with balanced connectors.

A good majority of studio gear (aimed at pros) uses the higher gain structure and balanced connectors to improve s/n and keep noise interference low.

A recording setup (as you mentioned you were looking at) that uses RCA inputs automatically puts it in the more consumer-oriented category, so only you can judge whether it's "good enough" for what you want to accomplish.

It's a pretty fair guess that the gain structure will be -10dbv too, so you won't be able to run very long lines (certainly no more than 20 ft) without incurring noise/level changes.

But again, only you can judge if that still fits your purposes!

Good luck,

Bruce
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top