Ok, probably a dumb question, but.. I just bought some monitors that have balanced and unbalanced inputs. What is the difference? Which ones should I use from the output of my Audigy?
Thanks for the help.
Balanced Or Not
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- KVRist
- 467 posts since 24 Nov, 2000 from Bolton, Lancashire, UK
I'd have thought unbalanced as I don't remember anything about the Audigy having balanced outputs.
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- Rad Grandad
- 38041 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
Balanced cables add a cold signal (which is negative) thus being trs or xlr, the true benefit of balanced cables is minimal and shrinking fast. They were originally used in set-ups with mutiple racks of fx chained together. Often this would cause groundloop issues and balanced cables with the cold signal was the cure. With more and more vsts and less and less harware balanced cables are not that big a deal. They will not (contrary to myth) improve your signal...bobaudio wrote:Ok, probably a dumb question, but.. I just bought some monitors that have balanced and unbalanced inputs. What is the difference? Which ones should I use from the output of my Audigy?
Thanks for the help.
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
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- KVRAF
- 1981 posts since 26 Oct, 2003 from Toronto
You're shittin' me? 
(but I believe you!) With my old Arp Odyssey, I always opted for the 1/4inch output. On outings I tried the XLR out on it - but like you say, I couldn't hear any difference? The 1/4in sounded just the same. Then I was doing some session stuff at this nice studio for a dude (won't name names) but the engineer had a hissy fit when I reached for the 1/4in cables when I was in the studio letting the Arp warm up. Weeeeeeell, this engineer proceeded to eat up half an hour of studio time giving me this convoluted science lesson on the 'sonic virtues of XLR'... Hey, I was there to play - and the other guys paying for it. 
But even after, I thought this engineer was full of shit. But scared there might've been something wrong with my ears as well.
(but I believe you!) With my old Arp Odyssey, I always opted for the 1/4inch output. On outings I tried the XLR out on it - but like you say, I couldn't hear any difference? The 1/4in sounded just the same. Then I was doing some session stuff at this nice studio for a dude (won't name names) but the engineer had a hissy fit when I reached for the 1/4in cables when I was in the studio letting the Arp warm up. Weeeeeeell, this engineer proceeded to eat up half an hour of studio time giving me this convoluted science lesson on the 'sonic virtues of XLR'... Hey, I was there to play - and the other guys paying for it. But even after, I thought this engineer was full of shit. But scared there might've been something wrong with my ears as well.
