AKARSH SHEKHAR
How Cables Fought Against Electromagnetic Interference and Won
There are basically at least two different ways of transporting audio signals over copper cables : symmetrical and asymmetrical , although musicians also like to speak of “ unsymmetrical ”, internationally also referred to as “ balanced ” and “ unbalanced ”. The subject is complex . Let ’ s try to find effective answers with a simple approach :
Symmetrical and asymmetrical cables
In fact , there are various theses and theories in the context of the transmission of audio signals , most of which are justified . Whether the differences in sound quality can even be heard with in-ear headphones is not just a question for those who hear the audiophile grass grow . In the area of event , audio and stage technology , the highest demands are placed on the cables . A defining part of the different applications is balanced and unbalanced cables . And it ’ s about facts .
Sources of interference and electromagnetic interference
Balanced cables arose from a problem that was definitely nerve-wracking : the interference and the associated background noise such as crackling and hissing from sources outside the cable . What should you do ? Eliminating such sources of interference per se is not possible due to physical and electroacoustic conditions .
So , the approach had to be not to let these sources of interference get into the cable or to exclude them . The result sounds similar , but it is actually a fundamentally different approach . The basis for this is that the signal is duplicated and then one of the two signals is inverted . Balanced and unbalanced cables give us the answers .
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