{"id":1061,"date":"2023-03-01T12:08:20","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T12:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.audiogrounds.com\/?p=1061"},"modified":"2023-06-01T09:11:48","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T09:11:48","slug":"audio-cable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.audiogrounds.com\/audio-cable\/","title":{"rendered":"Audio Cable Types (The Beginner’s Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When someone mentions audio cable, the first thing that comes to an average consumer’s mind is some common audio cable type, like an AUX cable, RCA, or optical cable. However, the world of audio cables is much bigger and more confusing than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to be an audio expert or sound engineer to know that each piece of audio gear requires matching audio cables. And I\u2019m not just referring to the connector type or size. The cable configuration is just as important.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some audio equipment requires balanced, while other gear requires unbalanced cables. Some can only receive digital audio; other is fully analog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This guide is designed to make the world of audio cables a bit less intimidating. I will try to list all the most common audio cable types used in home and professional audio setups and explain the intended purpose and possible use scenarios for each cable type.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, I will explain the differences between analog and digital cables as well as balanced and unbalanced cables. Finally, I’ll give you some useful tips on what cables to look for depending on your intended purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Audio<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with some basic terminology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jacks and Plugs \u2013 Female and Male Connectors<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

This is not exactly a mystery, but it could create some confusion. So, let\u2019s clarify things. The image below explains everything.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jacks<\/p>\n

The fixed part of the connection is called JACK. What you plug into a jack is called PLUG<\/b>. Jacks are usually female connectors (F connectors or F sockets), while the plugs are male connectors (M connectors or M sockets). Every plug requires a matching jack.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Balanced and Unbalanced Audio Cables<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

The story about balanced and unbalanced cables is a bit more complicated than the story about jacks and plugs. But it\u2019s not impossible to comprehend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some audio cable types can be both balanced and unbalanced, depending on the purpose, while others are always unbalanced. The primary difference between balanced and unbalanced cables is not just in the connectors. The most important difference is in the configuration\/geometry of the cable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inside an unbalanced audio cable that transmits mono signals, you have one wire\/conductor transmitting audio signal and a shield that doubles as the ground.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Inside a balanced audio cable, you have two wires, each transmitting the same audio signal, and a shield that doubles as the ground.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Unbalanced<\/p>\n

Two wires inside a balanced cable transmit the same audio signal, but the signals are shifted in phase by 180\u00b0. The original signal is usually called the hot signal (+), while the signal with reversed polarity (phase-shifted signal) is called the cold signal (-).<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of the 180\u00b0 phase shift, two signals cancel each other out while traveling down the cable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the signal travels down the wires, the cable can also pick up noise caused by electromagnetic (EM) or radio frequency (RF) interference. This interference is induced by all kinds of electronic devices surrounding the cable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The noise is added to both conductors\/wires inside the cable and travels along those wires with hot and cold audio signals. While the audio signals traveling along the wires have reverse polarity, the noise waves in both wires are in-phase (they are exactly the same).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Phase<\/p>\n

When audio signals reach the destination device, which also has a balanced input stage, the device only amplifies the difference between the two audio signals. Since the noise signals are exactly the same, they will not be amplified. Instead, they will be rejected. This process is called Common Mode Rejection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the noise signals are common for both wires, the balanced input stage of the receiving device rejects that noise and only amplifies the incoming audio signal.<\/span><\/p>\n

To simplify things, imagine the cold signal (the out-of-phase signal) being flipped in polarity once again by 180\u00b0 at the input stage of the receiving device. That way, you get the original audio signal traveling along both wires, while the noise signals are opposite (out of phase), and they cancel each other out. So, the noise gets eliminated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The

The cold signal is flipped at the input stage of the receiving device, which effectively eliminates the noise and outputs a clean audio signal.<\/p><\/div>\n

The major advantage of balanced cables is noise-free sound, especially when dealing with long cable runs. They are simply much better at eliminating noise.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

Unbalanced cables will always pick up more noise than balanced ones because the only protection against interference in unbalanced cables is shielding. However, that doesn’t mean that unbalanced cables are bad for all applications. In fact, unbalanced cables are used for most home applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The difference in performance between unbalanced and balanced cables over short distances (up to 10f) is not always noticeable. It could be, but it usually isn\u2019t. When the cable is longer, the difference becomes painfully obvious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another reason people don’t use balanced audio cables for their home audio setups is the price of the balanced cables. And not just that \u2013 balanced cables need to be used with the appropriate (and expensive) equipment. You need an output device with a balanced output stage and an input device with a balanced input stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n \n \n \n \n <\/colgroup>\n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
BALANCED AUDIO CABLES<\/th>UNBALANCED AUDIO CABLES<\/th><\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u00bc\u201d or 3.5mm TRS (mono audio)<\/td>\u00bc\u201d TS<\/td> <\/tr>\n
XLR<\/td>\u00bc\u201d and 3.5mm TRS (stereo audio)<\/td> <\/tr>\n
\u00bc\u201d and 3.5mm TRRS (stereo, no mic)<\/td>\u00bc\u201d and 3.5mm TRRS (stereo + mic)<\/td> <\/tr>\n
<\/td>RCA<\/td> <\/tr>\n
Balanced Headphone Cables<\/td>SpeakON<\/td> <\/tr>\n
4-Pin XLR<\/td><\/td> <\/tr>\n
Dual 3-Pin XLR<\/td><\/td> <\/tr>\n
2.5mm TRRS Cable<\/td><\/td> <\/tr>\n
4.4mm 5-Pole Pentaconn (Sony)<\/td><\/td> <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n