since I went fully balanced I noticed a big improvement in the sound quality.I would like to hear what other people on wbf think.is balanced better than the old standard rca single ended.
since I went fully balanced I noticed a big improvement in the sound quality.I would like to hear what other people on wbf think.is balanced better than the old standard rca single ended.
my mcintosh pre and power are fully balanced,so this would explain why balanced sounds better?This is usually dependent on the equipment and the design of the balanced circuits.
Several threads discussing this on WBF. Single ended designs use fewer parts and usually can be quieter.
My mcintosh pre and power is fully balanced differential Design,so this explains why balanced sounds better.right?There are a range of circuits used in the audio world that are called "balanced". A fully-differential design, the "most balanced", offers 3 dB greater SNR (lower noise), cancellation of even-order distortion terms (lower THD), and rejection of common-mode noise (better noise immunity) compared to single-ended connections. That said, for consumer audio, the biggest benefit is usually the ability to break a ground loop without changing the signal path. Components these days generally provide noise and distortion well below what is audible so the choice is often just one of convenience and cost, usually based upon other features than the I/O topology.
Many if not most RF systems have greater dynamic range than audio systems and are single-ended.
IME/IMO - Don
I suspect it is a combination of many things, but balanced could be a contributor.My mcintosh pre and power is fully balanced differential Design,so this explains why balanced sounds better.right?
This statement is problematic. Quite often you can have fewer stages of gain when running balanced differential. Since differential circuits can reject power supply and common mode noise on the input signal, they can be quieter too.Single ended designs use fewer parts and usually can be quieter.
The Lamm has convenience connections- its not a real balanced input. So if you were trying to drive the Lamm with a balanced source the results could well be problematic. In a proper balanced connection, the ground is not part of the signal; the non-inverting output is generated with respect to the inverting output and vice versa. If you connect such a source to a Lamm power amp, you could well wind up with a buzz problem because pin 3 of the XLR in the Lamm isn't connected to anything, so you wind up with an open circuit.My Pass gear sounded better with balanced connections. My Lamm gear sounds better with single ended connections.
This statement is problematic. Quite often you can have fewer stages of gain when running balanced differential. Since differential circuits can reject power supply and common mode noise on the input signal, they can be quieter too.
The Lamm has convenience connections- its not a real balanced input. So if you were trying to drive the Lamm with a balanced source the results could well be problematic. In a proper balanced connection, the ground is not part of the signal; the non-inverting output is generated with respect to the inverting output and vice versa. If you connect such a source to a Lamm power amp, you could well wind up with a buzz problem because pin 3 of the XLR in the Lamm isn't connected to anything, so you wind up with an open circuit.
Done a lot of reading on the web about this subject and it seems fully balanced interconnects are the way to go with most people.xlr plugs does not mean a cable is fully balanced.
When going balanced I noticed the hiss on my horn speakers was a lot less compared to unbalanced.you can now hardly hear it with my ear up against the tweeter.This statement is problematic. Quite often you can have fewer stages of gain when running balanced differential. Since differential circuits can reject power supply and common mode noise on the input signal, they can be quieter too.
The Lamm has convenience connections- its not a real balanced input. So if you were trying to drive the Lamm with a balanced source the results could well be problematic. In a proper balanced connection, the ground is not part of the signal; the non-inverting output is generated with respect to the inverting output and vice versa. If you connect such a source to a Lamm power amp, you could well wind up with a buzz problem because pin 3 of the XLR in the Lamm isn't connected to anything, so you wind up with an open circuit.
I think your spot on.I find Atma-Sphere electronics definitely sound better with all blanced wiring - from cartridge to preamp to amps. 21st C. Audio Research sounds better with balanced connections from CD to linestage to amps.
Of course Ralph is correct wrt driving Lamm from a true balanced differential source. In 2015 he helped diagnose the 'buzz' I ran into using an Atma-Sphere MP-1 preamp driving Lamm M1.2 Ref monoblocks. With the Lamm gear currently in house for review I run all single-ended.
Not always knowing what's around the corner, I keep a full set of both XLR and RCA terminated cables on hand. As far as sonic generalizations, I have none, and agree with @dan31 - it depends on the specific gears in play and their circuit designs.
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