Balanced Line Signal Cable

Two signals wires plus a separate ground wire.

Balanced line signal cable. Balanced cables vs unbalanced cables. But what makes a balanced cable special is the way the gear utilizes that extra signal wire. The two wires form a circuit carrying the audio signal one wire is in phase with respect to the source signal. Two of those wires carry the signal while one carries the ground.

The other wire is reversed in polarity. As in the unbalanced cable the ground wire still surrounds the signal wires and is used as a shield against interference. Common forms of balanced line are twin lead used for radio frequency signals and twisted pair used for lower f. In telecommunications and professional audio a balanced line or balanced signal pair is a transmission line consisting of two conductors of the same type each of which have equal impedances along their lengths and equal impedances to ground and to other circuits.

Balanced cables and signals a balanced cable by contrast has three conductors in the connector and three wires in the cable. A balanced cable by contrast has three conductors in the connector and three wires in the cable. As in the unbalanced cable the ground wire still surrounds the signal wires and is used as a shield against interference. The chief advantage of the balanced line format is good rejection of external noise when fed to a differential amplifier.

Two signals wires plus a separate ground wire.