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Audioquest Design Question

I’m comparing some of the Audioquest interconnect options and am curious from what advantages would be expected from a triple-balanced design for a single ended application.

The Chicago (what I currently have) is, for example a double-balanced cable that only comes with RCA connections.

The Red River (next level up) is a triple-balanced design and has an XLR option.

The only other double-balanced design is the Yukon that is for the RCA terminations while the Yukon interconnects with XLR connections are listed as triple-balanced.

The triple-balanced design makes sense for a balanced connector that has three elements, but single ended connectors only have two elements.

It seems that the triple balanced design may not add actual value to the cable and is just a method of terminating a balanced interconnect design with single ended connectors.

Anyone with some actual electrical engineering knowledge that could comment on this?

Update: Looking at their spec sheets it appears that the Sydney cables might be the sweet spot for single ended RCA connections in the most budget price ranges.

 

mceljo

Showing 1 response by lordmelton

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lordmelton
987 posts
 

I've always been confused by AQ due to their huge range of cables. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them but they create massive confusion with choice.

I do have one AQ Toslink cable which has served me very well but I'll upgrade soon.

If someone new to audio or someone who wants to move up a level I'll always recommend Cardas. Not a huge range but quite diverse and big differences between models.

There are plenty of better cables but Cardas is a reference, easy to compare other cables against due to it's house sound and easy used resale value.

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