Balanced vs Unbalanced Digital Cables

Brenn

It truly does depend on the how the equipment was designed, and what the focus of the unit was.....which inputs did they put their focus on.

In general I would always use I2S if that is an option, AES/EBU, then USB, then SPDIF

Hi all,

for what it is worth, in my system (Aurender W20 -> Lampi Horizon -> Thrax Héros), the Toskink connection is way better than AES/EBU and noticeably better than USB. I don’t think there is a volume gain but it seems to me that the lower noise level makes me want to decrease the volume to get the same listening optimal experience. With optical, I gain in openness, spacialisation without the sometimes side effects you get when gaining in overall clarity impacts the tonal balance. It was not the same with my previous DAC (Lampi Golden Gate 2) so I would suspect it is highly equipment dependent as mentioned by many here in this thread and elsewhere.

Also potentially worth mentioning:

- I only was able to tangibly hear this benefit when using the Lifatec Toslink connector. Others didn’t deliver as this one did after I tried it following the advice of the chief engineer at SoTm

- Lukasz Fikus (founder of Lampizator) once explained to me that the interconnects are one thing but the attention given by the manufacturers to the internal connectors, power supply, etc. also had a major impact, I.e.: the full chain is highly electronics dependent

@m_j_s

Correct. The question is SP/DIF (unbalanced) vs AES (balanced) digital cables and not the analog equivalent that provides a volume boost.

On my Aurrender W20SE to Audio Research Reference CD9 SE DAC the AES sounds a slightly better. That is probably what Lumin will say. I would follow their guidance. But typically the quality of the interconnect will improve the sound quality vastly more than the connection type for high quality components. For low quality components it is harder to generalize.

The topic is is balanced digital cables, I think many are getting confused with balanced analogue XLR type cables, eg talk about 3dB increase in signal level. We are really talking about 3 conductor, 110 ohm XLR cables, normally used for what are AES-EBU digital connections between devices, eg streamer to DAC. They are not from DAC to (pre)amp. 

I think you’re being snarky here.

Obviously meaning XLR or AES/EBU 110ohm digital cable.

Many people call XLR cables balanced, may not be accurate but there yah go.

Balanced digital?

In most cases there is little, if any difference, between the cost of a single ended or balanced digital cable.

My personal preference are balanced digital cables or bnc terminated single ended.

Try some digital cables from the cable company.

I’m running XLR’s from my DAC to my preamp and from my preamp to my amps. Both made a difference in the sound. I have been using AQ Colorado XLR’s for years between the DAC and the preamp and I am currently testing some Clarus Crimson XLR’s.  There a difference, but so far, it’s small and I am able to keep them a couple more weeks, so I’ll decide then.

I just email Lumin to see their reply and thanks folks!

@bigwave1

I suspect (but don’t know) that there is no “3db gain” with a balanced connection in the digital domain.  I mean, you’re either saying “1” or “0”, but more forcibly?

Not to say the signal might not come in stronger (perhaps 3db more if one hooked it to a amplifier without a DAC, or more clearly, but it’s not “gain” like one would think of it in the analog world, as in “louder” after it comes out the analog side of a DAC.

Again, this is purely a hunch, not knowledge.

I assue you mean AES/EBU cable which uses the same connector as XLR but isn’t the same thing.

I use AES/EBU for my digital connection. My Grimm MU1 does not support USB out and I like the AES/EBU positive connection.

My thought is that you should use the one that your streamer is designed around. My Chord DAVE thrives on BNC. MU1 is designed around AES/EBU.

My experience is that I have never had good sound from optical and coax is generally my least favorite. However, my Audiolab CD Transport is designed around the coax SPDIF and sounds great.

So I would look at vendor literature or contact the vendor to see if there is one cable format that they prefer. Often it just happens to be the one they used as they designed and tuned it.

Jerry

PS  you are getting some wrong answers from people in this thread who are talking analog cables, not digital.

I would go balanced if your budget allows for a decent cable. Anything you can do to coddle and boost that source signal is generally worth it. 

Thanks for all the responses! I guess my question is; my do the manufactures go through the trouble and expense to have balanced connections? 
 

🤔

Andrew Robinson WON'T use Balanced Connections !

You have some great gear. And going balanced will make your voice exactly 3dB louder in the ongoing discussions of how digital cables make deeper zeroes and more spacious ones. Seriously, the advantages of balanced connections are very real considerations in the studio, but simply unnecessary at home. (With the one possible exception of phono carts inherent balanced output)

All else being equal, u might get an additional 3 db of gain? However, if smear is an issue, maybe go shorter rca as ribbon could get up there for long lengths. 

There are two types of IEC 60958 standard AES EBU non-optical cables:
Type I Balanced: 3-conductor, 110-ohm twisted pair cabling, XLR connectors, used in professional installations (AES3 standard).
Type II Unbalanced: 2-conductor, 75-ohm coaxial cable with RCA connectors, used in consumer audio.

In a home audio system, it won't make one bit (I feel a pun coming on)
of difference.

Best advice:
K.I.S., S.

More in the blog at   https://silversolids.com/

NO! Digital data transmission down an RCA SPDIF coax is a solved problem and perfectly fine. 

XLR is designed for long cable runs and noisy environments. Like concerts with tons of gear and cables. Or recording studios. I’d say it depends how your equipment is designed. If it is fully balanced internally, then, obviously, use XLR in order to avoid balanced to unbalanced conversion and back. However, if equipment is not balanced, then RCA may be better choice since why convert RCA - XLR - RCA back again? The fewer conversions, the better.

Thanks and that’s what I’m thinking but wanted to hear from others!

I suppose it could vary depending on how the equipment is designed, but from what I’ve read a balanced connection is the preferred digital connection in general unless you have i2S as an option.