Unbalanced to balanced adaptor


I'd like to take advantage of the AES/EBU digital input DAC -- just for the additional input. It's a balanced input, but none of my sources is balanced, and the unbalanced inputs of my DAC are already used. Are there cable adaptors that will allow me to take the S/PDIF (RCA coax) output of a transport into the AES/EBU (XLR balanced) input of my DAC?
jayboard

Showing 1 response by m297904

Jayboard,
The cheapest and BEST QUALITY is to make your own RCA to XLR adapters. The following is from Michael Percy Audio (www.percyaudio.com) You may want to email him to ask if a 75ohm version for digital applications is any different:

By using the Vampire CM1F female panel mount RCA clamped into the strain relief of a Vampire male or female cable mount XLR.
Insulate the RCA with a bit of heat shrink where it is clamped, and use just enough 30ga or 26ga XLO to make soldering possible to the hot and ground of the RCA.
This makes a much nicer adaptor than anything off the shelf... excellent connectors, compact, and minimal amount of wire.
Pin #1 is ground reference
Pin #2 usually non-inverting
Pin #3 usually inverting.
Sometimes the unused Pin #2 or #3 is shorted to ground in an adaptor.
Cost to build each adaptor about $12.00.