Are AES EBU cables balanced and AES vs Coaxial noise

[JensenW]

Hello everyone!

I've got a simple question where there is confusing information on the web:

For digital transmission, is the AES/EBU cable balanced, i.e. have common mode rejection or noise-cancelling of some sort? I thought the two wires in the AES cable was one wire for left channel and one for right channel, unlike analog XLR.

Many hifi forums suggest AES/EBU is better than coaxial for digital transmission (eg. from CD transport to DAC). Is the shielded coaxial cable "noisier" in some ways?

Thanks!

 

[Joachim Herbert]

It's balanced and is specified with a higher signal level than spdif. Absolutely no difference sound quality wise. If you are in an (extremly) "noisy" environment, go optical.

 

[JensenW]

Thanks for your explanation!