Hipper
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Is the OP talking about balanced as in inputs/outputs of DACs, amps etc., or balanced is with headphone cables and amps?
5-pin would be a bit better, including the ground. Pentaconn has the ground wire, too. Ground can be used as a shield against interference and for converting to single-ended.Meanwhile 4 pin mini XLR's have been perfect for this application and completely ignored.
5-pin would be a bit better, including the ground. Pentaconn has the ground wire, too. Ground can be used as a shield against interference and for converting to single-ended.
Ideally differential ("balanced") improves SNR by 3 dB. In practice it's a don't-care.
Balanced headphone cables make little difference anyway. However, full compatibility with Pentaconn is nice.What would you need a shield for in a headphone cable?
I don't really care for balanced headphone cables but if we slowly move from 3.5mm to a 4.4mm standard, I'd kinda like that. Pentaconn is nice.Balanced headphone cables make little difference anyway. However, full compatibility with Pentaconn is nice.
I don't really care for balanced headphone cables but if we slowly move from 3.5mm to a 4.4mm standard, I'd kinda like that. Pentaconn is nice.
Don't really understand this statement, it is a solid connector providing 4 connection points as well as a ground return path. It is a far better standard than the 2.5mm connector ever was. The only downside is licensing cost, yes, if that is what you meantPentacon is almost the MQA of audio connectors...
The only downside is licensing cost, yes, if that is what you meant![]()
It makes for slimmer jacks than even Min-XLR, which is not unimportant for portable devices, while still providing a decent amount of robustness. Said jacks could also be relatively simple.Yes. And when better alternatives already exist why go to all the trouble of an expensive new connector?
When it comes to carrying multiple channels at once, I might look at the team of "cast-offs" from the computer world. A single DVI-D 18+1 (single link) cable could carry 4 channels right away (there must be tons of these still floating around that nobody wants), or up to 6 when deviating from standard usage. Add 2 more with a DVI-I cable, and yet another 3 for a dual link cable. Theoretical maximum = 11. DVI has always seemed perfectly fine in terms of ruggedness to me.
DisplayPort might be another option, which provides 5 differential pairs as-is, but there is less room for expansion due to fewer pins overall.
I was thinking more like a niche pro-audio solution, not so much DIY level, and taking advantage of existing cable stock where possible, so interconnect between multi-ch preamp and power amp or something.I think that would probably work, but I sure wouldn't want to deal with soldering those jacks.
It's false that balanced give lower noise floor. Balanced is inherently more noisy. It just reduced the interference. If a system is ideal, unbalanced will give lower noise.
It's also not always correct that balanced give more power. It's only higher when output is voltage limited. If the output is current limited, balanced is no help.
Not really.BALANCED VS. UNBALANCED ANALOG INTERFACES
https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/balanced-vs-unbalanced-analog-interfaces
AUDIO MYTH - BALANCED HEADPHONE AMPLIFIERS ARE BETTER
https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audio-myth-balanced-headphone-outputs-are-better
I know a bit of this but not very sure so for the benefits of the newbies can anyone answer me these:
1) Is it true balanced is the "gold standard" if so why are there still unbalanced?
2) Balanced gives higher output and lower noise floor, again why are unbalanced still around?
and 3)
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