The connecting cable should have the cold signal conductor of the cable tied to ground at the source-side only (the unbalanced end of the cable). The load-side of the cable will be connected in a typical balanced configuration. For XLR connectors, pin-2 is the hot conductor, pin-3 is the cold conductor, and pin-1 is the shield conductor. I know I'm coming in late on this one, but other people might benefit. The statement that "all pins must be connected" is not true. It will depend on the equipment and whether you are connecting to an input or output. In many cases, it is a best practice to jumper + and - on an input when connecting an unbalanced signal to a balanced input. So, in this case, yes all pins would be connected. I'm finding indications on-line that quality RCA cable is function up into the 30ft to 100ft (10m to 30m). I'm not sure I would use runs that long, but those are the numbers I'm finding. An unbalanced-to-balanced connection should use a 3-conductor (balanced) wire. The explanation behind this technique is somewhat complicated, and it is beyond the scope of this article. For an in-depth look at the technical explanation for this solution, read section 5.4, "Shield Wires", of The Clean Audio Installation Guide. ( http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/caig/ )

Now the thing is that pins 2 & 3 in a balanced arrangement, never have a potential with respect to ground, just each other.Pin 1 (sleeve/screen) is always ground. Pin 2 (tip) is always the positive deflection. Pin 3 (ring) is the negative deflection, So if you ever reverse pins 2 and 3 you create an out of phase condition. Strict practice requires the line be left balanced at the output (source) and unbalanced at the input. This is called floating a line. WARNING: This adaptor(TRS to RCA) is ONLY to be used for the Flex OUTPUTS. We've noticed a performance drop (15dB SINAD drop) when using such adaptor for INPUTS of the FLEX. For that reason, we do not recommend customers to use an unbalanced to balanced cable on the "input" side of the Flex. If you want to have unbalanced in/out for both inputs and outputs, it's strongly recommended that you just use the miniDSP Flex unbalanced version. The miniDSP Flex was engineered with best performance in mind and it's therefore our intention to stay consistent on making sure best audio quality is kept for this platform! There are three types of balanced outputs: 'impedance balanced', 'transformer balanced', and 'active balanced'. Each type of balanced output requires different considerations when connecting to an unbalanced load. With each case discussed, we will assume that 2-conductor (unbalanced) wire is being used, as 3-conductor wire will offer no advantages when driving unbalanced loads.

As you can see opinions vary greatly on this matter. But I would say if you get good quality cable, you are safe if you are in the roughly 25 foot or perhaps 30ft range. IF you are going to do a XLR to RCA conversion, then a Transformer based device, as we assume the Sescom is, would be the best choice. In this application note, we will show you how to integrate a subwoofer with your existing loudspeakers by using a miniDSP 2x4 HD/Flex. You can use an existing preamp, or replace a preamp and a DAC with the miniDSP 2x4 HD/Flex. (In the latter case, you will need to program a remote control to adjust volume in the miniDSP 2x4 HD.) The transformer-based approach (like with Neutrik NA2F-DOB-TX or much more expensive Jensen transformers) will work and avoid ground loop issues. Transformers also have higher common-mode rejection ratio than what can be achieved with semiconductors. The distortion might not matter for use with tube amplifiers that already have a transformer in the signal path or with subwoofers.RCA cable can go a considerable distance. But until we know how far we need to go, we really can not say what the best choice is. If 25ft to 30ft is workable for you, then I think RCA. If you need more than that, then perhaps the Sescom adapters is the better choice. When connecting audio equipment, it is important to understand the differences between various types of 'inputs' and 'outputs'. It is especially important to understand differences in electrical specifications. Connecting gear without proper electrical considerations could degrade the system's performance, or even damage the equipment. This article will discuss the necessary considerations of connecting balanced and unbalanced connections (e.g., XLR-to-RCA). A more sophisticated connection may be needed for aggressive common-mode rejection, which may require modifying the equipment. For information about this type of setup, refer to the "Shield Wires" section (5.4) of The Clean Audio Installation Guide. A TS input is an unbalanced input. In unbalanced interconnection, the signal is defined by the voltage between the ground/shield and the other conductor.

The best one from a technical standpoint: retrofitting a XLR differential input to a legacy equipment Now for a balanced output, you can simply connect the + and GND terminals and ignore the -. This does not result in a "half wave" as was stated. Balanced signals work by transmitting 2 versions of the signal (completely out of phase with each other). On a devices input, the out of phase signal is inverted and the signals are now in phase and sum together. This provides common mode rejection (CMR) which is all designed at removing interference and improving SNR primarily to allow greater cable runs and premium quality for sensitive environments. Search common mode rejection for further details. One Rane Note was mentioned earlier, but they have a ton more and some specifically on balanced signals and CMR. Unbalanced connections (RCA; ¼" TS) have two signal conductors: hot and shield (the hot signal conductor carries the audio information).If the receiver is made differential, i.e. it only cares about the difference between the two signal conductors (XLR pins 2 and 3 or hot and cold), the "dirty work" is offloaded to shield (or XLR pin1) conductor. As long as those are not connected to the PCB on either transmitter or receiver side (which causes so called Pin1 problem) but rather diverted to the Protective Earth mains conductor, this makes for a hum-free connection.

The miniDSP Flex is the 3rd generation of our popular line of compact 2-in, 4-out audio processors. It retains the powerful floating point processor but rethinks the I/O architecture so we can provide our customers with different input-output versions in this compact chassis. The initial versions are single-ended analog I/O (RCA), balanced analog I/O (TRS) and digital out with superb audiophile specification for your enjoyment.

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The main reason why two wires aren't enough for a high-performance audio interconnect is that no matter what you do, there will be current caused by a different ground potentials and/or a real-world interference flowing through the shield conductor. Since the shield conductor has a non-zero impedance, this current will produce a voltage and in case the shield conductor also doubles as a signal conductor, this voltage will be mixed straight into your audio. Digital Audio Processor — Flex based on the I/O configuration selected. No Dirac Live license for default configuration In this app note, we will demonstrate subwoofer integration for miniDSP'sstereoDirac Live processors using only the Dirac Live app for measurement