There is a lot of hi-fi equipment on display at Understanding the Benefits of Balanced Audio Technology for High-Quality Sound, but amongst all that gear there are a handful of manufacturers that really get it right and make high-end music listening look effortless. Chicago-based Balanced Audio Technology is among them. Their elegantly understated components are precision manufactured in the United States to heirloom quality standards, delivering an unparalleled listening experience.
One of the keys to their sound is balanced circuitry, a design that cancels interference from electromagnetic (EM) and radio frequency (RF) sources that can cause humming noises or distortion in long cable runs. It does this by having two conductors of equal exposure to external fields, twisted together and connected at each end to an identical impedance. This creates a voltage difference that cancels out the induced noise on each of the signal wires, leaving only the wanted audio signal.
Balanced Audio Connectors: Your Gateway to Audiophile-Grade Sound
Most balanced cables have three pins like the XLR and TRS connectors commonly used in professional audio setups. Each of the cable’s conductors carries one audio channel, and the connectors have a third pin that serves as the ground connection. This three-pin configuration is the key to balanced signals. Often the same conductors are shielded to help with noise isolation, and the fact that they are identical means they have equal impedance which further helps in cancelling out incoming noise and keeping the audio signal clean.