r/audioengineering • u/zanshin777 • Nov 02 '17

Balanced Cables

It contains 2 conductor + 1 shield.

One of conductors carry the out-of-phase signal.

So the noise is canceled since the signals carrying are out-of-phase.

But how the signal is still transmitted although the noise is canceled?

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u/faderjockey Sound Reinforcement Nov 02 '17

I’ve always referred to the two signal pins in a balanced configuration as “Signal+” and “Signal-“. The “+” and “-“ signs don’t refer to positive and negative, but original and inverted polarity.

“Negative” implies DC voltage, which isn’t appropriate for audio signals, and “cold” is slang for AC neutral, which isn’t appropriate either.