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Have read some reviews of the Consonance Opera CDP where mention was made of balanced outputs imprving sound.
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I would not base my decision on purchasing a CDP solely on whether or not it has balanced outputs. Unless your audio system is in a very noisy electrical environment (eg. RFI/EMI) there is no need for a balanced system. Some of these guys will try to tell you how much "better" balanced sounds over single-ended but there is little if any difference. I have both. I remember the magazine reviewers use to say that they could hear no difference (before balance equipment became more prevalent) then as balanced systems got more popular all of a sudden they could hear big differences(?). If you do go with a balanced CDP then you really need for your whole system to be balanced to take advantage of any noise reduction it offers.
HowdyUnbalanced interconnects/outputs/inputs (most often) use standard RCA plugs with two connections (and two wires in the cables), but one of them is also used as a ground.
Balanced connections use the XLR connector which has two signal wires and a separate ground.
In an ideal world having a completely balanced system (from source to amps and all cables connecting them) will allow for more noise immunity (even with longer interconnects.)
In practice it depends on the components and needless conversions from balanced to unbalanced and/or the reverse can cause more problems than balanced solves. It almost always pays to try the system out each way if you have the option.
A Google search will have lots of info: http://www.google.com/search?q=balanced+unbalanced+audio
-Ted
I tried the balanced outputs on my Meridian 405 to the balanced inputs on my Pathos Classic I amp. There was so much more dynamics and life, compared to the unbalanced output/inputs, it was almost like raising the dead. If I ever buy another CD player it's got to have balanced outputs.
The implementation of balanced inputs/outputs varies considerably in success fron componenet to component. Not all are actually fully balanced in any caase, no matter what the manufacturer would have you believe (I'll keep this post short by not explaining the different strategies adopted). Whether a balanced input or output or combination thereof actually sounds better than single ended in practice can only be determined by listening. The low noise pickup of balanced connection is not often relevant in domestic circumstances anyway. BTW, I have one pre-amp that is best balanced in and out and another that sounds great balanced out but less good on its balanced inputs. Such things will determine whether or not you will want to use balanced ouputs on your CD player.
Agree. And sometimes the higher output (3dB increase?) of balanced connection may give you a false sense of more powerful and better sound.
I remember reading a Stereophile review regarding the differences in sound quality between using the balanced vs non-balanced inputs on the Ayre AX-7 integrated amp (balanced was supposed to be better). I later read another comment about this review stating that since different interconnect cables were used, a true unbiased comparison of balanced vs unbalanced could not be achieved. I can certainly see how one could arrive at conflicting opinions of the value of using balanced vs unbalanced, depending on what cables are used, let alone the components themselves.
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