What is a balanced connection?

[491326]

I'm new to the idea of balanced connectors and wanted to know the difference between balanced and single ended in terms of day to day use.

Can a balanced male plug be plugged into a single ended female plug? Vice versa? (I guess not)

Are there any tools that can "convert" the signals?

I'm asking for a pretty stupid reason; I want to buy a cable terminated in the pentaconn connector, but I didn't want to make it limited to just one device.

Thx!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm new to the idea of balanced connectors and wanted to know the difference between balanced and single ended in terms of day to day use.

Differential drive has L+, L-, R-, and R+ on separate pins on the plug and socket. Single ended has L+, R+, and a shared GND.

Can a balanced male plug be plugged into a single ended female plug? Vice versa? (I guess not)

No. For starters, some balanced sockets aren't even 3.5mm TRRS - they can be the older Hirose or the square plug, or now, 2.5mm TRRS. And even if you had a 3.5mm TRRS socket and plug, the longer 3.5mm TRRS plug isn't going to line up nor even fit inside a 3.5mm TRS socket.

And even if it was the other way around, a 3.5mm TRS plug won't line up with the contacts inside a 3.5mm TRRS socket.

Are there any tools that can "convert" the signals?

I'm asking for a pretty stupid reason; I want to buy a cable terminated in the pentaconn connector, but I didn't want to make it limited to just one device.

You can buy the cable converter for the balanced cable to fit in a single ended socket. That won't damage anything unlike using a cable wired for SE with a converter to a balanced output since the latter will have their separate L- and R- joined at the shared GND on the cable, ie, why you can't just solder on a balanced plug to a single side entry headphone as its cable runs three conductors from the amp to the drivers (and from there two wires run from the R+ and shared GND to the right earcup).

That said, that adapter will be bulky. Why not just buy two cables?

 

[491326]

Why not just buy two cables?

hmmm...... hmmmmmm........... hmmmmmmmmmmm............................

 

[ProtegeManiac]

hmmm...... hmmmmmm........... hmmmmmmmmmmm............................

If you have one cable and the adapter breaks, you can use the balanced cable with balanced output. But if the balanced cable breaks, the adapter is useless, and unless you have the stock SE cable, you can't use the earphones.

If you have two cables, if one breaks, you can still use the other with whichever device works. If you have the stock SE cable and the new SE cable breaks, well, you have the stock SE cable.