Great video, James. Just to pick you up on a little point at 11:30 - the signals in a balanced pair are not 180degrees out of phase, they are locked at the same phase but are inverted. If you shift the phase, you shift the position of the signal along the X (time) axis. With your demonstration sine wave it wouldn't make a difference, but with a real-world, complex wave form it'd sound a bit shifty if the signals were 180 degrees out of phase!
thanks, really well explained. you are right, you can hardly find a deep explanation of unbalanced and balanced audio on youtube. As an electrical engineer, I appreciate your content.
I wasn't expecting this to be a good video because it just popped up automatically, but this was one of the best explanations of this I've ever seen. Most other videos on the topic are hard to follow or poorly made. The part about the ground lift was super helpful.
First video I have watched out of many that clearly explains the concepts. I doubt if all the others really understand what they are explaining. I am sure some of them are just repeating what they have learned and leaving out stuff that they never completely got. You obviously understand all of it. Very cool.
I've been using pro audio equipment for years and balanced return/send/earth cables are only required for signal sending over large distances like about twenty metres or more and generally unnecessary for bands doing small gigs on small rigs with their desk pretty close to the stage. Oh, I see you are explaining that, good job. If you cut the cable closer to the connector end you could just solder another one on.
Most excellent video! All the questions I have had surrounding balanced audio, ground loops, and phantom power have been thoroughly answered. Thanks so much for all the effort! Have a good one!
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for this in-depth explanation. It's so difficult these days to find information that breaks things down right to the source and explains them thoroughly. I have the hardest time learning anything unless I can understand the fundamentals first. People explain how things work, but too often fail to mention WHY, and you did a fantastic job of explaining the difference between the two cables, how they work, and why they work.
Hey Viperfrank, very good video.. great explanation, in-depth sure.. I agree, none of the youtube videos are even half as close to how you explained. Learnt a lot. Truly appreciate, many thanks. Guys, if there's a video to watch on balanced audio, watch this.. look no further..
Thank you so much for this video. I have searched all over trying to get a full understanding of balanced vs. unbalanced. You explained everything in great detail and went deep enough into the subject that I feel like I really understand it now. Many thanks
Nice video. Couple of things to add. The ground in the signal wires is better referred to as "common." On better equipment, this common is "lifted" above the mains (safety) ground to prevent common mode noise from the mains wiring from getting into the signal. In fact, the common can float entirely free of ground, and everything will still operate properly - it is only tied to earth for safety reasons. There is also a major downside to balanced audio. The entire signal passes through a differential amplifier at both ends of the wire. Parts quality and implementation will play a huge role in retaining the original signal, and will always add some distortion. Cheap or damaged wires can introduce a phase shift in the inverted signal, leading to huge loss in resolution - a problem that only gets worse as the wire gets longer. A well implemented unbalanced set up will often be "better" than a poorly implemented balanced.
Great, long time searching for making me understand, I know it is simple in basics, but it is an art to bring it over in all its simplicity, dismantle the complexity piece by piece. Thank you very much !
Yeah, this is an old video, but I love this guy. He really knows what he’s talking about and how to teach it to others. So few “educated” audio geeks actually understand these basic principles so foundational to excellent sound reinforcement and helpful for problem troubleshooting. Hopefully you learned something or refreshed your physics 101.
Thanks for refreshing that for me and learning a bit more details about it. wish u would make more video's, I've learnt so much from your channel. You're a great teacher ! If only someone could explain to me how hiss in speakers works and how to eliminate it.
The most important thing you can do to eliminate noise background hum etc is to upgrade your mains leads to shielded mains lead's. Now this can be really expensive if you buy branded lead's but you can make them your self for a fraction of the price and this will also dramatically improve sound quality if you have a fairly decent system to start with.
Very nice article James.. Being following your videos for quite a time, especially on the Technics.. Hope you'll do more similar videos in the future. Learnt quite alot from your videos.. Greetings from Singapore
Interestig, thanks. A tip for a next topic may be a talk over input impedence, i've read about it several times on tech specs of equipment, but did not get exactly how it affects the signal.
Really, really well put together video and really well explained, in a way that anyone can understand and not be bored. Why the hell aren't you a lecturer at college, or on TV?!!
With what you described , How do you connect a XLR Main out DJ mixer to a Mixing Board with XLR ins that has a Stereo a spread button. I use a an ECLER NUO2 that has XLR Mains out and I run that into a Yamaha MG06 compact mixer using the 2 XLR ins for the mixer Stereo signal channel 1/2 and use the Stereo feature to split the sound and better control the sound (I think !) I use the XLR Main outs of that mixer to run the Powered monitors (all at the Local PUB) I am using the external Yamaha mixer in case an epic fail and I need to run an Ipod.
Brilliant. Thanks! You're a great teacher -concise. I'm a pianist. Use my digital via my M-audio fast track. I'm using standard 1/4' jack cables. Recently I found that most of my XLR (needed for phtm. power mics) disappeared & I've been left with 1/4" to XLR. Is this automatically considered a balanced cable? I was thinking of using them to connect my digital piano to the M-card (phantom power OFF). Thanks for a reply if you can spare the time.
Thanks for that very clear explanation. Like Wolfgang else mentioned, though, taking the earth off of say, your guitar amp, can (sometimes) lead to nasty shocks when your sweet, wet lips touch the mike. This has happened to me live (and I mean live!), as the earth was always disconnected on my amp plug, but when when connecting up to a festival sound system rather than our own. Zap! had to put a smelly sock over the mike! I didn't die, though I suppose I could have.
Your videos are some of the best mate please make some more I'm enjoying them fully... I have a bit of a request for a video...since the technics 1200 is now officially out of production and the audio technica at lp 120 usb is a direct clone of the 1200 I would like to hear your thoughts and possibly a review of the lp 120 and comparison ! Cheers mate!
Thanks for the info. I hope you can answer this question. You say in the end of the video that you cant take "two legs of a balanced pair" and run it to L/R panned mono inputs.. What do you mean by two legs of a balanced pair.. Like a TRS Y-split to 2 TS male jacks? or simply two TRS cables into two mono inputs, panned L/R. ?
I agree, well explained. I have a question though. I'm making a bunch of cables for recording equipment, would you suggest leaving all of the shield ground wires unconnected?
When does your audio class start! I've never had anyone speak so clearly and precise. I fully got all of that for the first time. Please make more videos of this type. Keep up the excellent work. Again, you should start an online class. I'll definitely sign up. Peace out!!!
OK so ... I have to use balance cable to plug my guitar/effect pedals/amp and even to record to an audiocard to avoid the noises ?? Thanks for the explanation
So you can't use a balanced cable for unbalanced stereo at both ends? With the ground as the return path for both speakers and each inner core feeding one speaker?
Good video even with the trainers & kittens.. can you wire your system with unbal & bal equipment at the same time? On a nl4 neutik plug & cable which conductor is + & - when cable is black & white?
best I've seen. nice shoes too. can I admit I've been playing live gigs for 40 years, and this is the first time I understand what's going on with cabling? for shame
I presume that balanced principle also applies to TV antenna. They said that the old obsolete 300Ω twin lead balanced cable has a lower signal loss than the newer RG-6 coaxial cable.
16:00 Removing ground actually is very dangerous. Your devices are grounded for a reason: safety. Not only you may get rid of the noise, you will also render your ground fault circuit interrupter useless. So if your amplifier or other device becomes faulty, and voltage gets to the outer metal parts, the ground fault circuit interrupter is not able to cut off the power and you will have up to full socket-outlet voltage (110V, 230V, depends on where you live) on the outside of the device. Worse, the shield of XLR (balanced) cables is connected to ground and you might get this deadly voltage up to the mics. One way of eliminating the buzz is to get all devices to the same potential by using the same socket-outlets so that they are on the same circuits. Never remove ground!
***** Ground lifting only disconnects the ground from the interconnect cable to prevent current flowing between the devices. It does not disconnect the devices from electrical earth.
So in short it does not improve the sound quality much in head fi system, as the cables are too short to suffer from big noises, but how about a full balanced system? Something like instead of one dac doing stereo signal, they have 2 dacs to do 2 mono signals and go to 2 amps. Does it offer any advantage besides having a slightly higher s/n ratio and a higher driving power （which is more like a side effect)?
absolutely, you could technically run a stereo signal through one of these cables, just use the sleeve as the common and run the left and right signal through the 2 inner conductors. but it wouldn't be balanced audio it would just be stereo, and you couldn't connect it to a balanced port on your mixer because it's a differential amplifier, it would just sound odd. technically there is no such thing as a balanced audio cable, it's just a 2 core audio cable, it's just the right kind of cable to carry balanced pair audio, so it gets called a "balanced" cable. it's like a plumber getting a piece of copper pipe out of his van and saying "this is a gas pipe", well until its connected to a source and has gas running though it technically its just a pipe. you could have water or oil running through it. I hope this made sense. thank you for your comment.
viperfrank I'm a guitar player and about phantom power? The reason we wanted a power source at the line in or mic input was for a preamp or OP amp was for boosting the single that uses the twisted pair. Does the boosted signal help with the THD or noise? And could a longer run be achieved?
Hey, balanced or unbalanced cable for an electric guitar? How would it effect the sound? Let's say we plug in directly to the cube or an interface in the studio.
***** It's audible as soon as I turn the speakers on, at low volume when no music is playing. I figured it out though, the problem only occurred when I plugged it into a socket coming from an extension cable plugged into another extension cable. When I plug the speakers into a wall socket, it's dead silent.
I had the same problem which I found out to be my amp had 24v from the casing to earth. It also did not have an earth in the mains lead so I cut the plug top off attached 2.5mm green and yellow singles to the ground terminal at the back of the amp and reconnected the plug top with the earth cable to earth in the plug top thus eliminating all hum. hope this helps
Great Video with very clear explanations. How about regular speaker cables and RCA cables, does the concept of balance and unbalance applies to them also ?
Great tutorial. So technically in theory, I should be able to use a twisted pair of cable between an amp to a passive speakers and eliminate all noises? I am speaking of a typical home stereo setup.
Thanks for the informative video. I have a buzz problem on my system that I figured out is coming from my laptop. I know it's from the laptops power brick, but how can I easily fix it? I did buy one of those Dual Transformer Isolators but it doesn't seem to help. Maybe I am hooking it up wrong. Can you help me with this?
Ten years + and I'm still learning from your videos. Thanks again James.
Great video, James. Just to pick you up on a little point at 11:30 - the signals in a balanced pair are not 180degrees out of phase, they are locked at the same phase but are inverted. If you shift the phase, you shift the position of the signal along the X (time) axis. With your demonstration sine wave it wouldn't make a difference, but with a real-world, complex wave form it'd sound a bit shifty if the signals were 180 degrees out of phase!
You can't simply just invert the signal without it introducing lag of at least the amount of half the 180 degrees wave at a given frequency.
@@arpakyna try swapping the wires
@@arpakyna Why?
Exactly - and you couldn't do common mode noise rejection if they were out of phase.
Thank you so much! I'm in Audio Production 101 and didn't understand balanced signals until your demonstrations. You're a life-saver!
Thanks a lot for explaining most of what I didn't understand about audio cables in one video. You're a great teacher.
Lol, I love how the video suddenly turns into an unboxing video when the box arrives.
thanks, really well explained. you are right, you can hardly find a deep explanation of unbalanced and balanced audio on youtube. As an electrical engineer, I appreciate your content.
Don't know why youtube have this habitude of suggesting old videos but it is 2021 and learned a lot about audio today ! Thanks !!
I wasn't expecting this to be a good video because it just popped up automatically, but this was one of the best explanations of this I've ever seen. Most other videos on the topic are hard to follow or poorly made. The part about the ground lift was super helpful.
First video I have watched out of many that clearly explains the concepts. I doubt if all the others really understand what they are explaining. I am sure some of them are just repeating what they have learned and leaving out stuff that they never completely got. You obviously understand all of it. Very cool.
Best explanation I've yet seen out of a few videos. The dry humor is great, too.
Just found your channel. ❤ the way you explain things and love listening to the beautiful Britishness in your language and demeanor. Man’s got style
I've been using pro audio equipment for years and balanced return/send/earth cables are only required for signal sending over large distances like about twenty metres or more and generally unnecessary for bands doing small gigs on small rigs with their desk pretty close to the stage. Oh, I see you are explaining that, good job. If you cut the cable closer to the connector end you could just solder another one on.
Tried a half dozen other tutorials to be STILL left baffled , you've nailed it though , many thanks - at least now i have a bit more of a clue !
I'VE BEEN IN ROCK BANDS FOR 40 YEARS and you just answered everything we all didn't know in 20 odd minutes THANKS BUDDY LOVE YOUR STYLE TOO
no worries, I'm glad the video helped you. I'm always glad to hear that my viewers are learning from my content.
thank you for your comment.
Most excellent video! All the questions I have had surrounding balanced audio, ground loops, and phantom power have been thoroughly answered. Thanks so much for all the effort! Have a good one!
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for this in-depth explanation. It's so difficult these days to find information that breaks things down right to the source and explains them thoroughly. I have the hardest time learning anything unless I can understand the fundamentals first. People explain how things work, but too often fail to mention WHY, and you did a fantastic job of explaining the difference between the two cables, how they work, and why they work.
Hey Viperfrank, very good video.. great explanation, in-depth sure.. I agree, none of the youtube videos are even half as close to how you explained. Learnt a lot. Truly appreciate, many thanks.
Guys, if there's a video to watch on balanced audio, watch this.. look no further..
Thank you so much for this video. I have searched all over trying to get a full understanding of balanced vs. unbalanced. You explained everything in great detail and went deep enough into the subject that I feel like I really understand it now. Many thanks
Very happy i found your videos. I have been considering using balanced cables and now I understand how they work. Keep up the great work. Thank you.
Great video on audio balanced and unbalanced cables! Loved it!
Wonderful tutorial, thank you very much. Very helpful for the exam I'm sitting for in about 5 hours :P Wish me luck.
Greetings from Argentina.
Thank you for sacrificing the cables. Very informative. Great job!
I'm currently an audio engineering student and this helped me out a great deal. Thank you very much!
great video. I really liked the physical demonstration on scope and actual equipment. Especially phantom power demonstration was awesome.
Great video. You express your ideas very well and in a very thoughtful, natural way. Easy to understand.
great detailed video, guys like you is the reason why youtube is very worthwhile
Nice video.
Couple of things to add. The ground in the signal wires is better referred to as "common." On better equipment, this common is "lifted" above the mains (safety) ground to prevent common mode noise from the mains wiring from getting into the signal. In fact, the common can float entirely free of ground, and everything will still operate properly - it is only tied to earth for safety reasons.
There is also a major downside to balanced audio. The entire signal passes through a differential amplifier at both ends of the wire. Parts quality and implementation will play a huge role in retaining the original signal, and will always add some distortion. Cheap or damaged wires can introduce a phase shift in the inverted signal, leading to huge loss in resolution - a problem that only gets worse as the wire gets longer.
A well implemented unbalanced set up will often be "better" than a poorly implemented balanced.
Great, long time searching for making me understand, I know it is simple in basics, but it is an art to bring it over in all its simplicity, dismantle the complexity piece by piece. Thank you very much !
Yeah, this is an old video, but I love this guy. He really knows what he’s talking about and how to teach it to others. So few “educated” audio geeks actually understand these basic principles so foundational to excellent sound reinforcement and helpful for problem troubleshooting. Hopefully you learned something or refreshed your physics 101.
So you need an inverter at the audio source and an un-inverter at the destination (speakers)?
Great tutorials, simple and straight to the point, explaining is an art in itself. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for refreshing that for me and learning a bit more details about it. wish u would make more video's, I've learnt so much from your channel. You're a great teacher !
If only someone could explain to me how hiss in speakers works and how to eliminate it.
The most important thing you can do to eliminate noise background hum etc is to upgrade your mains leads to shielded mains lead's.
Now this can be really expensive if you buy branded lead's but you can make them your self for a fraction of the price and this will also dramatically improve sound quality if you have a fairly decent system to start with.
Exemplary tutorial, Well thought out, with Useful Examples. Fantastic.
Thank you for this video!! I've been digging around trying to understand this topic. You state it in a way that I "get" it. Thank you!
Very complete, you should do a series on phase and polarity. Great job!
you have a knack for teaching! wonderful explanation
Very nice article James.. Being following your videos for quite a time, especially on the Technics.. Hope you'll do more similar videos in the future. Learnt quite alot from your videos.. Greetings from Singapore
Great video. I especially enjoyed the "glitch in the matrix" with the two cats in the background.
Check out 22:20 or so.
This video is very important for every recording & studio engineers. Thanks a lot!
Super. The clearest explanation on RUclips
thank you very much, I'm glad you like the video.
thank you for your comment.
Your videos are Very imformative. All the info i needed you delivered then some!!! Keep em coming!!!
Fantastic video, thanks James! Learnt such a lot from the last 20 minutes.
And bonus points for the kittens :)
Best one ive seen so far on the subject. (You explained it better than my teacher did 😂)
This was such an awesome watch!! Appreciate your effort!!
Good work James and very detailed oriented. Thank you.
Great job on this video. You explain things so well.
Dude. you are a badass you could be working for freaking NASA, best explanation out there ,thank you
Interestig, thanks. A tip for a next topic may be a talk over input impedence, i've read about it several times on tech specs of equipment, but did not get exactly how it affects the signal.
Great video mate! Been a follower for years glad to see some new videos :-)
Really, really well put together video and really well explained, in a way that anyone can understand and not be bored.
Why the hell aren't you a lecturer at college, or on TV?!!
With what you described , How do you connect a XLR Main out DJ mixer to a Mixing Board with XLR ins that has a Stereo a spread button. I use a an ECLER NUO2 that has XLR Mains out and I run that into a Yamaha MG06 compact mixer using the 2 XLR ins for the mixer Stereo signal channel 1/2 and use the Stereo feature to split the sound and better control the sound (I think !) I use the XLR Main outs of that mixer to run the Powered monitors (all at the Local PUB) I am using the external Yamaha mixer in case an epic fail and I need to run an Ipod.
You are the greatest teacher keep doing this.
That's just great. Thanks for the clear explanation.
Nice one.
Brilliant. Thanks! You're a great teacher -concise. I'm a pianist. Use my digital via my M-audio fast track. I'm using standard 1/4' jack cables. Recently I found that most of my XLR (needed for phtm. power mics) disappeared & I've been left with 1/4" to XLR. Is this automatically considered a balanced cable? I was thinking of using them to connect my digital piano to the M-card (phantom power OFF).
Thanks for a reply if you can spare the time.
thanks
navalverde12 Thanks. I'll give it a try.
You should be a teacher mate! (That's coming from one). You can really explain tricky subjects very clearly! Good stuff!!
Brilliant! Love the details, understand it so much better! And good humour!
Thank you! Your teaching method is spot on! Visual and practical. I finally understand.
Great explanation and very good teacher !
Thanks for that very clear explanation. Like Wolfgang else mentioned, though, taking the earth off of say, your guitar amp, can (sometimes) lead to nasty shocks when your sweet, wet lips touch the mike. This has happened to me live (and I mean live!), as the earth was always disconnected on my amp plug, but when when connecting up to a festival sound system rather than our own. Zap! had to put a smelly sock over the mike! I didn't die, though I suppose I could have.
Man you prove internet is not only full of crap, thank you.
Your videos are some of the best mate please make some more I'm enjoying them fully... I have a bit of a request for a video...since the technics 1200 is now officially out of production and the audio technica at lp 120 usb is a direct clone of the 1200 I would like to hear your thoughts and possibly a review of the lp 120 and comparison ! Cheers mate!
Thanks for the info. I hope you can answer this question. You say in the end of the video that you cant take "two legs of a balanced pair" and run it to L/R panned mono inputs.. What do you mean by two legs of a balanced pair.. Like a TRS Y-split to 2 TS male jacks? or simply two TRS cables into two mono inputs, panned L/R. ?
Thank you for this video - very clear and informative
I agree, well explained. I have a question though. I'm making a bunch of cables for recording equipment, would you suggest leaving all of the shield ground wires unconnected?
When does your audio class start! I've never had anyone speak so clearly and precise. I fully got all of that for the first time. Please make more videos of this type. Keep up the excellent work. Again, you should start an online class. I'll definitely sign up. Peace out!!!
Hi James, another excellent vid, very informative and amusing to boot ;-)
Great explanation!!!!!!
Thankyou for sharing.
Hope you make a tutorial about understand
-10, plus 4 db difernse in audio signal.
Good luck.
OK so ... I have to use balance cable to plug my guitar/effect pedals/amp and even to record to an audiocard to avoid the noises ??
Thanks for the explanation
So you can't use a balanced cable for unbalanced stereo at both ends?
With the ground as the return path for both speakers and each inner core feeding one speaker?
thank you for this six yr old vid now I know how my knock sensor circuit work
Good video even with the trainers & kittens.. can you wire your system with unbal & bal equipment at the same time? On a nl4 neutik plug & cable which conductor is + & - when cable is black & white?
Fantastic video, funny and very clever !! Thank you so much !!
Great Video!! You break it down the right way sir. cheers!
Very informative. Thank you!
no worries, thank you for your comment.
Hi, how do you get rid of ground loops? Do you isolate the audio or the power supply ?
Good video thanks.
Amazing video man, great job. Very helpful and very well done
Great video, mate! Informative and entertaining. You remind me of my physics teacher.
Very informative and entertaining. I love how unfazed he is by the interruptions and just incorporates them into the video. Fun to watch.
best I've seen. nice shoes too. can I admit I've been playing live gigs for 40 years, and this is the first time I understand what's going on with cabling? for shame
Great tutorial. Brilliant in fact. Regards. Shamil-South Africa
Great explanation and wonderful humor!
thanks, I'm glad you like the video.
thank you for your comment.
Do the balanced/unbalanced thing apply to speaker cable too. Can you use balanced 1/4 speaker cable?
I presume that balanced principle also applies to TV antenna. They said that the old obsolete 300Ω twin lead balanced cable has a lower signal loss than the newer RG-6 coaxial cable.
Awesome video James !
16:00 Removing ground actually is very dangerous. Your devices are grounded for a reason: safety. Not only you may get rid of the noise, you will also render your ground fault circuit interrupter useless.
So if your amplifier or other device becomes faulty, and voltage gets to the outer metal parts, the ground fault circuit interrupter is not able to cut off the power and you will have up to full socket-outlet voltage (110V, 230V, depends on where you live) on the outside of the device.
Worse, the shield of XLR (balanced) cables is connected to ground and you might get this deadly voltage up to the mics.
One way of eliminating the buzz is to get all devices to the same potential by using the same socket-outlets so that they are on the same circuits.
Never remove ground!
***** Ground lifting only disconnects the ground from the interconnect cable to prevent current flowing between the devices. It does not disconnect the devices from electrical earth.
What is the best wire gauge for stereo/balance cabling? Thank you
Hi, great videos,...super clear tkyou! Does this apply to loudspeaker cables ? tks again !
What scope are you using?
Great explanation! Thank you for being so didactic and easy going with an often heavy topic for musicians... Cheers
So in short it does not improve the sound quality much in head fi system, as the cables are too short to suffer from big noises, but how about a full balanced system? Something like instead of one dac doing stereo signal, they have 2 dacs to do 2 mono signals and go to 2 amps. Does it offer any advantage besides having a slightly higher s/n ratio and a higher driving power （which is more like a side effect)?
A balanced cable can also be used as if it were a stereo cable, and backwards, right? So, then, are there balanced stereo cables?
absolutely, you could technically run a stereo signal through one of these cables, just use the sleeve as the common and run the left and right signal through the 2 inner conductors.
but it wouldn't be balanced audio it would just be stereo, and you couldn't connect it to a balanced port on your mixer because it's a differential amplifier, it would just sound odd.
technically there is no such thing as a balanced audio cable, it's just a 2 core audio cable, it's just the right kind of cable to carry balanced pair audio, so it gets called a "balanced" cable.
it's like a plumber getting a piece of copper pipe out of his van and saying "this is a gas pipe", well until its connected to a source and has gas running though it technically its just a pipe.
you could have water or oil running through it.
I hope this made sense.
thank you for your comment.
viperfrank
I'm a guitar player and about phantom power?
The reason we wanted a power source at the line in or mic input was for a preamp or OP amp was for boosting the
single that uses the twisted pair. Does the boosted signal help with the THD or noise? And could a longer run be achieved?
Hey,
balanced or unbalanced cable for an electric guitar? How would it effect the sound? Let's say we plug in directly to the cube or an interface in the studio.
+clinteaston57 why most guitar players using mono (unbalanced) cable then?
Very careful crafted video. Congrats!!!
Nice one James. My speakers have insane background hum, but the power plug doesn't even have an earth connection, how can this be?!
***** It's audible as soon as I turn the speakers on, at low volume when no music is playing. I figured it out though, the problem only occurred when I plugged it into a socket coming from an extension cable plugged into another extension cable. When I plug the speakers into a wall socket, it's dead silent.
I had the same problem which I found out to be my amp had 24v from the casing to earth. It also did not have an earth in the mains lead so I cut the plug top off attached 2.5mm green and yellow singles to the ground terminal at the back of the amp and reconnected the plug top with the earth cable to earth in the plug top thus eliminating all hum. hope this helps
Do the ground wires connect to both ends or only the signal input end?
Great Video with very clear explanations. How about regular speaker cables and RCA cables, does the concept of balance and unbalance applies to them also ?
Great tutorial. So technically in theory, I should be able to use a twisted pair of cable between an amp to a passive speakers and eliminate all noises? I am speaking of a typical home stereo setup.
Thanks for the informative video. I have a buzz problem on my system that I figured out is coming from my laptop. I know it's from the laptops power brick, but how can I easily fix it? I did buy one of those Dual Transformer Isolators but it doesn't seem to help. Maybe I am hooking it up wrong. Can you help me with this?