A few of last week’s Technical Tips sparked more questions from our readers. One very valid question pertaining to the 9/2/99 tip is:
“If unbalanced connections are better ‘with all other things being equal’, how come unbalanced connections are -10 dB and balanced are usually +4? I would have thought that +4 connections would be best. Can you guys explain?”
This is really a different version of the same question we answered on 9/2. Your question no doubt partially comes from the assumption that more is better. Higher level must be better than lower level. The other assumption is that balanced lines are always +4 dBu and unbalanced lines are always -10 dBV (notice these two values aren’t even measured using the same reference). This is usually the case, but not always. Balanced lines are not defined by having a signal level of +4dBu, they just usually happen to. In audio electronics this small (relative) difference in level is not such a big deal anyway. However, when running signals through a piece of wire, “all other things being equal”, I would rather do it at a higher versus lower level. You’ve just stumbled on one of many ways all other things are not equal. This is a circle we can go ’round and ’round in until we hear that old Ratt song of the same name in our sleep.
What’s the point, you ask? I’m just trying to dispel the myth that balanced lines are always better without creating a myth that unbalanced lines are always better. It really depends on the circumstances and specific equipment involved. There are many advantages to using balanced lines (many of which have been explained in past issues of inSync), but they aren’t always better for all situations all the time, which I think was shown in the 9/2 TTOTD.