Great to find a thread dedicated to ICs with so many brilliant minds in here. So as always I come with a question -
1. Is it possible to make a balanced cable out of 2 unbalanced cables? I understand 2 core for XLR & 1 for coax (minimum); so if we use 2 unbalanced cables, for example 2 runs of a Mogami 2497 & use the cores for the 2 live connections and solder the shield on both for ground for an xlr. Wouldn't that be a balanced cable?
2. If it is are there any reasons why this practice is not common? Is this supposed to cause issues?
**I did ask Ali & he did say - it isn't possible, & I didn't want to bug him further, hence came here for more elaborate explanations.
Thanks!
Super Question that deserves deep thought.
Making a correct electrical connection is trivial.... 2 ( or even 3 ) runs of your fav Mogami 2497 will provide balanced electrical connections.
This is however an audiophile Chat, so as Chander has amplified in his post # 206,
"The idea is to preserve the sound characteristics of a certain cable,"
What exactly creates a cable's sonic signature, is part Black Art ... But the science part says its dependent on the Cable's Inductance, Capacitance, Dielectric used & the Shield.
Most Reputed Interconnect manufacturers, offer their cables either as Single Ended or as Balanced ..... The Implicit message is that both - Single ended or balanced essentially sound tyhe same. Any difference in the final sound is due to the Pre amp / DAC / Power Amps preference for Single Ended or Balanced ...
This implies that BOTH - the manufacturer's single ended and Balanced interconnects essentially have the same electrical characteristics.
This is possible ONLY if the same physical cable is used for both Single Ended (Un-balanced) and Balanced interconnects.
Since Balanced interconnects require ATLEAST 2 Signal Conductors + Shield used as ground, Branded Cables that offer Unbalanced & Balanced interconnects will use such wire. For the Unbalanced Interconnect, the two signal wires are joined together to feed the RCA's central pin.
A closer look at the Balanced connector (unlike the unbalanced connector) shows that the Body is NOT used as the signal ground. There is a a separate pin (NOT Body) used for the Ground connection in a balanced connector.
This has led to some manufacturers using "True Balanced Cable" for their interconnects.
The above picture shows one such 'simple' cable construction.
The Cable above takes it a step further and has identical conductors for the signal and Ground cables.
Note that the external shielding (Tape + Braid) are not essential in establishing the electrical circuit.
Some manufacturers (Like the Harmonix Cable I sold recently) offer the shield as an optional external Spade Lug termination, to be used at the sending / source side, to provide RF Shielding.
To summarise, I believe Sound Foundations is correct.... the Mogami 2497 Neglex cable is not suitable for use in a Balanced Cable... using 2 or 3 parallel lengths will not preserve the sonic signature of the Unbalanced Interconnect using this wire.
