Unbalanced Audio
Posted on March 5, 2016 by KVMGalore | 0 comments
Unbalanced audio is what will be found in the typical home stereo. It is used to connect a DVD player through RCA jacks on a TV, hook some speakers to a computer sound card, or plug headphones into an iPod.
Unbalanced audio is more susceptible to noise, so cable length should be kept as short as possible, and it is important to keep them away from power cords and power supplies.
An unbalanced audio cable uses a single center conductor and the shield (ground) for the audio signal to travel on. Since the audio travels on the shield of the cable, any interference that the shield picks up will be inserted on the audio signal. This could come across in any number of audible ways, from hums to radio stations.
Common connectors used for unbalanced audio include RCA and 3.5 mm or ¼" TS (Tip, Sleeve) connectors, commonly found on computer sound cards.
See: balanced audio.
