I continue to be amazed about how much confusion (and therefore misinformation) surrounds the “single ended vs balanced cable” discussions I see on line. In summary:
- XLR inputs / outputs do not necessarily mean the associated circuit is balanced.
- A “balanced” designation does not necessarily mean the associated circuit is balanced “to the spec”.
- XLR terminations do not necessarily mean the associated cable is balanced “to the spec”.
- If the output circuit is balanced “to the spec”, the input circuit is balanced “to the spec”, and the associated cable is balanced “to the spec”, the impact of the cable itself is significantly reduced.
- If the output circuit is balanced “to the spec”, and the input circuit is balanced “to the spec”, a cable that is is balanced “to the spec” will generally yield preferred results over a single ended option.
Fortunately we’re talking Ayre, which is balanced “to the spec”, and therefore a balanced cable - any balanced cable - will yield preferred results over a single ended alternative.