On 3/25/2018 3:47 PM, John Doe wrote:
There is an electrical difference between TRS [you mean TS] cables and XLR cables,
going to the speakers from the same soundcard stereo output jack?
Yes. TS cables have one conductor and a shield, TRS and XLR (and
TRS-to-XLR) cables have two conductors and a shield. There's a detailed
article on my web page about the differences and why they matter:
https://mikeriversaudio.files.wordpr..._revised. pdf
The short version is that TRS and XLR cables are used when making
"balanced" connections. TS (or RCA, for that matter) cables are used
when making "unbalanced" connections. The difference is that for a
balanced connection, the cable shield, which is conventionally connected
to the chassis ground, doesn't carry the signal voltage, and in an
unbalanced connection, it does. If there's noise present on the ground
of one or both of the devices that you're connecting, the noise gets
added to the signal when you have an unbalanced connection. With a
balanced connection, _unless there's a wiring problem in the equipment_,
noise that's on the cable shield doesn't go anywhere important.
And before you ask, in order to make a balanced connection, the devices
on both ends of the cable must have connectors that carry two signal
wires and the shield. You can't make an unbalanced output balanced just
by sticking a TRS plug in a TS jack.
--
For a good time, call
http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com