Newsgroups: rec.audio.tech
Subject: Re: Long interconnects
References: <[email protected]>  <[email protected]>  <[email protected]>  <[email protected]>
Dave Crawford  writes:

> Richard Crowley wrote:
> > Not really. Line level audio transformers are relatively small. Matching
> > CAT5 doesn't increase their size for any particular reason.
> > When I plugged "audio balun CAT5" into my favorite browser, I got nearly 200
> > hits. Even if only 10% of them were valid, it will take you days to wade
> > through them all.  Dunno what your budget or desired quality level are.
> > Dunno what suppliers you have access to. There are lots of them out there.
> > 
> 
> OK, I'll see what I can find. 
> Still not sure I need a balun. It'll be RCA-wire-RCA, if I used baluns
> it would be RCA-balun-wire-balun-RCA, I think. 

This would be the connection.

> Doesn't seem like a balun on each end would actually gain me anything. 

The baluns on the cable ends will gain you the following things
(compared to direct "RCA" connection):
- your cable will not pick up easily noise (mains humming etc).
- your wiring is less suspectible to RFI (radio frequency interference)
- no risk or ground loop problems (strong humming noise if present)
- good interchannel isolation between signals going to cable

Those are the main things. This is much more than "nothing".


-- 
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web links and documents at 
http://www.epanorama.net/