Question 1

Is there a balanced version of this cord?

Accepted Answer

Hi,

Technically, no, there is no balanced version of this dual RCA to dual XLR cable. This is because RCA connections are always unbalanced, as the connectors have a Tip position (signal +) and the Sleeve position (ground). For a cable or signal to be balanced, it has to have an additional position/wire, to transmit the lower voltage, out of phase version of the original signal +. This out of phase version (signal -), is brought back into phase when the signal terminates at the receiving device, and any noise or interference picked up along the cable, gets rejected/cancelled out. This is why balanced cables can be run much longer distances than unbalanced cable types.

In these SAXFRM dual RCA to dual XLR cables, the Tip (signal +) conductor of the RCA sides are connected to the XLR Pin 2 positions on the XLR sides. The Sleeve (ground) RCA conductors are connected to the XLR Pin 1 positions, and the XLR Pins 1 and 3 are connected together, grounding out the XLR Pin 3.

Since you are using the version of this cable that is Male XLR, I presume you are outputting with the RCA plugs and using the XLR Male sides to connect into 2 channels of a mixer, or to the inputs of a power amplifier, or to your Left and Right powered loudspeakers? The only way to balance these unbalanced RCA outputs would be to input these signals into some DI (direct) boxes, which will balanced these signals, while usually converting to XLR. You will find most DI boxes will have an unbalanced 1/4" TS input, as DI boxes are commonly used with electric guitars and basses. If you go the route of a DI box, you would likely need some RCA to 1/4" TS cables, which we offer.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Rusty

Question 2

Late these compatible with KRKs?

Accepted Answer

Hi, These SAXFRM dual RCA male to dual XLR male cables would allow you to connect a few different devices in a few different ways. For instance, if you are outputting from a device with RCA female red and white outputs, then you could connect the RCA male side of this cable to that device, then connect the XLR male side to the XLR female inputs of a mixer console, or the XLR female inputs on some powered speakers or monitors. I am hesitant to answer your question directly, because I do not know exactly which model or KRK monitors you have. You can email us directly at customerservice@seismicaudiospeakers.com and let us know the model of KRKs you have, and the make and model of the device on the other side of the cable, and we can let you know if this SAXFRM-2x3 cable will work. I request you email us directly because once we submit our reply to this Amazon Answers question, we can not reply back or comment, for further discussion. Thanks, Rusty

Question 3

Is this compatible to the shure blx288?

Accepted Answer

Hello, thank you for your interest in the SAXFRM-2x3.  We apologize, but the short answer is no.  If you are trying to connect the receiver to a mixer or other input device that takes RCA, I don't think so.  I'm showing that the BLX-288 receiver only has one XLR output, not two, and I'm also showing that it has (as would be normal) a male output.  This means you need the XLR side of the cable to be Female.  You should also look into getting a single cable, though if you have multiple receivers then a SAXMRM-2x3 would work for that (to clarify that is a different cable than the one you are inquiring about).

If you are not connecting the BLX288 to an RCA device, google my number and let's talk.  I can help you figure out how to connect them together.  Have a great day!!  -Mike

Question 4

Does going from balanced to unbalance half the voltage of the signal?

Accepted Answer

No, the signal present on the line does not change, it is only an isolated ground. 
Unbalanced Audio
An audio cable carrying an unbalanced signal uses two wires: a signal and a ground.
The signal wire, as the name suggests, carries the audio signal to where it needs to go. The ground wire acts as a reference point for the signal. However, the ground wire itself also acts like an antenna, picking up unwanted noise along the way. Because unbalanced cables can pick up noise as a signal is sent along the cable, they’re best used for short distances, like connecting a guitar to a nearby amp. Doing so will minimize the risk for unwanted noise.
Balanced Audio
The structure of a balanced audio cable is similar to an unbalanced cable – with one addition. A balanced audio cable has a ground wire, but it also carries two copies of the same incoming audio signal, sometimes referred to as a “hot” (positive) and “cold” (negative) signal.
What’s the difference between the hot and cold signal?
The two signals are reversed in polarity, so as they travel down the cable, they cancel each other out (think of how adding positive and negative numbers of equal value amounts to zero). Once the hot and cold signal get to the other end of the cable, however, the polarity of the cold signal is flipped, so that both signals are “in phase”, and perfectly in sync.
Here’s the cool part: if the cable picks up noise along the way, the noise added to both of those cables is not reversed in polarity. So when the cold signal flips in polarity to match the polarity of the hot signal, the noise carried along the cold signal cancels out with noise in the hot signal. This "canceling out" process is called "common-mode rejection," with the noise being the "common" signal between the two.
Because balanced signals send two “in-phase” signals, they’re also louder (roughly 6 to 10db) than what unbalanced signals can provide.

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Seismic Audio Speakers 3 Foot XLR Dual Male Patch Cable, 2 XLR To 2 RCA Audio Cords

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