Balanced connections are really crucial in recording studios where levels of interference can be very high and the very low voltage signal generated by a microphone may have to travel a considerable length.

The advantages of a balanced connection system for domestic use are not quite so clear-cut, typically cable lengths are a lot shorter and signal levels a lot higher. If you have the option of both
single-ended and balanced connections, we would advise that you listen to both and decide which you feel offers the better quality of sound.

A transformer inside the component takes the signal and turns it through one hundred and eighty degrees. This inverted (or mirror image of the original) signal is connected to one of the contact pins on the XLR socket, the original signal is sent to another and the final pin is used to complete the circuit. When the signal arrives it is fed through another transformer and any noise (interference picked up along the length of the cable) common to both the in phase (original) and inverted phase (mirror image) is cancelled out.