Hi Chris, On Tue, 10 Jan 2017 08:33:04 -0600, Chris Caudle wrote: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ of the cable output, not the device output?! I don't have time to test it now [1], but soon or later I'll compare Tip-Ring-Sleeve jack with Ring unconnected to TS jack or cinch jack. Tip-Ring-Sleeve jack with Ring connected to TS jack or cinch jack and with - signal and ground short circuit at the TS jack or cinch jack end. However, likely connecting Ring with Sleeve by plugging in a TS jack into the Tip-Ring-Sleeve output socket, IOW short circuit at the output device is an issue. I'm sceptic that it makes a difference to connect the - signal with ground at the receiving device. Regards, Ralf [1] I've got all required jacks, but only 2 meter headphone cable, no other cable and I don't want to unsolder jacks from balanced cables I'm using. I've got TRS socket to TS jack adapters, but unfortunately those short circuit T with R and not R with S. I don't know what those adapters are good for. Perhaps for usage on both ends of a balanced cable, to make it an unbalanced cable by using both wires instead of just one wire or for converting a stereo signal to mono, by assuming that all gear usually is short-circuit-proof.

On Tue, Jan 10, 2017 at 04:54:24PM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote: Depends on the type of output. If it is a transformer or a circuit that controls the voltage difference between the + and - signals rather than each of them separately, then connecting - to ground at the input side would compensate for a ground voltage difference, while connecting it at the output wouldn't. Ciao, -- FA A world of exhaustive, reliable metadata would be an utopia. It's also a pipe-dream, founded on self-delusion, nerd hubris and hysterically inflated market opportunities. (Cory Doctorow)

On Tue, January 10, 2017 12:15 pm, Ralf Mardorf wrote: Correct, NOT unbalanced out to balanced in, only balanced out to unbalanced in. (whether connection between - and GND is made close to ouput, or close to next device input) For noise reduction it can make a difference when cables are long, the connection difference changes whether the voltage difference between the two devices due to power line leakage currents is higher at the unbalanced input, or higher at the balanced output. For some types of balanced outputs which can float effectively on the common mode voltage the power line noise is lower with that connection. The other way that connection point makes a difference is that connecting at the input of the next device changes the capacitance which loads the grounded output. That could affect stability in some cases. By the way, what was the output level from the device with bad sound when connected to the unbalanced input? Section 1.2 of the paper I referenced earlier points out that when grounding one side of that style of output circuitry, the ungrounded leg will be driven +6dB to keep the nominal output level the same, which is twice the output voltage. If that drives the output into clipping, large currents can flow through the grounded side. If the output was near the listed device maximum it could have been clipping just slightly on peaks. I would not expect that, usually an unbalanced input is designed for lower limits, so I would expect the unbalanced input to clip before the balanced output even in single ended connection, but hard to know without checking. -- Chris Caudle

Chris, Fons, ok, this could be an issue. A while back I mentioned that I never build usable audio circuits on a stripboard, while the same circuits were usable on etched circuit boards. The route of short conducting paths and especially grounding paths already could make a difference. Cable length here usually is between 1.5 m and 3.0 m. Maybe it makes a difference were connecting "-" to ground. I'm still sceptic, that it does cause the issues for the Focusrite. It at least seems not to be impossible. The problem is, that nothing in the user manual gives a hint, to avoid plugging in TS jacks into the balanced outputs. Regards, Ralf PS: When I worked for Brauner, I soldered some of the Klaus Heyne Edition, my claim is that all Klaus Heyne changes are fraud. Reminds me of freeze-dried, neutral point earthing, peas and power strips http://www.vovox.com/en/home-audio-hifi/products/power-supply/ "Yes, power cords too, have an influence on sound quality. This is hard to believe and even harder to explain. But it nevertheless cannot be denied, once you have tried it. Often it is precisely this cable that transforms a good audio chain into a peak unit . A truly rewarding way to perfect high-end systems." - http://www.vovox.com/en/home-audio-hifi/products/power-supply/textura-power/ https://www.thomann.de/gb/vovox_initio_power_100.htm https://www.thomann.de/gb/glockenklang_high_end_powercable.htm?ref=prod_rel…