Balanced if at all possible. Always. No matter what. If you have the choice.

OK well the next logical step in this thread would be *speaker* cables.

Assume you have balanced lines from the console or DAW to the power amp -->

Next question is which type of speaker cables to use and does the speaker gauge and "bi-wiring" matter?

Hi!

Which type of speaker cables and what speaker gauge and bi-wiring matter???

The setup is:
Output: 24 bit balanced output of a sound card to a balanced active monitor

Murdock

Ah, you didn't say they were active at first.

Balanced.

For active monitors - yes - balanced. Especially since the audio cable usually travels parallel with an AC power cord. Unbalanced audio cords in this arrangement make a perfect "transformer secondary" to add tasty 60Hz flavor to your sound. :wink:

On a only-slightly relevant, non-studio, passive note, I have home theater front pair speakers that are bi-wireable. Though I have always had doubts of any difference bi-wiring makes in a four-foot-long speaker cord, I had found a 8-foot chunk of 4-conductor 4-gauge :shock: SJOW power cord in an electrical supply's boneyard surplus pile for $2! I picked up some huge gold-plated spade lugs and some heat-shrink tubing and made my own set of "hi-fi garden hoses"--more than an inch around! An "audiophile" friend with the same receiver/speakers as I recently visted and asked about the cables--I simply replied "they're custom," to which he couldn't say enough good things about the "transparency," "imaging" and "soundstage" and how well "the artist's vision is coming through." :roll: All through cables that cost less than a pizza! :twisted:

--Bob

i think you already know this but ...

don't forget something in between your soundcard and active monitors...... it's not a good idea to use the masterfader in the computer

Having a master fader is the main reason why I prefer a hybrid computer/analog console system, although having that much more desk space and shorter signal path is enticing as well.

I probably should start another thread for this question, but since it's related to this topic, what experience has anybody had with the dbx DriveRack Studio for monitor level control and protection? Any impressions with the monitor simulations? I've wondered how does it know what your monitors sound like to begin with, before it tries to make them sound like NS10M's?

--Bob

Hi!

What the advice for the masterfader between soundcard and the monitors?
DriveRack Sutdio???

I saw in a studio something blue with a big fader that acts like a masterfader for the monitors... but i can remenber the company that made... it was blue with a digital panel that shows the db's...

Murdock