Orville’s analog inputs + balanced 1/4 cords

[USed EQuipment]

here is my situation:

Recently I’ve introduced Orville to my studio rig . Now, without really reading manual first I started hooking it to my gears. I thought, “well, I see analog inputs, ok, I have trs-trs patch cords, good, so I should go ahead and insert those patch cords into analog inputs on my Orville”.

So I just went on, inserted stereo jacks into analog inputs experiencing slight tightness as I was pushing jacks into the sockets, to which I gave only brief concern, thinking that perhaps it was just this unit’s quirk in its physical build. And mind you, TRS plugs went in all the way, and there was no suspicious sounds as if something was cracking or crumbling or falling apart or dislocating… That done, I proceeded to the manual itself to start familiarizing with buttons, functions, etc.

Imagine, then, that, when I stumbled upon the section in the manual about the rear panel, where it says that owners should use UNbalanced jacks or Balanced XLRs for the analog inputs on Orville…imagine, then, how numb I went, instantly recalling the tightness I experienced, while inserting the damn TRS connectors… I thought, “My god, I must have broken something inside, no doubt…” But just in case I pulled out (again, with some noticable resistance) those balanced 1/4 cords and ordered unbalanced ones. And no, I didn’t try to test the performance with balanced plugs.

So, here is my question:

is it actually possible to do damage to the analog input sockets of Orville if, instead of using unbalanced jack plugs, I used balanced ones?

Thank you in advance

 

[nickrose]

USed EQuipment wrote:

is it actually possible to do damage to the analog input sockets of Orville if, instead of using unbalanced jack plugs, I used balanced ones?

To set your mind at rest – highly unlikely.

There is actually no such distinction as a balanced or unbalanced jack plug – these refer to the way the plug is connected – balanced has to be TRS, unbalanced can be either TS or TRS.

If you use the wrong one, in may hum and buzz, or have no signal, but is unlikely to do any damage (I say unlikely, because you could potentially have a major AC power ground problem, or lightning strikes, but these are issues way beyond your jack plugs).

 

 

[USed EQuipment]

Thanks!!! Indeed, I feel much better now. I guess the only damage is to my wallet, then, since I ordered a reduntant bunch of new TS cords. 

Happy Holidays, Eventide audio crew !!!

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