SX-5e CONNECTOR DESCRIPTION
The SX-5e is self-explanatory. The left and right Line Out con- nections are RCA jacks on the card bracket, which are labeled. There are no other connectors on the card.
BALANCED AND UNBALANCED SIGNALS
The SX-5e and the SX-34 have unbalanced signals only. The SX-6 and SX-36 have balanced signals, which can be wired to be connected to unbalanced equipment if desired. (Note that in this discussion, “balanced” has nothing to do with balancing the loud- ness between the left and right channels of a stereo signal.) Bal- anced signals use 3 wires for one signal, which is usually trans- mitted on a shielded twisted pair cable. One of the wires of the twisted pair carries the signal and the other wire of the twisted pair carries the inverse of the signal (the opposite polarity). These are sometimes referred to as “hot” and “cold”. The shield is grounded at both ends. The advantage of balanced signals is that the re- ceiver is receiving only the voltage difference between the 2 wires of the twisted pair. Hum and noise picked up by the cable will be picked up equally by both wires of the twisted pair and rejected by the balanced receiver. Therefore, balanced connections have better signal to noise ratios than unbalanced and are essential for long cable runs. (As a rule of thumb, unbalanced connections are OK for connections less than 6 feet.) Unbalanced signals use a coaxial cable, with a center conductor and a shield. The shield is grounded at both ends. Unbalanced is sometimes known as “sin- gle ended”.
The balanced connections of an SX-6 or SX-36 may be con- nected to unbalanced equipment if desired. For the inputs of the SX-36, the minus input should be connected to ground and the signal will be connected to the plus input. When connecting the outputs of the Antex card to unbalanced equipment, there are two possible ways to make the connection. The center conductor of the unbalanced coax cable is connected to the plus output and the shield is connected to ground. The minus output may then either be grounded or left floating. Balanced output drivers used on the