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TRS vs. TS [Cable Differences Explained]

by Stuart Charles Black
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Hi friend and Welcome!

Today I’m going to be bringing you a relatively short post on TRS vs. TS cables, and what each is generally used for in the studio.

We’ll also briefly cover XLR and TRRS as well. So grab a snack, sit back, and relax because…

I’m Here to Help!!

Table of Contents


Introduction
TRS
TS
XLR
Video Discussion (with TRRS) & Final Word

Let’s get rolling!

Introduction

In building your home studio, you will come across a variety of different cables.

Way back when, RCA (unbalanced) was the most common one.

Remember those annoying Red, White, and Yellow wires that seemingly always ended up collecting dust somewhere in a shoe box?

I do! Still to this day, I find them in the strangest places and just have to laugh.

They do function well in a lot of instances though, so don’t knock ’em!

For example, a lot of Amps & DACs have RCA Analog Outs and/or and Ins that really do come in handy in a wide variety of situations.

I can output from a separate DAC into a Headphone Amp using RCA to RCA, I can output from a DAC  into a separate Amp like the JDS Labs Objective 2/ATOM using an RCA to mini cable, I can output RCA to XLR if I want to use the Amp as a preamp into some separate monitors, etc.

The possibilities are endless.

TRS and TS are used in a lot of things that may or may not show up in your studio as well. Things like:

You may have bought a pair before, not really thinking twice about the difference. I’m the same way actually.

When I purchased my JBL LSR 305s, I paired them with TRS cables because my research indicated I needed “balanced.”

I didn’t really know what that entailed back then, but today I will make it very clear!

Roll up your sleeves.

First up is TRS…


TRS

TRS stands for “Tip, Ring, Sleeve” and can be used as a mono balanced, or stereo unbalanced signal.

An example of a mono, balanced jack is the line output (Right and Left) from the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (An audio interface).

So to achieve a fully balanced sound with studio monitors, you would need 2 TRS to XLR balanced cables running from the back of the 2i2, into each monitor.

An example of a stereo unbalanced signal could be when you plug your headphones into a headphone jack, utilizing either the 3.5mm termination, or screwing on a 1/4″ adapter and plugging it into an amp that requires such.

Zen Blue Review

The FiiO K5 Pro utilizes a 1/4″ headphone jack.

Studio Monitors

TRS cables are great for studio monitors because they have very low noise.

Because they are balanced, they utilize 2 signals: one positive and one negative.

As the sound travels down the wire, the negative polarity is flipped once it arrives at the input (headphones, speakers, etc.) thus canceling out the noise (This is a rudimentary way of explaining Reverse Polarity, but the concept remains).

It’s why using balanced TRS is the preferred option for these setups.

The last thing you want to hear when your speakers are idle is a hum or a faint, distant sound that is extremely hard to get rid of.

Good cables go a long way! (Just don’t spend an arm and a leg, we’re not about snake oil here). Lol.

Even so, you’ll generally want to find something that isn’t cheap as dirt.

A lot of the time, people end up buying the cheapest junk out there when really, the somewhat more expensive (and well-researched option) could make all the difference in the world in receiving a good sound vs. a crappy one.

Again, I’m not talking about $1000 + cables. That sh** is for the birds. I’m talking about not being a bum.

For instance, I invested in a good set of TRS to XLR and they are still going strong in my studio.

I’ve tested out Optical cables running into the thousands, and other more ritzy type RCA to mini cables.

Even if there is a sound difference, it might not even be audible (aka you probably won’t give a crap anyway).

So chill the f out, take my advice, and don’t blow all of your hard-earned cash okay? 😛

Microphones

The same goes for microphones.

For instance, the Scarlett 2i2 has combo inputs, meaning you can plug a TRS cable OR an XLR cable into the front of it.

If you went the TRS route, a quality cable can make the difference in how your recording comes out when you play it back.

The same goes for XLR cables actually.

Headphones

You will also notice that a lot of entry-to-mid-level audiophile headphones come with 1/4″ TRS adapters, which conveniently plug into your interface or mixer.

However

Some people say that in dealing with under 6 feet of cable, the differences in sound between a TS and TRS cable are almost indistinguishable. You be the judge.

Again, the tip is the signal, the ring is the negative signal, (this is what blocks out the noise, i.e. the reverse polarity that we talked about), and the sleeve is the shielding of the cable (or the ground), which is also present in the more simplified TS version.

What’s also interesting to note is that the 3 pronged XLR cable functions in the exact same way as a TRS cable when it’s used. It’s just that the implementation/design is a bit different.


TS

TS cables are generally used for mono, unbalanced signals like the sound from an electric guitar or another instrument such as a keyboard.

They are also quite a bit longer (between 10-20 ft.), because of the fact that musicians on stage move around a lot.

They act as noise “gatherers” if you will, for cables that are pretty long.

The reason that guitarists use TS is that:

  • TRS (balanced) is essentially useless because an electric guitar outputs an unbalanced signal.
  • It’s also more expensive to produce instruments that have a balanced connector.
  • Guitarists may like that hum and extra noise. 

A TS cable also only has 2 separate wires running inside.

One wire carries the audio, the other carries the ground. Being that there is only one copy of the audio signal, it then becomes susceptible to picking up noise as the signal travels down the wire.


XLR

A staple in the studio.

It would be unfair to leave poor XLR out of the equation since he’s also very important in the studio and something that I personally utilize quite a bit.

These guys can run up to 100 ft. without noise and are generally used with a lot of entry-to-mid-level condenser microphones like my beloved Samson C01.

As mentioned above, XLR is also used very frequently with Near-field Studio Monitors that have a line-level signal.

The cool thing about an XLR cable is that it has 3 signals as well.

  • One is the ground wire (same as in an unbalanced cable).
  • But the other 2 are actually two copies of the same signal (discussed above with regard to reverse polarity and TRS).

As an example:

Your voice is split into two wires if you’re singing or rapping into a mic.

As it’s running down the wires, one wire’s polarity is suddenly flipped, and the 2 signals become out of phase with each other.

As the sound continues to travel, it eventually reaches the other side of the wire.

When it gets there, the polarity is flipped a second time, and the signals become in sync again.

After this, they are processed by whatever gear you are using (An interface or mixer).

Your computer actually does this in the form of 1s and 0s via an analog-to-digital conversion.

In the opposite (a digital-to-analog conversion), the sound is processed so that YOU can understand.

That’s a bit of a separate animal, but the concept is the same.

By now you may be asking…

Why did the Polarity flip?

Why are you asking so many questions, homie?

Just kidding lol.

  1. So the signals got flipped and were out of phase with each other.
  2. Your voice is still traveling down the line.
  3. A sudden alien abduction happens outside your window, causing a lot of interference. This gets picked up by the wires inside of the cable.
  4. There is now an alien abduction signal on both wires.
  5. All of that travels down with your voice, and you think “OH NO! Here comes some yucky noise!” (I knowwww). But wait, there’s more. Don’t flip your lid just yet, skippy.
  6. It gets to the other end, the signal is flipped that second time (back in phase), cancels out the interference/noise (flipping it as well), and basically gives it a big old boot to the ass. This leaves only the sound of your voice left, and no noise.

Eh, it sort of works. Lol.

Personally, though, my mind is blown. I really do think that’s the coolest thing ever (not the Futurama reference, but the concept of Reverse Polarity). I hope you do too!

Check out Pete Johns going into the differences between TRS, TS, and even TRRS (4 poled)! Whoa, Nelly!


Final Word

Well, my friend, that’s about it for today. I hope you’ve learned a lot in this TRS vs. TS article, and came away with a better idea of what to use in different situations.

What kinds of cables are you looking for in your studio? Let me know!

All the best and God bless,

 

 

-Stu

[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ]

Be sure to check out my Reviews and Resources page for more helpful and informative articles!

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6 comments

Hersey Berry Jr February 25, 2019 - 4:30 am

Keep up the hard work G. You will get there. These pages you have are very useful.

Reply
Stuart Charles Black February 25, 2019 - 5:18 pm

Thanks man. Your support really does mean a lot in these tough times.

Reply
Leonardo Lopez September 8, 2020 - 5:24 pm

Hola Stu, soy de Bogotá Colombia, mi inglés no es muy bueno, así que espero que hagas buen uso del traductor de Google jejejeje…

Aprecio mucho tus conocimientos acerca de audio, y he aprendido bastante con tus artículos, que son muy divertidos por cierto, quisiera que tus vídeos de YouTube tuvieran subtítulos en español para poder entenderlos.

Quiero saber cómo puedo conectar mi DAC Fiio k5pro a los monitores JBL 305MK2; los acabo de comprar y los usaré exclusivamente para reproducir musica, no producción musical, no juegos – solo música en buenos formatos de audio!! – Cuáles cables me recomiendas usar para obtener una buena calidad de audio? depronto funcionaria 1TRS a RCA dual? en aliexpress he visto algunos a buen precio. – Es Mejor TRS a RCA, ó XLR a RCA ? ?

Soy un amante del audio de buena calidad (audiofilo) Novato ?!! pero con presupuesto limitado…

Gracias por tu atención y espero tu respuesta, está bien si me respondes en inglés, yo haré uso del traductor ??.

Saludos Stu!!! ????

Reply
Stuart Charles Black September 11, 2020 - 2:31 pm

Oye, sé que discutimos esto en Instagram, pero lo pondré aquí para otros y también lo traduciré

For anyone reading this, here is my response to him from Instagram in spanish and then english

¡Hey hombre! Muchas gracias! No se preocupe 🙂 Utilizo el traductor todo el tiempo. Realmente necesito volver a aprender español ¡JAJA! Sí, creo que puedes usar algo como esto: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Dual-Unbalanced-Interconnect/dp/B07SHWYDVQ Sin embargo, la señal no estará balanceada. Cuando tuve los 305, los usé con una Scarlett 2i2 y TRS balanceada a XLR. Sin embargo, nunca he alimentado monitores de estudio desequilibrados. Para mí, XLR o TRS está bien. No me enredaría demasiado tratando de decidirme por uno u otro. Solo te recomendaré XLR 🙂 Manténme informado con más preguntas. ¡Me alegra ayudar!

==================

Hey man! Thank you very much! Don’t worry 🙂 I use the translator all the time. I really need to re-learn Spanish HAHA! Yes, I think you can use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Dual-Unbalanced-Interconnect/dp/B07SHWYDVQ However, the signal will not be balanced. When I had the 305s, I used them with a Scarlett 2i2 and balanced TRS to XLR. However, I have never powered unbalanced studio monitors. For me, XLR or TRS is fine. I wouldn’t get too caught up in trying to decide on one or the other. I will only recommend XLR to you 🙂 Keep me posted with more questions. Glad to help!

Reply
Billy January 29, 2022 - 3:37 pm

In a home studio situation, if my monitors (Kali LP-6) have both XLR and TRS inputs available, is there any benefit to using the XLR input if the output from my interface (NI Komplete Audio 6) is TRS only (ie use a TRS->XLR cable vs a TRS->TRS)?

Also, not sure if this is a stupid question but are you being serious about the “tone” not coming through TRS on guitar or were you kidding lol? I don’t think I’ve noticed a difference between using TRS or TS from guitar to interface, but I want to make sure

Reply
Stuart Charles Black February 2, 2022 - 6:04 pm

Hey man! Hmm. Can’t really comment on if there’s any real difference there (as I’ve never done a direct A/B), but my experience with balanced cables says “meh.” Meaning no, probably not.

As for your second question, big LOL, and thanks for pointing out that load of hogwash. I don’t even remember where I read that but it was from an actual guitarist I believe. What it should really say is that TRS is useless with an electric guitar because they output an unbalanced signal.

I will change it now!

Keep me posted with further questions 🙂

Reply

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