# TS vs TRS cables



## epyfathom

Hi,



I'm very new to this. Can someone explain to me what the different between these two types of cables are and which ones are better for connecting my electric guitar to an amp.



Thanks!


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## GuitarsCanada

TRS = Tip, Ring, Sleeve. This is a two conductor cable, like for a stereo headphone. If you look at the plug, you can see the plug is divided into 3 sections, the tip, the ring in the middle, and the sleeve.

TS = Tip, Sleeve. This is a single conductor cable plug, like a standard guitar cable.


Top pic TS bottom TRS


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## blam

Your guitar only needs a TS, aka mono. TRS Is stereo. TRS will work, but it is not necessary. Use a shielded cable for guitar to amp.Do NOT use shielded for amp to cab.


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## epyfathom

blam said:


> Your guitar only needs a TS, aka mono. TRS Is stereo. TRS will work, but it is not necessary. Use a shielded cable for guitar to amp.Do NOT use shielded for amp to cab.


I can get either cable for about the same price... so which one would you get? is there a difference in sound quality? is one more versatile than the other?


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## blam

Something tells me you are buying from monoprice?Avoid their cables. They are not made for guitar. Stereo is more versatile, but you'll more than likely never use it in a guitar application.


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## bw66

epyfathom said:


> I can get either cable for about the same price... so which one would you get? is there a difference in sound quality? is one more versatile than the other?


The only time you would get a difference in sound quality is if your guitar _and_ amp were set-up to work with "balanced" output and input, respectively. In this case, the TRS connector would reduce any extraneous noise. However, this would be a very unusual circumstance.


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## Milkman

There is no advantage whatsoever to using TRS cable for guitar. Use a normal TS guitar cord from guitar toi amp and between pedals.

TRS is used whenever a stereo output is required or when connecting to a "balanced" device. Your guitar and amp don't need this.


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## Big_Daddy

Balanced (TRS) lines are made up of and carry 3 similar elements, a positive voltage signal, a negative voltage signal, and a ground (shield). Unbalanced (TS) lines, on the other hand, are made up of only 2 elements: the audio signal and the ground. The main difference between the two is that balanced cables utilize 3 conductors to carry an analog audio signal while unbalanced cables use only 2 conductors.
In the case of a balanced line, the audio signal is doubled or duplicated and "flipped" in polarity (hence the positive and negative) to reduce noise and increase cable lengths using a phenomenon called "Common Mode Rejection". In an unbalanced scenario the signal is not duplicated and the whole signal load is carried by only one conductor.

By using 3 conductors to carry an analog audio line, a balanced cable reduces the amount of noise and electro magnetic interference that would normally be induced into the carried load when using only 2 conductors. All 3 components (positive voltage, negative voltage, and ground) that make up a balanced line use their own independent conductor. "Common Mode Rejection" is the name used to describe the phenomenon in which the design of a balanced cable, or piece of equipment, is fashioned upon that which minimizes the noise associated with unbalanced pieces of equipment.

Unbalanced cables and pieces of gear are typically less complicated and less expensive. Unbalanced isn't bad and is standard for certain kinds of equipment such as electric guitars, basses, and turntables. The main limitation regarding unbalanced lines is that cable lengths should be kept as short as possible (certainly under 25-30' maximum) in order to reduce noise and interference issues .

A shielded cable is an electrical or signal cable (audio or other) of one or more conductors (balanced and unbalanced) enclosed by a common conductive layer. The shield may be composed of braided strands of copper (or other metal), a non-braided spiral winding of copper tape, or a layer of conducting polymer. Usually, this shield is covered with a jacket. The shield acts as an enclosure to reduce electrical noise from affecting the signals, and to reduce interference with other devices.

*So much for the technical aspect. The bottom line is that 99.9 % of guitars and amplifiers have double-pole (TS) style input jacks on them. Plugging a balanced (TRS) or 3-wire cable/plug into a TS-style jack is, at best, useless and, at the worst, may cause grounding issues.*


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## epyfathom

Big_Daddy said:


> Balanced (TRS) lines are made up of and carry 3 similar elements, a positive voltage signal, a negative voltage signal, and a ground (shield). Unbalanced (TS) lines, on the other hand, are made up of only 2 elements: the audio signal and the ground. The main difference between the two is that balanced cables utilize 3 conductors to carry an analog audio signal while unbalanced cables use only 2 conductors.
> In the case of a balanced line, the audio signal is doubled or duplicated and "flipped" in polarity (hence the positive and negative) to reduce noise and increase cable lengths using a phenomenon called "Common Mode Rejection". In an unbalanced scenario the signal is not duplicated and the whole signal load is carried by only one conductor.
> 
> By using 3 conductors to carry an analog audio line, a balanced cable reduces the amount of noise and electro magnetic interference that would normally be induced into the carried load when using only 2 conductors. All 3 components (positive voltage, negative voltage, and ground) that make up a balanced line use their own independent conductor. "Common Mode Rejection" is the name used to describe the phenomenon in which the design of a balanced cable, or piece of equipment, is fashioned upon that which minimizes the noise associated with unbalanced pieces of equipment.
> 
> Unbalanced cables and pieces of gear are typically less complicated and less expensive. Unbalanced isn't bad and is standard for certain kinds of equipment such as electric guitars, basses, and turntables. The main limitation regarding unbalanced lines is that cable lengths should be kept as short as possible (certainly under 25-30' maximum) in order to reduce noise and interference issues .
> 
> A shielded cable is an electrical or signal cable (audio or other) of one or more conductors (balanced and unbalanced) enclosed by a common conductive layer. The shield may be composed of braided strands of copper (or other metal), a non-braided spiral winding of copper tape, or a layer of conducting polymer. Usually, this shield is covered with a jacket. The shield acts as an enclosure to reduce electrical noise from affecting the signals, and to reduce interference with other devices.
> 
> *So much for the technical aspect. The bottom line is that 99.9 % of guitars and amplifiers have double-pole (TS) style input jacks on them. Plugging a balanced (TRS) or 3-wire cable/plug into a TS-style jack is, at best, useless and, at the worst, may cause grounding issues.*


Thank you very much. That was really detailed and helpful. 

Blam: What's wrong with monoprice? This was where I was planning to get my cables... is it better to get the cheap no-name brands at steve's?


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## Guest

Big_Daddy said:


> Balanced (TRS) lines are made up of and carry 3 similar elements, a positive voltage signal, a negative voltage signal, and a ground (shield). Unbalanced (TS) lines, on the other hand, are made up of only 2 elements: the audio signal and the ground. The main difference between the two is that balanced cables utilize 3 conductors to carry an analog audio signal while unbalanced cables use only 2 conductors.
> In the case of a balanced line, the audio signal is doubled or duplicated and "flipped" in polarity (hence the positive and negative) to reduce noise and increase cable lengths using a phenomenon called "Common Mode Rejection". In an unbalanced scenario the signal is not duplicated and the whole signal load is carried by only one conductor.
> 
> By using 3 conductors to carry an analog audio line, a balanced cable reduces the amount of noise and electro magnetic interference that would normally be induced into the carried load when using only 2 conductors. All 3 components (positive voltage, negative voltage, and ground) that make up a balanced line use their own independent conductor. "Common Mode Rejection" is the name used to describe the phenomenon in which the design of a balanced cable, or piece of equipment, is fashioned upon that which minimizes the noise associated with unbalanced pieces of equipment.
> 
> Unbalanced cables and pieces of gear are typically less complicated and less expensive. Unbalanced isn't bad and is standard for certain kinds of equipment such as electric guitars, basses, and turntables. The main limitation regarding unbalanced lines is that cable lengths should be kept as short as possible (certainly under 25-30' maximum) in order to reduce noise and interference issues .
> 
> A shielded cable is an electrical or signal cable (audio or other) of one or more conductors (balanced and unbalanced) enclosed by a common conductive layer. The shield may be composed of braided strands of copper (or other metal), a non-braided spiral winding of copper tape, or a layer of conducting polymer. Usually, this shield is covered with a jacket. The shield acts as an enclosure to reduce electrical noise from affecting the signals, and to reduce interference with other devices.
> 
> *So much for the technical aspect. The bottom line is that 99.9 % of guitars and amplifiers have double-pole (TS) style input jacks on them. Plugging a balanced (TRS) or 3-wire cable/plug into a TS-style jack is, at best, useless and, at the worst, may cause grounding issues.*


Not to nitpick too much, but the type of connector in use doesn't necessarily bely the type of signal being sent along the line. Case in point: you use a TRS connector for your headphones and the signals being sent to your headphones are not balanced, they are unbalanced signals; one for the left channel and one for the right channel (and a common ground).

Some equipment that supports balanced audio send and receive can use TRS plugs to connect them up, some demand an XLR connection, others use different standards. "Balancing" a signal is about careful impedance matching between the sender and receiver and the use of pairs of wires to send a single, mono source; balancing is not about the connector being used (the pairs of signals don't even have to be 90º inversions of each other for common-mode noise rejection to work).

If you see a cable with a TRS connector you know (with a high degree of certainty) that it can support the transmission of two analog signals. Whether that means a balanced signal or a stereo signal or whatnot doesn't really matter. As long as the signals can share a common ground, the TRS-tipped cable can handle it.


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## mhammer

The vast majority of effect pedals, that use a battery, assume use of a T-S plug and cable. They use the shorting out of a Ring connection on the input jack against the Shaft of the plug as a means of connecting the battery in-circuit. So, if one wishes to use even one stinking effect pedal, you MUST use a T-S plug going into the pedal.

A T-R-S plug/cable coming out of the pedal and going into the amp will not be any different than a T-S in the same location.


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## blam

epyfathom said:


> Thank you very much. That was really detailed and helpful.
> 
> Blam: What's wrong with monoprice? This was where I was planning to get my cables... is it better to get the cheap no-name brands at steve's?


they aren't made for guitars. they have high high high handling noise. like...really high...

it's a quality cable, nice ends, but did i mention the extremely high handling noise?


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