Unbalanced vs Balanced audio cable over short distance

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

Hi,

Drawing a blank here - I’m sure this has been asked before but I can’t see anything in the forum about this specifically.

  1. Over a short distance (<1m) does the difference between balanced and unbalanced audio cables really matter?
  2. If I use a TRS (balanced) cable on an unbalanced output -> balanced input, is it safe? Will it just not get the benefits of being balanced but will still transmit the audio without damaging anything?

Thanks

#2

Some gear is quieter when fed with an unbalanced cable.

https://www.keithmcmillen.com/blog/an-explanation-of-differential-signals-in-amplification/

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