Hi Groover... Welcome
You can use either...
I guess it depends on your application ...
Some DACs output unbalanced ..(not sure why tho)
As I would think we would want both sides of the waveform (more resolution).
... so regular audio cable (single conductor shielded) works for that.
I dont recommend this tho.
As balanced cable is so much more forgiving
If you are just using it at home , say less than 10m regular
Cat5 is fine ..
Shielded balanced audio cable is better IMHO...
I have heard others have had good luck with extended lengths..
I have also heard of people using Cat 5 cable but that is a little more
detailed..
You must have the style that shields the individual pairs
or
Do some fancy grounding of certain pairs..
Plus you may need several runs of this for full control depending on what you are doing.
Therefor.. you will need a break-out box at each end depending on the connectors used.
Use different colored tape on ends... but this is a mess to deal with.
I myself in the past ,.have had no luck with this as the cat 5 I tried was only
outer shielded ...
I had too much crosstalk in that cable
no matter how I wired it..
I prefer as many do...
shielded audio cable for the scanners and 25conductor cable (wired ILDA style) using db 25 connectors for the other signals.!!!
The idea is to keep the audio signals INSIDE the cable.
And control signals universal... for easy trouble-shooting in the dark
And interference like power controlled lights and other signals OUTSIDE the cable.
All this without loss... and fuss
Low performance systems it may not matter
Maybe some others will chime-in with what works for them.
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