balanced/unbalanced

This may be a stupid question to ask, but for equipment what are the differences between balanced and unbalanced inputs??? I'm trying to get a Sonic Maximizer, and dont know what would work best for my needs.

Thanks,
Evan

Its a bit like comparing single-coil pickups to humbuckers.

An unbalanced line is usually a two-conductor cable, with a 'hot' and a 'neutral' wire. The signal is carried as a voltage difference between the two wires. Since the neutral wire is connected to the system ground, any noise induced on the cable looks just like part of the signal, as far as the circuit on the receiving end of the cable is concerned.

A balanced line has a + line, a - line, and a Common line. Most interferance will be coupled onto the cable in 'common mode' (all of the lines get the same signal). The circuitry at the receiving end of the cable uses only the differential between the + and - signal, relative to the Common line, so the common-mode voltage is ignored. This results in a 'quieter' signal path having a better signal-to-noise ratio.

Am I right in saying that guitar leads are generally unblalanced, and that those three pronged mic leads are balanced?

Originally posted by Bardsley
Am I right in saying that guitar leads are generally unblalanced, and that those three pronged mic leads are balanced?

Yup, you are right.

As for the original question. If you're going to use the BBE in a studio, get balanced. If you're going to use it in your guitar rig, get unbalanced.