getting new Mixer: Mackie???

[Monolithent]

Easiest way to tell the difference on a 1/4 inch connector is to look at the connector.

Unbalanced cables have only one separator ring and balanced have two.

Unbalanced are capable of signal travel but are limited in their distance. Balanced are a superior choice as they are not much if any more expensive per linear foot and the second signal connection helps to cancel out interference from outside sources (such as power cables)

Unbalanced cables are often caled TS (tip+sleeve) cables
Balanced cables are known as TRS (tip+ring+sleeve) cables

The plusses (+) in the above statement would correspond to separator rings referred to in the second line of this post.

Make sense?