[sdiy] Protective Earth on PC soundcard GND?

[JH.]

> But the other side, PC balanced TRS outputs to unbalanced RCA inputs on
the
> mixer, would only work if (*if* !) these TRS outputs would really be
> "floating balanced" (as with a transformer, or with a special
cross-coupled
> opamp output). But I suspect "balanced output" all too often means just
> complementary signals which are both referenced to GND, in which case a
> tip/ring to RCA connection will be fatal (or at lest not break a ground
> loop).

>There is ways to actively drive wich allows the drive to be diffrential
while
>he common mode may be controlled or indeed acidental as it would become
with
>ground loops and other imperfections in offset. Within the (little) range
of
>the op-amps it works, but the cost is headroom.

Yes that's what I menat with "floating balanced" (probably bad choice of
words),
the circuit putting out a well-defined differential signal whatever the
common
mode is. (The case of the negative output being tied to the GND of the
receiving end
included!) It's possible (withing the CM range of the opamps of course), but
I have rarely seen it implemented! *Mostly* you see just an inverted and
noninverted
output, both referenced to GND. Then I see no way to connect it without
getting a voltage that exists between sending and receiving ground added
into my
signal.

That's why im asking. I could buy the 1010 instead of the 1010LT, for twice
the
money, and get "balanced" inputs and outputs. Now it depends on the
implementation
of the "balanced" outputs whether I can break a GND loop (always talking
about
unbalanced I/O on the mixer!) or not.

JH.