TS or TRS — how do I tell?

Count the black rings on the plug. One ring is TS, mono and unbalanced: instruments. Two rings is TRS, balanced or stereo: monitors, line signals and some headphone connections. They fit the same socket and behave differently, which is why a monitor on a TS cable can hum.

Does a longer cable sound worse?

On an unbalanced instrument cable, yes, eventually: the longer the run, the more interference it picks up and the more high end it loses. Three to six metres is the usual practical range; beyond that a balanced connection or an active box is the fix.

The lead a guitar actually needs

KabelDirekt 6.3 mm Instrument Cable 3 m

Name: KabelDirekt 6.3 mm Instrument Cable 3 m
Brand: KabelDirekt
SKU: B07PG8ZTTL
Availability: InStock

A three-metre mono jack lead: one ring on the plug, unbalanced, which is exactly what an electric instrument sends to an amplifier. It is not the cable a monitor speaker wants.

KabelDirekt 3 m 6.3 mm mono instrument cable

KabelDirekt 6.3 mm Instrument Cable 3 m

A three-metre mono jack lead: one ring on the plug, unbalanced, which is exactly what an electric instrument sends to an amplifier. It is not the cable a monitor speaker wants.

Connector: 6.3 mm mono jack (TS)
Length: 3 m
Signal: Unbalanced
Use: Instrument to amplifier or interface instrument input
Amazon reference: B07PG8ZTTL (identical on 6 markets)
EAN: 4260414846007

Three metres is enough to stand up and move without being enough to pick up hum
Mono TS is the correct type for a guitar or bass, and the listing says so
Unbalanced: not the cable for a studio monitor or a long line run

Best for: Guitar or bass into an amplifier, or into the instrument input of an interface.

≈ £10 / 10 €

Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Connector: 6.3 mm mono jack (TS)
Length: 3 m
Signal: Unbalanced
Use: Instrument to amplifier or interface instrument input
Amazon reference: B07PG8ZTTL (identical on 6 markets)
EAN: 4260414846007

This is the cable that should have been in the box, and often is not.

A 6.3 mm mono jack — TS, one ring on the plug — carries an unbalanced signal from an electric instrument to an amplifier. That is what a guitar, a bass and the instrument input of an interface expect, and it is the most common cable in this niche.

What it is not is a monitor cable. Studio monitors take balanced TRS or XLR, and a TS lead plugged into a balanced input will work while being more vulnerable to hum and interference. The two plugs are nearly identical to look at, which is the source of a great deal of confusion.

Three metres is the sensible length. It allows movement without being long enough to act as an aerial, which is what causes the buzz that appears only when the guitar is plugged in.

All cables & adapters

KabelDirekt 6.3 mm Instrument Cable 3 m

Specifications

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