Transparent Audio ULTRA Balanced Interconnect

The Ultra Balanced Interconnect is the XLR-terminated companion to Ultra RCA — sitting in Transparent’s LIFELIKE collection, engineered for balanced-line systems where the electronics have moved into the resolving-separates tier. Balanced Ultra applies the same machined acrylic network module as the RCA version, but implements Transparent’s fully-balanced network topology: two discrete network paths per channel (one for each signal-carrying conductor) plus a dual grounding system. That construction is what a properly-designed balanced cable requires, and it’s the differentiator that separates Ultra Balanced from XLR-terminated cables that share network components between the positive and negative paths.

The Gen 6 network filter — calibrated to your balanced source component’s output impedance and the specific length of the cable — sits inside the machined acrylic housing, epoxy-resin damped and mounted on precision isolation feet. Gold-plated XLR connectors mate to precision-wound OFHC stranded copper heavier than Super Balanced uses. The dual-grounding architecture rejects common-mode noise more completely than lower-tier balanced cables can, which shows up audibly in the retrieval of low-level spatial information — where instruments sit in the recording’s acoustic rather than just where they sit in the stereo image.

Ultra Balanced is designed for systems where the balanced electronics have moved into the resolving-separates tier — good balanced pre/power combinations or top-tier integrated amplifiers with balanced inputs, driving speakers that reveal cable-level differences. Level-matched LIFELIKE companions include Ultra RCA, Ultra Speaker Cable, and Ultra Phono. Fully upgradeable to Reference, XL, Opus, or Magnum Opus Balanced through Transparent’s Upgrade Program, with original investment retained. Warranty registration extends to limited lifetime.

Ultra Balanced against Super Balanced in the same system is a more revealing comparison than the tier-price gap alone suggests — the dual-network architecture and acrylic housing combine to change what the cable makes audible, not just the degree. We keep both Ultra Balanced and Ultra RCA on hand in both Scottsdale and Tempe. Walk in during business hours or book ahead if the audition involves specific balanced electronics we should have set up.