What is the difference between a 1/4 inch vs. 3.5 mm jack?
As others have already stated: no difference apart from the overall sturdiness.I would add that it is not so much the male connector that shows its weakness much earlier on the 3.5mm version, but the female socket.So much so that in the early days of telephone (to develop from what Michiel Lombaers stated in his answer), the shape of the original 1/4" jacks (B Gauge) was slightly different to that of a typical 1/4" instrument jack (A gauge).In the picture, B-gauge is on top left, A-gauge on bottom rightThis is because patchbay sockets have spring-like mechanisms which wear out a lot less with GPO (General Post Office) 1/4" B-gauge jacks - see image of one below - than with an A-gauge jack's much bigger tip.All that to say that because of the A-gauge's larger tip - whether in 1/4" or 1/8" - the female socket wears out faster than in B-gauge, which is what most professional consoles use for their patchbays (they use a smaller format which is 4.4mm, a.k.a. TT for Tiny Telephone).And as the 1/8" jack female socket is twice as puny as the 1/4" one, it wears out much faster.
What is the difference between 3.5 mm jack in mobiles and laptops?
Let's try to understand with basics :As shown in the image, there are mainly three types of ports. We see mostly TRS and TRRS types jacks.TS type jack does not support stereo sound and microphone. It means there is no left and right only mono. Both side of headphones will give you the same sound. TRS type jack supports stereo sound but it does not support microphone. You can only listen to music but can not make calls with these type of headphones.TRRS type jack supports both stereo and microphone functionality.Now we will try to understand it thoroughly. By comparing the above two images, one can understand the positions of left, right and microphone.Now comes the tricky part. When it came time to add in a microphone channel, things went a little pear-shaped because there were two schools of thought on how to wire up the connections. One called CTIA, and another known as OMTP. Some manufacturers chose to change the socket in order to make the sleeve contact as the ground line (OMTP), while others chose to leave the ground contact where it was and squeeze the new channel in on the sleeve (CTIA). It is shown in the below image.So no matter what you have, laptop or mobile phone, your manufacture could have followed either CTIA standard or OMTP standard. It is the reason behind compatibility issue with headphones. So it is possible that your mobile phone headphones don't work with your laptop or vice-versa. How to overcome this problem ?Simple. Use stereo headphones without microphone (TRS type). Means having only two strips in jack instead of three. Let me make you understand through image.As we can see, the position of left and right remains same, it will work with both CTIA standard and OMTP standard. Position of microphone will be covered by ground. So it won't affect the compatibility. If you only want to listen to music, always buy headphones without microphone because of this you won't need to worry about compatibility of the headphones.What if you have already bought incompatible headphone but you still want to use it ?Simple. Buy one of this. It will (probably) solve the problem. Why probably ? Because this item also follows either CTIA or OMTP standard. But it cost way more less compare to headphone. So buy one of them and chech if it works. If don't then buy another one.
Should I use a balanced instrument cable while recording from guitar with effects pedal?
Your guitar and effects stompboxes have mono jacks. Plugging a balanced TRS cable is not going to circumvent anything, as the mono contacts connect TS to TS, the ring portion is moot. Inside the cable the tip&ring are conductors, the sleeve is the shield. Now, maybe your original TS guitar cables are shot, so replacing them (or fixing them) could solve it. To get to the crux of your issue, typically we would begin with powering up your computer/interface, then add guitar...and effects until you can identify the offending noise source. If it starts with your workstation, find a new power source.
What is the difference between two stripe earphone/headphone and three stripe earphone/headphone?
Okay let me explain this clearly.There are 3 different types of rings in an headphone jack.ImageThese rings are non-conductive insulating rings which basically insulate one section from the next in order to represent which components get power.Single ring:Typically one ring means that there are two sections so the plug is mono and plays the same sound in headphones.Two rings:And regular stereo headphones will tend to have two rings creating three sections with two of them providing the connection to the left and right speakers.Three rings:If you plug a three-ringed audio jack into the device, it means that your device is designed to have a microphone.Image SourceContent
Are TRS and TS cables completely interchangeable?
If you are talking about 1/4 inch cables, it really depends...most modern professional audio equipment has audio line inputs and outputs that work perfectly fine with either. The only type of output that you really need to use a TRS cable is a stereo headphone jack. See: http://www.tweakheadz.com/all_about_cabl... The rule of thumb is if the cable needs to run a long distance, use TRS cables. If it is a short distance (under 15 feet) a TS cable will work fine.
Are all amp/ electric guitar cables the same size?
Guitars and amps overwhelmingly use 1/4" jacks and plugs. The Plugs and jacks are TS (tip/sleeve) with a body and tip connection, not TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) which are usually 3-conductor cables for balanced audio signals. If it was listed as a "guitar" cable you are OK. One thing to remember (because they look similar) is to not use a guitar cable as a speaker cable. Be sure your cable is marked "speaker cable" in that case.
Are TS or TRS cables better for a stage piano/keyboard with dual outputs when splitting keyboard into two different sounds (i.e., bass in the left hand and piano in the right)?
Although you’re playing the bass with your left hand and piano on the right, the signal should still be centered, unless some DSP on the keyboard is panning or phasing the instruments. As far as TS and TRS go for mono vs. stereo, you’ll probably be fine with mono, but stereo is always a better bet.If you’re referring to TS vs TRS for a single, mono, channel, TS will do the job for relatively short distances (probably around 25 feet, maximum). After that, you’ll want TRS, as it’s designed for carrying signals for longer distances without interference.TRS cables are noticeably more expensive than their TS counterparts, so they may not be your primary choice for cabling.This largely depends on your setup for the stage. If your mixer or a digital snake will be on the stage with you, TS will be fine. This is the case for travelling bands/musicians who set up their own gear (speakers, amps, mixer, wiring, etc.).