XLR Cables

[rebulx]

Hey Guys, I'm switching to a dedicated pre/pro system and figured I might as well swap out my RCA's for XLR's. Hoping for some advice regarding the following questions:

Recommendations on decent XLR cables that are too expensive.

Can you hear a difference from RCA to XLR?

Can you hear a difference from cheaper amazon cables vs high end cables?

I will need an XLR "L" bracket / 90 degree adapter or cable that has it built in as I'm tight on depth, will a cheap adapter kill the sound quality?

Using an Emotiva G3 5 ch and two Emotiva mono blocks for the front left and right towers. I plan on getting a Yamaha CX-A5200 next week.

thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[lovinthehd]

Hey Guys, I'm switching to a dedicated pre/pro system and figured I might as well swap out my RCA's for XLR's. Hoping for some advice regarding the following questions:

Recommendations on decent XLR cables that are too expensive.

Can you hear a difference from RCA to XLR?

Can you hear a difference from cheaper amazon cables vs high end cables?

I will need an XLR "L" bracket / 90 degree adapter or cable that has it built in as I'm tight on depth, will a cheap adapter kill the sound quality?

Using an Emotiva G3 5 ch and two Emotiva mono blocks for the front left and right towers. I plan on getting a Yamaha CX-A5200 next week.

thanks in advance for the advice!

Easy to go too expensive, just depends how much money ya got!

Doubt there's an audible difference between rca/xlr unless you have some odd noise issues or something, if the interconnect is sufficient there won't be an audible difference (most high end cables are just simply bullshit, by the way). Make your own!

 

[mazersteven]

Balanced Audio Cables at Blue Jeans Cable

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

If your pre-pro and amp are in the same equipment rack, I’d say pass on the XLRs. They are not going to offer you any benefit.

A perennial problem with “affordable” XLRs is cheap female connectors that are not made to spec and easily wallow around in the socket.

The cheapest decent-quality cable you’re going to find costs about $15. So, you’re looking at over $100 in cables for your 7-channel system. The Blue Jeans cables mazer recommended will cost double that amount. That money isn’t going to get you anything that you aren’t already getting from the RCA cables you’re currently using.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Verdinut]

There is an advantage over RCA with XLR only for cable lengths over 15 feet, as the risk of collecting interference noise and hum are annulled.

 

[highfigh]

I have heard hum when XLR cables were used and the solution was to switch to unbalanced cables with RCA plugs and the pieces of equipment being connected were from the same company- they had been used at another place and the problem was caused by an electrician who neither knew why I had asked for the outlets to be wired in a particular way, nor did he care. For consumer equipment, which isn't always true balanced low impedance, it's a waste and totally unnecessary.

There's a way to eliminate noise by using cabling that's often referred to as 'quasi-balanced', which is a twisted pair of wires in the center, surrounded by insulation/dielectric and some kind of shielded. It's also called 'Shielded, Twisted Pair'. The reason it works is covered in the Rane papers under 'common mode noise rejection'.

It's not just a matter of converting the plugs or using an RCA on one end and wiring an XLR at the other- the input/output impedance and signal levels are different for unbalanced high impedance or balanced low impedance circuits and they don't work as planned when one of each is on the ends of the signal chain.

Using the mathematical concept of IFF- IF balanced, low impedance gear is used in the signal chain, it can work well and then, only if the grounding is correct. If the electrical service has grounding issues, it's sometimes possible to lift the ground connection at Pin 1, but this should only be done if the equipment has been designed to handle it. Lifting that connection can sometimes create a lethal problem.

Read these-

Grounding and Shielding Audio Devices

Since the Audio Engineering Society has adopted the "pin 2 is hot" standard, what is the correct use for pin 1?

www.ranecommercial.com

RANE Commercial - Knowledge Base

Rane Commercial

www.ranecommercial.com

Pin 1 Problem

Balanced vs. Unbalanced Cables

Balanced vs Unbalanced interconnects and cables, what is the difference? This article discusses both cable types and gives you the pros and cons of each. Use balanced cables whenever you can.

www.audioholics.com

 

[highfigh]

If your pre-pro and amp are in the same equipment rack, I’d say pass on the XLRs. They are not going to offer you any benefit.

A perennial problem with “affordable” XLRs is cheap female connectors that are not made to spec and easily wallow around in the socket.

The cheapest decent-quality cable you’re going to find costs about $15. So, you’re looking at over $100 in cables for your 7-channel system. The Blue Jeans cables mazer recommended will cost double that amount. That money isn’t going to get you anything that you aren’t already getting from the RCA cables you’re currently using.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

I have used Hosa branded cables and they were about $10 for shorted lengths. They worked fine.

 

[Leemix]

Isnt Emotiva one of the brands that put XLR on the amps but they arent actually truly balanced, or is that just one or a few models?
If this is the case RCA is the better choice to avoid issues.


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[Truthslayer]

As highfigh posted the audioholics article. If you have the option, use xlr when you can. People are going to debate whether or not they give you a lower noise floor or not. Honestly it's probably dependent on the equipment being used. Personally i will use them whenever possible, it cuts down the possibility on any interference to almost zero.
The connections are great (secure) cable is usually heavy duty, and if for some reason you need to repair, it's a simple process. No need to throw out the cable like you would with an unbalanced rca cable.

For value to performance ratio, i like Audioblast xlr cables. Great build quality and great company to deal with.
They pretty much have every option available, if you cant find what you need. They will custom make them at no extra charge ( just will take about a week to get ).

Amazon.com : audioblast xlr cables

A few years back when they first started out, i bought some cables to try. They later asked my opinion on them, they then sent me a bunch of cables from Mogami, Canare and a few other companies to compare to their cables. Must have been a few hundred dollars worth of cables, i was shocked they would do that. It did seem to prove that the Audioblast cables had a better build quality.
In short, All i can really say is i have had cables from many different companies, priced higher and lower. The Audioblast to me are a better quality and are not over priced.

 

[Timforhifi]

Yamaha, onkyo, integra, marantz processors don’t have true xlr. So a waste of money

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Congrats on the awesome Yamaha CX-A5200.

XLR cables may not sound any better, but they sure FEEL better and look cooler.

 

[highfigh]

As highfigh posted the audioholics article. If you have the option, use xlr when you can. People are going to debate whether or not they give you a lower noise floor or not. Honestly it's probably dependent on the equipment being used. Personally i will use them whenever possible, it cuts down the possibility on any interference to almost zero.
The connections are great (secure) cable is usually heavy duty, and if for some reason you need to repair, it's a simple process. No need to throw out the cable like you would with an unbalanced rca cable.

For value to performance ratio, i like Audioblast xlr cables. Great build quality and great company to deal with.
They pretty much have every option available, if you cant find what you need. They will custom make them at no extra charge ( just will take about a week to get ).

Amazon.com : audioblast xlr cables

A few years back when they first started out, i bought some cables to try. They later asked my opinion on them, they then sent me a bunch of cables from Mogami, Canare and a few other companies to compare to their cables. Must have been a few hundred dollars worth of cables, i was shocked they would do that. It did seem to prove that the Audioblast cables had a better build quality.
In short, All i can really say is i have had cables from many different companies, priced higher and lower. The Audioblast to me are a better quality and are not over priced.

RCA cables can usually be repaired unless the ends are molded onto the cable. Or, maybe they have batteries. Or, maybe they use some proprietary BS to treat the joint after soldering.

 

[Speedskater]

It's not about the cables, it's about the interconnect system and the cable is only one third of the system.
balanced output stage >> XLR balanced cable >> balanced input stage

while it's common for XLR balanced interconnect systems to have twice the voltage of RCA interconnect systems, this is far from a universal rule.

The best XLR interconnects are made with Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables from Belden, Canare or Mogami and connectors from Neutrik or Switchcraft.

 

[Leemix]

Yamaha, onkyo, integra, marantz processors don’t have true xlr. So a waste of money

Not sure about the others but everything i have read says Marantz do have fully balanced outputs. Where have you seen this?

Edit: changed a word for clarity.

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[Mikado463]

Yamaha, onkyo, integra, marantz processors don’t have true xlr. So a waste of money

I think you meant to say, 'are not of a balanced topology' ? Regardless balanced/XLR are a better option for longer runs of ones IC's when needed.

 

[Leemix]

I think you meant to say, 'are not of a balanced topology' ? Regardless balanced/XLR are a better option for longer runs of ones IC's when needed.

That would make more sense yes. Balanced output but not the rest of the internals.

I dont run long XLR cables for LCR but i like them better than RCA mainly because i dont have to be as careful with where the cables go in the mess behind the system. RCA was prone to picking up a little interference if the cables shifted a bit.


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[highfigh]

That would make more sense yes. Balanced output but not the rest of the internals.

I dont run long XLR cables for LCR but i like them better than RCA mainly because i dont have to be as careful with where the cables go in the mess behind the system. RCA was prone to picking up a little interference if the cables shifted a bit.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Did you run RCA cables parallel to power cables? If so, that's not going to maximize any shielding ability, especially if the power cords were bundled. The noise caused by shifting the cables could have been due to the possibility of the center conductor being able to move inside of the dielectric.

 

[Leemix]

Did you run RCA cables parallel to power cables? If so, that's not going to maximize any shielding ability, especially if the power cords were bundled. The noise caused by shifting the cables could have been due to the possibility of the center conductor being able to move inside of the dielectric.

I kept them away from power but there was a lot back there. Better now but still nice to not worry about it. I also prefer the XLR plugs vs RCA.

 

[Timforhifi]

I think you meant to say, 'are not of a balanced topology' ? Regardless balanced/XLR are a better option for longer runs of ones IC's when needed.

yes, that’s what I meant. Xlr for a 1-5’ run won’t achieve any better fidelity on these preamps. Gene also tested 7705 and 7706 and found the xlr had more distortion or issues then rca ic on marantz 8015. So I’d just use rca if your gear is close in same rack. Now if you have a sub across the room I’d use xlr, but again these preamps don’t use an actual fully balanced xlr. It’s more like a xlr to rca ic that you can buy from Monoprice.

 

[lovinthehd]

There's balance or being differential in terms of pre-amp/amp.....and then there's an xlr cable