Do Costly XLR Cables Make A Difference?

Hello @phishhhhh4, I too avoid (hate) the little battery packs associated with some cables.  I have high end stuff with a mix of Kubala Sosna Elation and Realization and I love them.  I have tried many others and I did  have a full loom of Audience AU24SX which I thought wonderful until I heard the Elation cables.  Battery packs may help, but I am just not going there!

And op @ryder , All my cable upgrades have made an improvement to my ears and in my system.  I believe in synergy, and would want all cables the same or very similar.  I do not like any silver in my interconnects, power cords or speaker cables.

Not sure about silver in USB cables but mine is pure copper K-S Ralization. or part of my MUON Filter System from Network Acoustics (recommend highly).

Disclaimer, I do not use any XLR balanced cables as Audionet recommends single ended interconnects (RCA) to avoid the op-amps associated with the conversion of the XLR signal in their equipment.  I do not have long runs for these at 1 or 2 Meters.  Good Luck!  Cables are the hardest thing to figure out.  Disbelieving is the easiest way out, just not (to me) the best sounding!

Audiophools are so easily separated from their $$$, just the thought of a 3k cable 'being better' than a 2k cable is laughable at the very least !!

Most are easily separated from their $$$ when they perceive an improvement, enjoyment and satisfaction from the purchase.  This is true in everything we buy.

If you don't see, hear, taste  or feel the improvement, then you are most welcome to keep your money.  Especially if that gives you satisfaction!  People come here to see if others have appreciated all the various upgrades vs. others that have not experienced them.

Good expensive cables if  match properly the cheaper even if match , the expensive one win.

have said this in many cable threads

for dedicated audiophiles who sometimes change their equipment, it is good to treat a selection of cables as tools in a tool kit for final tuning, as they can and do subtly alter the sonic presentation, in terms of frequency response, perceived speed, openness, imaging qualities -- this is due to physics, different cables of different materials, construction, connectors, represent different electrical properties (r-l-c) and isolation from the surrounding elements

cost of cables is another matter, there is much marketing b-s, especially regarding hyper expensive cables... so long as the cables are well made, with quality materials and terminations, it is smart to know what cables do what sonically, one can use cables to get the synergistic effect desired at any given time

in my case, i have been at this for many years, swap equipment quite a bit

so for interconnects i have beldens cardas zu discovery cerious to smooth/warm the sound, kimbers nordosts nbs to liven things up up top, vampire and other shielded silver cables to get more vast open imaging with a subtle sheen, straightwire wireworld mogami and midgrade audioquest to start things pretty neutral when a new component is inserted, go from there, and so on...

there are those who say cables shouldn’t used a tone controls, in theory yes, but as a practical matter, experienced hobbyists do this regularly