First Foray into XLR


I know this is a topic like ‘oil’ or ‘tires’ on a car forum, but I have to ask...

Marantz AV8802a to Odyssey Stratos amp to Aerial 7T’s. Looking for advice on 1M XLR’s from pre/pro to power amp.

I’m skeptical of cables and snake oil claims, but I’m trying to be open minded. I’ve not used XLR before, so I’m not replacing anything, and not looking to spend a fortune, but would like input from others who’ve been where I am.

thanks
english210

+1 http://ielogical.com/Audio/CableSnakeOil.php

Very clear and incisive, ieales. BTW, most of the better Emotiva equipment is completely balanced internally and you can easily hear the difference/improvement between XLR and RCA cables when connecting this gear.

Think your main point that cables are system dependent should be better recognized on threads everywhere.

Thanks Al and ieales et al. So the moral is, ‘who knows, keep trying til you find what you like’, or alternatively, ‘plug the rabbit hole!’

it does make sense, cables would be another component that can add or detract, to varying degrees, what is ultimately heard. 

I do think, in my application, XLR makes no sense - the amp isn’t a true balanced design, so I’d be converting anyway, and that does seem to be detrimental. 

Everything works as-is, so I’ll pick one pair of interconnects at a time and experiment. 

english210 - This is a lot of discussion, considering that there is usually not much price difference between the RCA & XLR versions of the same cables.

1. If your amp isn't a balanced circuit, it makes no difference.

2. With balanced circuits, you may get a slightly better signal-to-noise ratio with XLR... with the emphasis on SLIGHTLY.  This can be a much bigger difference with very long runs of cable.

3.The Cable Company's lending library is an excellent suggestion. As always, best to hear (anything) in your own system before buying.

My suggestion for a bargain XLR (or RCA) interconnect is UIT (about $800/pr).  Just discovered them and I'm very impressed, esp. at that price-point.

I hope that helps.

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