Need 25 foot interconnects


I just moved around my equipment so that the rack with the preamp and digital sources is on the left side of the room and the monoblock amps are just behind the left speaker on a short platform on the floor.  I’m using a 15’ RCA interconnect right now, but want to move each monoblock to just behind each speaker — which means I need a longer cable.  The monoblocks are unbalanced RCA input only but my preamp can do balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA out.  Would a balanced XLR cable plus an XLR to RCA adapter work for this setup and be my best option?  Or should I just get a Belden (or similar) 25’ unbalanced RCA interconnect?  Or is there a better option?   

nymarty

@holmz  I think we’re all right.  Let me explain.  I set up the balanced cables out of my preamp (Schiit Freya +) and ran them to the Emotiva XLR to RCA converters to another short RCA interconnect to Belles Aria Monoblocks and, eureka, no hum,no noise, just music.  Then, about a week ago, I swapped out the amps for my McCormack DNA-1 with same cable setup. Not good. Audible hum coming from the speakers as soon as I turned on the amp.  Tried the same test with a Schiit Vidar amp and same result — audible hum.  I then swapped out the balanced cable  with adapter connector for a long RCA with an RCA-RCA connector to the original short RCA cable and no hum.  Just silence and just music.  
I don’t know what the Belles does that made it work with the XLR-RCA setup but I’m convinced now that I need to go with just a longer quality unbalanced RCA between preamp and amp.  (Or get a fully balanced amp.). Going to hold off on that for a while to play with some new to me speakers — Vandersteen 3A Sigs.

 

@holmz  I think we’re all right.  Let me explain.  …

^exactly^

I believe that the 2 fellows that said that there is a degradation… also believe that they are correct.
And they are for their experience.

Hence they would have needed the Jensen transformer with the humming gear.

Where as with the Belles you did not.. sometimes one just needs to try it, but a spreadsheet of gear that the ordered from prone to less prone for humming would help.

 

Let me know what you think of the 3a sigs… They are generally able to consume a lot of one’s time in futzing with their placement, tilt, and toe-in… in order to make them sing in the space.
There is also a forum for that the brand.
And Belles is something that many seem to have used with success to drive them.

Good quality RCA cables should do just fine. BlueJeans LC-1 are very good as a starting point. I have been using a 10ft set of these on and off for years (especially when in between cable upgrades) and they’re solid. I actually prefer the LC1 to Mogami Studio Gold…they just sound better to me.