Should I upgrade to XLR interconnects?

What RCA style interconnects are you using?  Both you amp and SACD player are fully balanced designs and are intended to be linked via the balanced (XLR) input/outputs.  Whether or not you will hear a meaningful sonic improvement is a question that only you can answer after trying and comparing both.  There are retailers that lend cables for you to evaluate.  Going that path will minimize the initial financial impact of comparing.

The devil is in the details here. Manufacturers call XLR inputs "balanced" in their literature, whether or not the circuitry design is truly differentially balanced or not.

If your gear is not differentially balanced, it probably uses an opamp in the input/output stage of the XLR circuit which is almost always detrimental to sound quality, and many times significantly so.

If your gear is differentially balanced, then using XLR cables is advantageous, not only because it cancels incoming noise from upstream, but usually provides +6db of additional gain.

Marantz states "Line level inputs feature unbalanced (RCA) and fully balanced XLR options for maximum connection flexibility." in the literature of the PM-11S3. The use of the word, "fully" should mean that it is differentially balanced. Their literature for the SA-11S3 states, "The sophisticated fully differential analog output stages feature our exclusive HDAM SA2 and HDAM technologies,"

I would recommend using XLR cabling in this case. Whether the sonic differences are significant to you and worth the investment will only be known after some experimentation.

Dave

SJTM - Just an FYI - a friend that had an Ayre system with balanced IC’s throughout.

As an experiment, he replaced the Kimber Kable silver XLR's between the DAC and the amp with my my KLE Innovations gZero3 single ended IC’s .

He found the the single ended IC's provided
- a bigger more precise and detailed image
- deeper bass with better control
- smoother top end
- more clarity

The Kimber IC’s were 2 meter silver IC’s, while the gZero3’s were 1 meter copper.

It can really depend on your components also.

Some argue that...
- single ended designs are simpler (i.e. no XLR circuitry) and therefore reproduce music more faithfully.
- some components with balanced I/O’s may be single ended designs under the covers and therefore do not capitalize on the balanced approach.
- the various balanced circuitry implemented in some components may not be of the best quality, resulting in signal degradation.

The best approach in this hobby is to try some cables and see how they react to YOUR components.

Try to get some loaners from hi-fi stores - or go through the process of purchasing and returning them.

Getting the right cable is a little like pin the tale on the donkey - now and again you’ll get it spot on, but more often it’s a pain in the ASS!

Regards...

"Some argue that...
- single ended designs are simpler (i.e. no XLR circuitry) and therefore reproduce music more faithfully.
- some components with balanced I/O’s may be single ended designs under the covers and therefore do not capitalize on the balanced approach.
- the various balanced circuitry implemented in some components may not be of the best quality, resulting in signal degradation."

willie,

Did you read the OP or my prior thread? The OP is not selecting components, but cables. If the gear is differentially balanced, using XLR cables will provide a "simpler" circuitry path than SE.

Dave

I like and use XLR balanced cables and like them over RCA. But just because you use XLR cables does not mean you are a truce balance system from input to out put. A lot of equipment offer XLR hook ups but are not true balanced units. They are single ended inside.
enjoy Pete