XLR interconnects

Hey OP!

So professional gear uses XLR / balanced cables because it is highly immune to noise. When you are running a cable hundred feet or more from the mic to the mixing board with a variety of big AC noise sources this matters.

The truth is that in homes, with "normal" noises this may not matter or may not make a difference. I have run cheap 20 feet RCA cables without a problem.

I have also had horrible noise problems due to a nearby FM station with very short cables and wished I had XLR cables instead!

Some equipment with XLR connectors is faux. That is, it is really unbalanced as soon as it enters the chasis. Old Yamaha pro amps, as well as some Parasound amps fall into this category.  The XLR cable won't make a lick of difference vs. RCA.

Best,

E

2017 audioman,

If you have fully differential balanced components then use XLR cables. Significant improvement IME.

" I read that XLR interconnects can maintain the signal over longer distances therefore it is ideal to use an XLR interconnect over rca unbalanced cables."

XLR connectors on a cable does not mean its balanced. It's just a 3 conductor that can be used in other applications. I agree with initforthemusic. Unless you have fully balanced components, its not worth the effort.

Effort?  What effort?

XLR is the default.  Just do it!

So the trick is to ensure your components are fully balanced in order to hear any differences at all even with shorter run cables. This is what I'm gathering from the comments above here. Reason I ask is that I will be getting a preamp that has XLR outputs and would consider using them if it truly makes a difference in sound over unbalanced. If not, then I'll stick with unbalanced cables and just enjoy the music.