Balanced cables

Is this the same Stingreen who knows all about VPI gear, turntable set-up, and Quicksilver gear, the same Stingreen who years ago gave me specific advice as to how to upgrade the coupling caps on my ARC VS110? :-)
I was a bit surprised to see that you have expressed your disdain for Cardas cables. My opinion/experience is that as the quality of the electronics goes up and assuming that the design is truly balanced, than yes, there are marked differences among XLR cables. I totally understand the viewpoint of cable-skeptics because the differences are on one hand subtle and yet on the other, they can be huge. One analogy is a photograph that is ever so slightly out of focus vs. the same photo that is. As the quality of the gear increases, the perception of that perfectly in-focus image is better appreciated. I now own an ARC Ref 6 and ARC Ref 150se and I tried a variety of XLR's between the pre and amp and also various speaker cables and with each, I heard vast differences. The Ref 150se doesn't even have single ended inputs. ARC stresses in their manual that the quality of the XLR going into the Ref 150se is critical and they were telling the truth. I ended up with Cardas Clear Beyond XLR and Cardas Clear speaker cables and could not be happier. 
When I first upgraded my electronics, I read all I could about the opposing views on XLR's and saw the posts of those who say that with balanced cables, the differences of various brands are minimal and suggesting that Mogami Gold is all one needs because that is what is used in recording studios. This is one of those things that sounds good on paper but does not fly in reality. I started out with those Mogami Golds and they were the sonic equivalent of that girl that your mom says has a "very nice personality". A $600 pair of Morrow MA-6's were better, but the sound was etched, tone and timbre sounded "off", and my music was coming out of two boxes. A pair of top level Harmonic Tech's on loan from a dealer were very nice but not quite what I wanted. With the Cardas, tone and timbre are spot-on, I get the chills on the back of the neck that I never came close to getting with any of the other wire, my speakers disappear in my room, and everything is in focus. 

Fsonicsmith, as a point of information ARC line stages and preamps do not meet the criteria Atmasphere cited in his post that I referenced that would minimize or eliminate sensitivity to differences between balanced cables.  Certainly, at least, with respect to his criterion no. 4:

Atmasphere 3-22-2013
...  4) the output of the preamp should be capable of driving a low impedance load (2000 ohms or less) without loss of voltage, without increase in distortion and without loss of bass (this is the other big area where high end audio preamps have a problem, and also results in cable sensitivity).

ARC's recommended load for nearly all of their line stages and preamps is a minimum of 20K, and in some cases a minimum of 60K is indicated as being optimal.

So when "ARC stresses in their manual that the quality of the XLR going into the Ref 150se is critical," as you indicated, they are indeed "telling the truth."

Regards,
-- Al
 

Al, I always read your posts with interest. You clearly know far more than I do about technical aspects of electronics. I can not read a schematic and never understood concepts of loading as it pertains to amps or phono cartridges :-). With that spirit in mind, I think I know this; say what you wish about ARC, but their 40 year history of building top-tier preamps is incontrovertible. I am going to venture a guess that while Ralph is most likely correct, there are also drawbacks to designing a preamp that is capable of driving low impedance loads. Even if it were true that with certain preamp designs, the quality or "pickiness" of the XLR choice were minimal, is that attribute a "freebie" without trade-offs? I can't help but think of the relatively high negative feedback employed by ARC in the Ref 150se. It's a buzzword in the industry that "no negative feedback" or "minimal negative feedback" is and of itself a mark of distinction and superior sound. Again, I only know that I am getting hair raising chills on the back of my neck and total immersion in the music with the tonal density I had hoped for and without any perceptible bloat, with a wide and deep soundstage that was not critical on my wish-list, but a happily accepted bonus. As with many hobbies, there are certain buzzwords that tend to predominate as accepted truths, but the reality is that "it all depends". 

I have an all Ayre system (with Vandersteen speakers). I’m hearing a kind of metallic sound from the system which I’d like to pin down. As I stated above, its totally balanced from cartridge/CD player through the amp. I even removed the tweeter and mid from the boxes, sent them to Vandersteen who deemed them in excellent health. A while back I tried different XLR cables which had a minimal effect on the total sound....but that was awhile ago (Wireworld top of the line). I’m sure my hearing has changed (I’m a violinist and sit next to the piccolo) and just thinking about change. My amp is about 14/15 feet from the preamp, and no one has that length to try without a firm purchase.......still thinking. Re: Cardas......no luck with that brand. Colleen Cardas told me that it probably needed more time to break in (months?)....although I haven’t heard their newest offerings.

BTW-There is no such thing as a "balanced cable". That term implies that an XLR/Cannon connector was only designed to be used with fully balanced left/right channel audio components which is very misleading and completely false. There are solid state components that are fully balanced with both RCA and XLR connector's. The inventor of the XLR never used the term "balanced" for his connector. When the very first stereo receiver was invented by Sydney Harman in the 1950's, the Festival 1000, it was a fully balanced design in twin cabinets with the left channel in one cabinet and the right in the other. with a control panel on the front of each unit. A classic dual mono design. The unit had RCA connector's only. The term "balanced" was a label put on XLR cables by Audiophiles in the 80's. You can label an RCA cable as well as a "balanced cable" if its used between fully balanced components.