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RCA to XLR? Do I need to do this?

Hello All,
I am a newbie to the Audiophile stereo world and I have a home system that is for both Stereo listening and Surround sound home theater.  I have a pair of Sonus Faber Venere Signature speakers running from a Mrantz SR6012 Receiver.  I just ordered a Krell KAV 2250 amplifier to finally get some power to these speakers.  
My Question:
  • Should I use an RCA to XLR interconnect cable (Marantz signal is not balanced) or just use a good RCA to RCA (the amp offers both inputs)
  • Which cables would you recommend for a 6' run and on a conservative budget?  Maybe up to $200 per cable.
tice34
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
I would PM Ralph Karsten (atmasphere), and get his take on this.
He knows this stuff inside and out.
Bob
n80
2,116 posts
 
I am a new audiophile as well. I was told (here) that there is no real advantage to XLR over RCA if the components in question are not truly 'balanced'.

And to be honest, even though I understand the concept of a balanced system it is still not clear to me how much of a sound quality advantage there is.

My amp and pre-amp are balanced and have expensive XLR cables. They are both capable of using RCA as well. I guess I could compare the difference but haven't ever felt the need.
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
Marantz RCA OUT to Krell RCA IN

Single ended cable (unbalanced)
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