Is there an affordable long run XLR preamp to amp cable out there?

I don't understand the concern about pin 2 or pin 3 hot when it comes to cables. In either case, pin 1 is signal ground, and if a cable is wired straight-through (pin 2 to 2 and 3 to 3), it will work fine with either system.

I don't understand the concern about pin 2 or pin 3 hot when it comes to cables. In either case, pin 1 is signal ground, and if a cable is wired straight-through (pin 2 to 2 and 3 to 3), it will work fine with either system.

Pin 1 is not supposed to be signal ground!! In a balanced system ground is ignored. The reason for this is to prevent ground loops. Pin 2 should be seen with respect to pin 3 and vice versa. 


Many 'high end audio' products do use pin 1 as signal ground (which is a 'no-no')- this makes the cable more susceptible to producing audible artifacts. This means that you have to find the right cable to make the system sound right, and the balanced line system had that problem eliminated 60 years ago...

To add to Ralph's (Atmasphere's) comment, although the following paper is oriented toward pro audio equipment, I've quoted an excerpt that seems relevant:

https://www.rane.com/note110.html

Since standard XLR cables come with their shields tied to pin 1 at each end (the shells are not tied, nor need be), this means equipment using 3-pin, XLR-type connectors must tie pin 1 to the chassis (usually called chassis ground) -- not the audio signal ground as is most common.

Not using signal ground is the most radical departure from common pro-audio practice. Not that there is any argument about its validity. There isn't. This is the right way to do it. So why doesn't audio equipment come wired this way? Well, some does, and since 1993, more of it does. That's when Rane started manufacturing some of its products with balanced inputs and outputs tying pin 1 to chassis. So why doesn't everyone do it this way? Because life is messy, some things are hard to change, and there will always be equipment in use that was made before proper grounding practices were in effect.

Regards,

-- Al
 

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OK guys, I understand that I misspoke about pin 1. It is chassis ground, not signal ground. I am glad to have my error corrected for the record, even though it was not critical to the point I attempted to make.

My point was that the talk about pin 2 vs pin 3 in terms of signal polarity is irrelevant when it comes to balanced cables. Since they are wired 2 to 2 and 3 to 3, they will work with either pin 2 "hot" or pin 3 "hot", and there are no special cables needed for one convention vs. the other. Have I missed something there?