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XLR Interconnects

Been using the same pair of old AudioQuest rubber-encased XLR cables between pre and power amps since the late 1980s with good results -- compared to nothing. Components have come and gone, but the AQs have remained the one constant. Then Morrow's recent Reopening Sale discounts gave me an excuse to experiment with a more contemporary design. Just made the switch and I know the Morrow burn-in can be prolonged. Plan to set FM tuner overnights to "white noise" rather than BBC human voice signal to speed the process.

Question: to what degree do you believe balanced interconnect designs have improved over the past 30-40 years? And, price range being the same (adjusted for inflation), would you expect the current lean, lightweight Morrows to outperform the old, heavy-duty AudioQuest design? Morrow says they will, but what do you cable experts out there (please state whether you are or aren't bosom buddies with Mike) think about it?
hickamore
yyzsantabarbara
4,817 posts
 
I am at the moment doing a comparison of XLRs between my DAC and preamp and amp. The amp is not the greatest but the headphone amp in the preamp is extremely revealing.

The components are Benchmark DAC3B + Benchmark HPA4 + Peachtree NOVA 150 integrated amp section (to be changed next month).

I spent $200 in total for new Benchmark StarQuad XLRs in 1/2 foot and 15 foot lengths. They are considered "professional" grade cables by Benchmark because they can carry a signal at 24 dBu+.

I am comparing them to the $1000+ "consumer" grade Audience AU24e XLR cables that I was using previously. They cannot carry a signal at 24 dBu+. They are 1/2 foot and 9 foot lengths.

Now after 50+ hours I am pleasantly surprised by the StarQuads. They seems to be approaching the beautiful sound of the Audience AU24e. At the end of the month I will do a head-to-head comparison and decide if there is much of a difference.

The Benchmark gear can use the 24 dBu+ signal ability of the StarQuad’s I am not sure if all electronics supporting XLR can take advantage of this. I was curious to see if Benchmarks claims about the best cables to use with their gear are something I would agree with.

https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/balanced-vs-unbalanced-analog-interfaces

stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,468 posts
 
I'm using XLR cables but only for analogue signals in fully balanced mode.   I've compared many brands, but they all seem pretty much the same....little difference if any at all.
erik_squires
16,057 posts
 
I used solid silver, shielded DIY XLR's and have never looked back. :)

The only issues I've run into is that the solid silver, single strand is more brittle than average.
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