Is an unbalanced preamp a bad thing?

And there in lies the huge challenge manufacturers don’t really explain it very well. They say it’s balanced but then again is it really truly balanced for purposes of determining if it’s better to use XLR’s or a simple RCA connection.

This is why people can’t stand buying new equipment with these stupid challenges.

Conrad Johnson I guess makes a really good product but they don’t use XLR. The streamer i use recommends XLR, a lumen. So wtf should you do? I guess you need to buy really good RCA cables to address any deficiencies. And the rabbit hole gets deeper

riley804

1,103 posts

05-16-2022 at 02:41pm 

odd that all of a sudden you think of this.

A lot of his queries are "odd", to say the least......

The streamer i use recommends XLR, a lumen. So wtf should you do? I guess you need to buy really good RCA cables to address any deficiencies. And the rabbit hole gets deeper

Of course one of the goals of balanced operation is to eliminate the ’sound’ of cables; if set up correctly a cheap cable can sound every bit as good as an expensive cable. Look at it as a technology that successfully solved the interconnect cable issue (and did so long ago).

There are balanced tube preamps around FWIW. If you want to get the most out of going balanced, make sure the preamp supports AES48, the balanced line standard. If inquiring about this and the manufacturer does not seem to know AES48, it usually means it does not support the standard.

If you amplifier has RCA input, there is no problem.

XLR itself won't bring the better sound. Good sound coming from the good design of the amp or pre.

@emergingsoul

”This is why people can’t stand buying new equipment with these stupid challenges….”

Well, this is the thing. If you want easy choices then buy something from a single manufacturer that you hear in a showroom… or a combination system you hear in a showroom… which unfortunately will sound vastly different in your home. If you want plug and play… high end audio is simply not for you. It just isn’t.

Achieving really high end audio is a journey of love, the solution clouded with ambiguity. There is ambiguity at every turn. Your preferences are different than every one else’s, yours will change over time. Every series of components sound different if you change one piece. It goes on and on.

I have been fascinated with high end audio for fifty years… learning more and more every year. I love complex, unstructured problems… this is a perfect pursuit for me.

But for most folks it is an expensive lot of nonsense. For some one of the most rewarding pursuits possible.