SQ difference XLR vs RCA ?

Wow.

So much crap on here.

Yes, if the equipment is designed to run (preferably) with XLR connections, you should use them.

Wonder how many of the responders on this thread actually HAVE equipment with balanced/XLR connections and have tried them.

There’s a reason manufacturers use them.

I won’t buy a piece of equipment if it doesn’t have balanced connectors.

Mijostyn

“Balanced cables always sound better whether you can hear it or not.“

Post of the Year

Balanced analog cabling and equipment tends to reject noise better, especially when you have cable lengths longer than 3 feet. All wiring (AC and audio) can act as an antenna, picking up RFI and EMI noise along the way. You should never utilize an unbalanced single ended cable longer than 3 feet. To prevent noise pickup, RCA cables should be kept as short as possible. I also think that when it comes to the quality of the cable itself, I don't hear as much of an audio performance difference using different balanced XLR type cables, as I do when using various unbalanced single ended cables. To me, the most dramatic difference I've ever heard in my sound system(s) is when I've auditioned and used different RCA cables. The "wow" factor really came in to play then! My systems using a combination of both balanced XLR and RCA type cabling and connections.   

Wonder how many of the responders on this thread actually HAVE equipment with balanced/XLR connections and have tried them.

Well, on my big Mac amp the extra gain of the XLR circuit raised my idle hiss to an audible level. I had to pad that down to remove the hiss. So in my experience XLRs can work in some installations and not work so well in others. 

Well, on my big Mac amp the extra gain of the XLR circuit raised my idle hiss to an audible level. I had to pad that down to remove the hiss. So in my experience XLRs can work in some installations and not work so well in others.

Usually the XLR side, on amplifiers, has a gain around 20 and the RCA side around 26dB.

And the on the preamp side the XLRs are 6dB hotter coming out.

Which makes this an outlier.

Did it hiss even with the XPRs unplugged or the preamp turned off?