Do Costly XLR Cables Make A Difference?

@ryder

Thanks for listing your cables. All of those are mighty fine sounding cables. I don’t think your current XLR is your bottle neck. The improvements you’re seeking points to a weakness elsewhere in your system, more specifically one of your components. What is the upstream component being used with your DAC’s? I would sit back and reassess your entire digital chain and find that one component to open things up before you spend any money on a cable.

The Denafrips Terminator,and term+ , 12th anniversary and HoloSprings May KTE dacs 

are substantially better ,you mentioned Chord these dacs are sonically more natural and musical then the Chord Dave , the dacs you have are a older generation . I am in a multi state audio club and have heard the vast majority of equipment out there ,sometimes very expensive .

just look at the Many reviews on these dacs, the Denafrips 12 anniversary I only heard briefly the + is better still , these did into the recordings without being over analytical like the Dave dac can be ,and is  even more $$ .  This I can guarantee 

you buy any of these above mentioned dacs ,sell your 2 and you are will be much more musically satisfied. Having been a Audiophile for 4 decades and owned a Audio store .digital has finally arrived over the last 2-3 years. 

Have to agree with the above analysis.  With improvements in digital, in your case your $$$ are better spent upgrading your digital components.  At least that's been my experience.

I have really enjoyed the Iconoclast 4x4 UPOCCC Gen 2.  Absolutely destroyed the top of the line cables fro Audience (SX), Cerious ( Matrix) , Townshend .

Separation of instruments and depth between instruments on the stage is what really stands out besides the overall balanced sound. 
 

Bob from Iconoclast is awesome to work with. 30 day trial. They pay shipping both ways. Who does that?

You must buy in 5ft length. For some reason I had a 3 ft length in the same configuration and did not have the same magic. Bob says all their demo’s are 5 ft so their must be something to it. Very stiff cable so the extra length may be needed anyways. 
 

I use it in between a fully balanced Bricasti M3 into a balanced Coda CSIb integrated. 
 

Give it a try. Risk free. 

Cost doesn't equal better.

Just yesterday, I tried an Audioquest Vodka ethernet and I preferred the stock ethernet cable that came with the streamer. One is $500 retail, the other probably around $1 wholesale.

Some might've call it better because it was more resolute in the upper mid and highs and I heard things I didn't hear with the cheap cable, but with that improvement, the lower frequencies receded. I decided to stick with the $1 cable (for now) because the A/B test dictated so.

When I get the head space, I'll try again with another brand.