RCA versus XLR interconnects

One of the factors that has not been discussed above is the design of the actual connectors

• XLR conncetors convey the signal via low mass pins - this works much better for the delicate signals involved
• RCA connectors generally tend to have a relatively low mass signal pin but a much higher mass neutral barrel.
  • This can degrade performance, so an XLR cable may sound better
  • However, more recent RCA designs use low mass pins and as a result they can perform better than their XLR counterparts.
• also, an XLR cable, having effectively two signal wiires will suffer more distortion that is generated by the insulation on the wires
  • i.e. wires using an insulation with a lower value dielectric constant provide significantly better details, clarity and imaging

If you were to take two very good cables from a single manufacturer - I doubt if you would notice any difference

So, it is not as simple as XLR vs. RCA - it comes down to the cable design i.e.

• metals used in the wires
• type of insulation used
• type of connectors used
• the geometry of the cable

For more details on this take a look at

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/what-i-have-found-makes-a-good-cable

Regards - Steve

For what it’s worth, MacIntosh technical advisor said he would use XLR over RCA all the time regardless of the length because of RF interference. 

"It depends" is the most accurate thing I have seen posted yet. 

It depends on if you have any interference problem. Few actually do. 

It depends if you have some ground loop fault you are not fixing and want to band aid. 

It depends on the quality of the execution of the drivers and receivers. Some good, some terrible. 

It depends on how much money the salesman wants to make.

It depends if you have a new Purify/Hypex ilk amp that is by definition a balanced architecture.  Best if the source is also balanced.  Many modern DACs are.  ( and many the DAC is, but the IV is not and a balanced driver is just hung onto it. )

It depends if you feel the need for bragging rights over actual performance.  Even Chord is se at the Qutest level. Balanced is not necessary for most systems according to Mr. Watts. 

If you need boutique cables, It depends if you are a snake oil believer and feel the need to find some magic that Mogami,  Cardas, Belden, or the studios who use miles of said cable do not know. 

If making your own cables, how easy to assemble Cannon vs Amphenol vs various others can be a royal pain.  I am not really a fan of XLR connectors. At audio frequencies, terminal strips can work just fine and are widely used in the field. 

I promised to report back, and here's the reply from Eversolo:

Question:

I have an Eversolo DMP-A6 DAC/Streamer.

It has XLR outputs, but I want to know whether the circuitry inside the unit is fully deferential?  In other words, two completely identical circuits out of phase to minimize distortion

Answer:

Regarding the issue, the answer is yes.

-----------------

Seems like this budget $850 DAC/Streamer has a full differential circuitry but Jay Iyagi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESZxMDxapm0) suggests it's Op-amp. One can only verify by opening the unit up which I'm not going to do so since it's under warranty. 

eylai777

Seems like this budget $850 DAC/Streamer has a full differential circuitry but Jay Iyagi ... suggests it’s Op-amp.

You don’t seem to understand balanced differential circuits, which commonly use operational amplifiers. It is not as simple as "two completely identical circuits out of phase to minimize distortion" as you seem to believe.

One can only verify by opening the unit up which I'm not going to do ...

The schematic would be just as helpful.