Iconoclast UPOCC Gen 2. They are the high end division of Belden .They will send you the cables to try . If you do not like them they will pay for return shipping also. You have zero dollars out of your pocket to try. Fantastic cable and company to work with
Help with XLR ICs.
Ok gang. So here’s my situation. I’m looking to upgrade my XLR ICs. I’ve been using Straightwire Crescendo XLR ICs for many years now. I originally bought them for my first system I put together about 10 years ago. Since then I have totally upgraded my whole system including PCs which are 4 Audioquest Dragons (2) HC and (2) source. I really did want to go with Audioquest Dragons for my XLR ICs. But the prices for them brand new is to high for me. 2 m xlr are 18k and 1 m are 12k. I was looking for used for a few months now but never ever seen any that were ever for sale used. I also am using Straightwire Crescendo speaker cables which are quad wired. That’s 2 pairs for ea speaker going into ea mono amp. So u can imagine what the AQ Dragon quad wired speaker cables would cost.100k ++ That being said I will be keeping for now my Straightwire Crescendo speaker cables. So back to my original question post. What high end XLR ics would be a lot better than my Straightwire Crescendo XLRs. Budget is about 4k a pair. And will need 2 pairs. 2 m and 1 m. . I really did like the Straightwire Crescendos ICs and speaker cables for their powerful bass as they are also known for. So that being said I would like high end ICs that are known also for extremely good bass. My system consists of ARC Ref 750s mono blocks. ARC Ref 6Se pre. ARC ref 9 CDP. And a McIntosh MQ 112 EQ.
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@jji666 The issue is that there’s a balance line standard (AES48) which most high end home audio equipment does not support. The result is that the shield of the cable is used for audio signal return much like it is with single-ended cables. So the construction of the cables, along with the capacitance resulting, makes a difference. Part of this has to do with the fact that the source impedances are higher than studio equipment as well as the input impedances of the equipment being driven. There are high end home audio preamps that support AES48 and can drive impedances typically found where balanced lines are used in professional (broadcast, recording and so on) applications. If these preamps are used then most of the conversation of this thread is moot because the cables no longer make a difference (which is a large portion of the intention of balanced lines in the first place)! |
@jji666 No, a lot of gear out there really is balanced. But that isn't the same as saying it supports the standard. To support the standard, AFAIK the source driving the cable ignores ground. So a phono cartridge, which is floating, is a good example as is a dynamic microphone. When it was done with tube equipment in the old days a line transformer was used. To do it solid state you have to have a circuit that is OK not referencing ground (these days there are chips like this one for that) or you use a transformer. There is a third technique using a patented circuit that involves a Circlotron output. So most balanced gear for home stereo use simply references ground, IOW there are two single-ended outputs, one out of phase with the other. This does not support the balanced line standard, so the cables will affect the 'sound' and different cables will sound different. I think this is really bad because first, the balanced line system is supposed to get rid of this problem and second because if you think about it, none of the cables you ever choose would really be 'right'- we all know that next year the people that made the 'best' in a shoot out would have a better cable (likely for more money) and if they don't someone else will; hence all the answers to this thread with different suggestions! When your gear supports the standard there's none of that- its all plug and play with no worries and the best sound of the cable possible. |
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