Benefits using AES/EBU vs. RCA coax digital cables

An AES/EBU XLR digital connection is generally preferred and often a bit warmer sounding than an RCA coaxial connection. While many manufacturers recommend that an RCA digital cable be at least 1.5 meters to minimize jitter, I'm not sure if the same length constraint applies to AES/EBU XLR cables.

Any benefits using AES/EBU 110 ohm XLR digital cable vs. RCA coaxial digital cable?

If the AES/EBU interfaces are well designed in both components, and if they truly conform to the AES/EBU specifications, there will be reduced susceptibility to jitter that may result from noise pickup and/or ground loop effects. That is because of the balanced configuration of AES/EBU, and because it utilizes larger signal amplitudes. AES/EBU will also be able to drive very long cable lengths that S/PDIF may not be able to handle.

The "if's" I cited, of course, are big ones. As always, the specifics of the particular implementations can overshadow any theoretical advantages.

While many manufacturers recommend that an RCA digital cable be at least 1.5 meters to minimize jitter, I'm not sure if the same length constraint applies to AES/EBU XLR cables.

A non-optimal length can contribute to jitter problems in AES/EBU, as well as S/PDIF. What is non-optimal depends on the risetimes and falltimes of the output signal of the particular source component. I don't know whether or not AES/EBU risetimes and falltimes tend to be significantly faster than for S/PDIF (in which case the 1.5 meter length recommendation could be reduced), but I would go with that length to be safe.

For both AES/EBU and S/PDIF, though, if a very short length is practical (say 6 to 12 inches), that would probably be fine too. It is the intermediate lengths (3 feet, for example) that can be a problem. See this paper.

Regards,
-- Al

Al, thanks very much for your always helpful perspective and link to the article provided.