What is the benefit of balanced xlr cables

So if you had a 100 dollars what xlr cable would you guys buy

Audioquest Red River!

"12-04-14: Thirsty93
So if you had a 100 dollars what xlr cable would you guys buy"

I would try to find a good pair of used AQ. I can't see you going wrong. They sound good with just about anything. If not, I would try a pair of Morrow cables. Never heard them before, but so many people rave about them, I'm curious. They're not expensive so the risk is very low.

Hi Thirsty93, At the caliber of componet's you are useing, Balanced cables will not do anything for your sound, Yping has explained everything very well and accurate, however, In this hobby, it cost thousand's of dollars to have a componet that is truly balanced from input to output, some componet companys claim they are, they are not, so be aware of that as well,, The one thing Yping did not cover is the fact that a true balanced componet will reveal better sound quality with just one-meter interconnects vs RCA-single ended, the noise floor is dropped, now this also has alot to do with the type and brand of cables being used, you can have a truly balanced componet, but if your cable is inferrior, you will not hear the difference, an example of what I am saying is that I have a modded Krell 700cx with balanced Tara Labs Zero Gold interconnects, I have a/b with RCA Tara Cables, with this true balanced amp, The Full power balanced 700cx, the listening exsperience is not subtle between XLr and RCA cables, I hope this helps, but if I were you, with what you have for everything, I would not be concerned at all, there will be no difference.

This comment is not directed at anyone in particular. But I find it interesting that in another current thread, as well as in similar past threads, a number of members, including some who are particularly experienced and well respected here, strongly assert that just changing the direction of a symmetrically designed cable (i.e., one that does not have its shield grounded at just one end) will perceivably affect the sound. Yet at the same time many knowledgeable and experienced audiophiles insist that if the components being connected are not internally balanced it will make no difference whether they are connected via their balanced or unbalanced interfaces. This despite the facts that regardless of whether or not the components are internally balanced changing from RCA to XLR interconnections will:

1)Change the circuit configuration that is being used to drive the cable.
2)Change the circuit configuration that is being used to receive the signal from the cable.
3)In many cases change the paths and the impedance through which the circuit grounds of the two components are interconnected.
4)In most cases change the cable type.
5)Change the connector type.
6)Reduce susceptibility to ground loop issues, which may affect high frequency noise and background blackness as well as susceptibility to hum.
7)In many cases reduce sensitivity to cable differences, depending on the output impedance and drive capability of the component driving the cable.
8)Reduce susceptibility to noise pickup in the cable, that perhaps being the most often mentioned but the least significant difference between the two interfaces, in most home applications.

Personally, while I am a skeptic when it comes to cable directionality (assuming the cable is symmetrically designed), I wouldn't be surprised if several of the foregoing factors were to result in audible differences in just about any decent quality system at pretty much any price point, regardless of whether the components are internally balanced or not. Which is not to say, however, that an XLR interconnection will necessarily be either "better" or preferable compared to an RCA interconnection. As I said in the link I provided in my post dated 11-23-14, "if the components provide both choices, and are not fully balanced, the only way to determine which interface will perform best in your particular setup is probably to try both of them."

Regards,
-- Al