XLR vs RCA
Welcome Codytara I tried both Rca and Xlr (Nordost Frey) when I had a Meridian G08 for a source. I would say the sound stage was a little wider with the Xlr. But what I didn't care for was the output was louder with Xlr when the volume wasn't changed. For that reason I chose Rca and that was a good thing when I changed my source to a Naim Unitiserve and dac (no Xlr). That said I did really like the fact the Xlr's lock in place |
Those who concern themselves with the direction in which their cables are connected don't have to worry about that with XLRs, as they only connect in one direction :-) More seriously, see my comments dated 12-7-14 here, in which I cited many reasons why the performance of the two interfaces may differ, regardless of whether or not the internal signal paths in the components are balanced. The bottom line: "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 |
Make and use almost only fully balanced equipment, always use XLR. Our preamps do offer RCA inputs, however when a RCA input is selected it is converted to fully balanced right after the volume control. On our larger Olympia models we use 75 Ohm BNC connections between the preamps and the power amps. On a mechanical note the XLR connector is a much superior connector to the RCA connector. Which in my opinion is of MUCH greater importance than the type of wire between the two connection points. Good Listening all and Happy Holidays Peter |
