Balanced vs. single-end RCA's - A Beginner's question

for that long of a run i think xlrs are the way to go. hell of a beginers system. the logans would take you to live concerts with good tubes.

For a pair of 50 footers that don't require a second mortgage, I recommend making your own cables. Use Mogami Neglex cable ($1.00 - $1.50/foot) which is used almost everywhere in the recording process. Add Nuetrik AES/EBU (balanced) connectors at < $5.00 each and use 4% silver, lead free solder. I would put these cables up against anything out there. For less than $200.00 you can buy everything, including a soldering iron if you don't own one. Don

Hi, I had a pretty long run of Transparent Ultra single-ended interconnects (25 ft) between my amp (Audio Research VT100 MkIII (tubes)) and preamp (Audio Research LS-15). I switched to the same length run of Transparent Ultra balanced and heard greater volume and greater detail. Not sure whether I heard more bass. The speakers I was using are Genesis 500's, floor standers w/their own amps for bass drivers, so the amp/preamp and interconnects were only affecting the mids and highs. When I changed CD players from a Meridian 508.24 to a Marantz SA-1 SACD player, I felt the highs/mids were too harsh and not as sweet as they had been. So I went back to the single-ended run of Ultra!
I hope your dealer or seller of the balanced runs will let you try them first in your system. Sometimes the balanced cables sound better, but sometimes worse. I eventually sold all my Transparent interconnects and have changed to Ensemble's new Dynaflux, in balanced runs. The sound is wonderful, detailed, warm, no harshness, no noise. I am still using the ARC VT100 and the Genesis 500's and the Marantz SACD, but changed preamps to the BAT VK30SE.
Well, that's my experience for you, for what it's worth.