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Is a louder IC cable a better cable?

This may sound like a weird question but, from what I've been reading about IC cables, they can't really add anything but they can "get in the way". Assuming that's the case, would the fact that one cable plays louder than another mean the quieter cable is "more in the way"?
I'm demoing 2 cables. one is an RCA and the other XLR, one used with a retail of close to $7K, one new retailing for $2.5K.
I know the common answer is "Go with what sounds better" but here's the hitch. If the idea that louder means there's less in the way, it would also seem to mean that you're hearing more of what's really there, and that's a truer sound, so if something doesn't sound right beyond that point you can look elsewhere in the system. At this point it is very difficult to navigate the cable market because I know for myself that I don't know how to make an educated decision. The "listen and choose" method is the best most of us can do for now but in a way it's ignorant and childish.
I think a good way to "test" cables would be to run let's say 100 frequencies between 20Hz-20kHz and see how "purely" the cable transferred each given frequency. Maybe this is how they design cables now, but the industry is so shrouded in hype and non-disclosure that it all is a bit of a mystery. Any isight will be appreciated.
128x128moryoga
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,982 posts
 
Almost always a XLR connection will have more gain than a RCA
connection. That's how a truly balanced connection works.

I'm assuming the XLR cable is "louder" than the RCA cable?
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Mofi is of course correct. When you change between RCA and XLR you are not only changing the cable, you are changing between different interface circuit designs in both of the components that are being connected, and you are changing between kinds of connections that operate on different principles.

Often, although not always (depending on the specific component designs), XLR connections will result in 6 db greater volume than RCA connections between the same components.
I think a good way to "test" cables would be to run let's say 100 frequencies between 20Hz-20kHz and see how "purely" the cable transferred each given frequency.
I doubt that would be likely to prove anything. Partly because music signals are much more complex than the simple sine waves each of those frequencies would consist of; partly because the sonic effects of a cable can be expected to vary significantly depending on the technical characteristics of the components the cable is connecting (a point that seems to be under-recognized by many audiophiles, IMO); and partly because there would be no consensus on what parameters should be measured to assess the "purity" of the transfer.

Regards,
-- Al
zavato's avatar
zavato
1,397 posts
 
An XLR cable is not louder than an RCA cable. The balanced output feeding the XLR cable typically has more gain.

So, no, don't simply choose the louder cable because one cable isn't actually louder than another. However, with some gear it's truly beneficial to run balanced connections.

For instance, in my system my phono preamp has RCA and balanced outputs. The RCAs are the better outputs, even though the output via the XLR would be 6 dB louder.
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