RCA to XLR adapters?

Hi Atmasphere

Thanks for the reply.

I am hesitant to reterminate the cables as it would make the resale value even worse.

That's probably true- unless maybe you have the manufacturer do it. FWIW though if you set up the system entirely around the idea that everything has to be sold, that *can* limit the performance you can get.

Now if the amplifier has a single-ended input, it might be moot in that application. Its my opinion that if you keep the cable short, you are probably better off using a single-ended cable than you are getting a line transformer to convert to balanced. Most transistor amplifiers have differential inputs and don't care if the input is single-ended or balanced.

However beware if the amplifier's balanced input only works if the amplifier is monostrapped. Such amps often do not have differential inputs so it makes a big difference how you drive them!

Mikey, I can relate to wanting to preserve the resale value . . . But having the correct termination for your application pretty much trumps all other cable-quality parameters. Also, the additional mechanical stress that Atmasphere noted from using an adapter is a very real and common issue; one errant tug on a big XLR cable/RCA adapter can wreck the preamp's connector in pretty short order, leading to a much greater loss in value.

But if you're just wanting to try out the CJ preamplifier before making a final decision, here's what I would do. First, contact Krell and see if their power amp will work with an adapter cable. If they say yes, then use the Markertek adapter (pin 3 grounded) and your existing XLR cables. If not, then use a Jensen DM2-2RX with a short RCA cable from the preamp.
Then just use an RCA cable to connect the DAC to the preamp via unbalanced in/out.

And if you keep this setup, then you can upgrade RCA cables as you see fit, and/or reterminate your amp cable.