jtubbs6117 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 I know and am humbled by the knowledge here this forum has to offer. So once again I would like to ask a question before I make the plunge. My choice to buy the Marantz AV 7005 and use Anthem amps they both have the option to use RCA unbalanced or XLR balanced connections. What have members noticed when making the switch from one to the other. I am going to use Blue Jean for all my XLR cables when I do push forward with this project. I thing i have read about the Anthem Prepros they state you will get a 6 db increase in gain using the XLR, I haven't read there is a difference in signal output with the AV7005. Thanks to all who contribute. Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) About 8 or 10 years ago, I too read about the gains using XLR's, and chose to give them a try on my then-new fancy schmancy HTS, which still today sometimes doubles as a surround sound audio system. When I first made the switch (about 8 or 10 yrs. ago) I was excited, "something new and improved I thought". I even did the "A" - "B" comparison thing in 2 different rooms (an attempt to convince myself that the money went to good use). So I lugged those heavy-asss amps around the house. In the end, for my ears, I couldn't honestly say I notice a difference, none what so ever in fact.... and neither did my wife, who really didn't care one way or the other. The only difference we both noticed was that my wallet way lighter. I suppose (?) if I had set up some laboratory-grade acoustical measuring equipment that I would have noticed where the extra money went, but as mentioned, our ears couldn't tell yea there's an audible difference. Anyway, with all the power my SS amps (krell's) kick out, they (the SS amps) are sooooo much and waaaaaay over-the-top for my speakers (Klipsch Heritage), that that 6dB gain isn't needed. And there you have it, my not at all professional opinion. Edited December 30, 2013 by Gilbert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 It's my understanding that the SQ is the same with either cable. if you have a long run of RCA cabling you have a better chance of picking up noise than you would with XLR's though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Ditto what the above two post say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnote Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 It's my understanding that the SQ is the same with either cable. if you have a long run of RCA cabling you have a better chance of picking up noise than you would with XLR's though. This is exactly my understanding as well. I have a 7' tall server rack housing my equipment , which required me to use some 12' RCA's and I have no problems at all. This is going from a Classe SSP to some supposedly noisy Emotiva XPA-5's ( Mine have been great! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 It's my understanding that the SQ is the same with either cable. if you have a long run of RCA cabling you have a better chance of picking up noise than you would with XLR's though. Agree, and I have used 35' RCA's and NOT picked up any noise. So needing XLR's for home is very questionable. I have used both. But, if your equipment already has the inputs and outputs and you buy the Blue Jean stuff, the price difference should be minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) It's my understanding that the SQ is the same with either cable. How about from source to preamp? Can XLR over RCA sound better? This review leaves me to believe it can. I have one of these CA 840C's and the reviewer highly suggests using the XLR's over the RCA's. I know reviews are very subjective. From an Absolute Sound review: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/cambridge-audio-azur-840c-cd-player/ "For starters, the 840C doesn’t sound anything like a $1500 CD player. It had a resolution, refinement, ease, grace, and musicality that were instantly recognizable as being different from every other product in the category." "The 840C had a delicacy, refinement, and sophistication in the top octaves that must be heard to be believed." "The 840 also had a soundstage dimensionality that I haven’t heard before in a sub-$5k digital front end." "Music through the 840C had an organic “rightness” and fundamental musicality that’s hard to describe. I heard a sonic coherence that translated to an enhanced ability to hear into the music and understand it more deeply. This was partly the result of the 840C’s remarkable ability to keep individual instrumental lines distinct, and partly because of the player’s tremendous sense of ease, smoothness, and liquidity." "The 840C was good dynamically, but not out-of-the-ballpark great as it is in every other sonic criteria. Microdynamics were rendered with good resolution, but the 840C isn’t the last word in slam, impact, and “jump factor.” Through the balanced outputs, however, the sound is considerably punchier and more dynamic, with tauter and more muscular bass. If you have balanced inputs on your preamp, you should use them; the 840C sounds better in every respect through its balanced jacks." Bill Edited December 30, 2013 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 I wonder if that was with or without Brilliant Pebbles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 I wonder if that was with or without Brilliant Pebbles? That's funny. Seriously, a mfr could choose to beef up the XLR analog connections with better components over the RCA connections, therefore possibly resulting in audible improvements. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 From an Absolute Sound review: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/cambridge-audio-azur-840c-cd-player/ "It had a resolution, refinement, ease, grace, and musicality that were instantly recognizable..." "had a delicacy, refinement, and sophistication..." "had an organic “rightness” and fundamental musicality that’s hard to describe... If you can get a resolution, refinement, ease, grace, musicality, delicacy, refinement, sophistication, an organic “rightness” and fundamental musicality that’s hard to describe, I say by all means go for it!! I think the only thing he got right is that it is hard to describe. At the audio shows in Las Vegas they give away copies of Stereophile and the Absolute Sound. I have stopped grabbing copies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 From an Absolute Sound review: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/cambridge-audio-azur-840c-cd-player/ "It had a resolution, refinement, ease, grace, and musicality that were instantly recognizable..." "had a delicacy, refinement, and sophistication..." "had an organic “rightness” and fundamental musicality that’s hard to describe... If you can get a resolution, refinement, ease, grace, musicality, delicacy, refinement, sophistication, an organic “rightness” and fundamental musicality that’s hard to describe, I say by all means go for it!! I think the only thing he got right is that it is hard to describe. At the audio shows in Las Vegas they give away copies of Stereophile and the Absolute Sound. I have stopped grabbing copies. Those were just lead up quotes to the reviewer "noticing" the 840C sounded better(to him) through the balanced connections. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Some people can hear subtle differences in gear/wire/connectors etc. More power to them. I can't say he heard a difference and I can't say he didn't with any certainty. Personally I've never heard a difference. That could be attributed to my lack of fine hearing or the fact that there's not an audible difference. Pick one, I'm fine either way. The only reason I have XLR's from my amps to my pre-pro is because they have to navigate a snakes den of wiring and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't have to rewire later on due to RCA's picking up noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) Some people can hear subtle differences in gear/wire/connectors etc. More power to them. I can't say he heard a difference and I can't say he didn't with any certainty. I am focusing more on the balanced output/inputs and the components behind them than the wires/connectors themselves. A manufacturer can build the balanced analog section with better components/parts over the unbalanced analog RCA section with lesser components/parts. Those choices could provide better definition, impact, punch, etc. Bill Edited December 30, 2013 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 A manufacturer can build the balanced analog section with better components/parts over the unbalanced analog RCA section with lesser components/parts. Those choices could provide better definition, impact, punch, etc. Makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 I don't see why they wouldn't put all their effort and money into making the balanced outputs sound as good as they can while eliminating the RCA's all together. Just throw a pair of XLR to RCA adapters in with the accessories in the box for those that need them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 I don't see why they wouldn't put all their effort and money into making the balanced outputs sound as good as they can while eliminating the RCA's all together. Just throw a pair of XLR to RCA adapters in with the accessories in the box for those that need them. Very good point indeed. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) It is my understanding that SQ between balance and unbalanced is the same. The extra 6 db sensitivity may be what makes people precieved that there is a slight difference between the two cables. Balanced cable will not make a speaker go louder than it is capable of going. They can make a difference in long runs due to back EMF and ground loop issues. Edited December 31, 2013 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) I've looked under the hood of a few Behringer amps/crossovers around here that have both examples and I don't see any "effort" to make XLR connectors better/worse than the RCA counterparts. As for me I use whatever is the most convenient at the time. Plenty of adapter cables around here too. Orange County Speaker is where I sourced those. Edited December 30, 2013 by JL Sargent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) I've looked under the hood of a few Behringer amps/crossovers around here that have both examples and I don't see any "effort" to make XLR connectors better/worse than the RCA counterparts. This statement is what I was trying to convey. "If the equipment that you want to connect is fully balanced from input to output then there is a sound quality advantage to using balanced XLR interconnects because the equipment and the internal circuitry was designed to be connected this way." Bill Edited December 30, 2013 by willland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 (edited) One thing for sure, if there are not balance connections at the avr or preamp, it is all a mute point. I use balanced connection on my sub amps and unbalance to the preamp. That is my only choice. Edited December 30, 2013 by derrickdj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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