I can't remember if it was the 200 or the 180 i had. It was what ever was their latest. I felt i lost a bit of life using the XLRs. I seem to always come to this conclusion using XLRs. My EMC CDP offers both and using the XLR connection lost some dynamics, energy, and seem a bit subdued in the treble. I know some will disagree. If possible try both. I have never been an MIT fan but on Spectral i wouldn't use anything else. The oracle speaker cable is not your fathers MIT. If you must use long lengths of IC then XLR may be a better choice. My expereince using a 6 foot CVT XLR IC was bested by the CVT SI IC.
Having said that i would never second guess Detlof. I believe he has used and knows Spectral better than most.
Having said that i would never second guess Detlof. I believe he has used and knows Spectral better than most.