Cardas XLR to RCA adapter comparison?

A point to be aware of when adapting an XLR output to an RCA input is that most such adapters short one of the two signals in the balanced signal pair (usually the one on XLR pin 3) to ground (XLR pin 1). Depending on the design of the particular components that may or may not be appropriate, and in some cases it may result in a sonic problem or even damage. If the output of the component providing the signals is transformer coupled it stands a good chance of being appropriate and perhaps necessary. If the output signals are provided by solid state circuits having low output impedance it stands a good chance of not being suitable. See this thread for an example of the latter situation, where an oscillation resulted.

My understanding is that on special order Cardas can supply adapters which leave pin 3 unconnected.

Regards,

-- Al

Al provided a thorough (much appreciated) explanation, as usual. With my situation, I have a xlr out from preamp to rca in to amplifiers.            I commissioned Joe Levy of Tempo to assemble a pair of ICs (since I like his product). Nick Doshi provided me his wiring information, as Al denotes. I avoided the extra connection that way. 

While the Cardas have nicely finished connectors, the material used in their construction is brass, the same as the cheapies. Brass is not the best conductor, but I guess copper is too soft a material with which to make an XLR.

@almarg thank you
@isochronism my application is exactly that, preamp xlr out- amp rca in
@bdp24 I hope it’s more than that otherwise, that’s a lot of mark up $$$. However, Cardas has 1 beautiful design names Clear. I like them but Each pair is $200 via MusicDirect

@nasaman I recently had to address this situation. @almarg was very helpful in helping me sort it out. His post is on point.

Cardas will custom ground a pin and keep a pin ’open’ / ’unconnected’. You will need to specify which one, based on your component. There is no extra charge for doing so. It will add some time to your order as it needs to be processed through Cardas and for the time Cardas needs to complete the work.

I tried both Cardas XLR to RCA adaptors (their standard and the Clear). It was easy to tell the sound quality / performance difference between the two adaptors, with the Clear being superior. As always, system and listener preferences....

@david_ten Thank you. I'm glad the differences is noticeable. I really like those Clear XLR connectors, except the price.

Hi @nasaman, I was doing some search on the forum and came across your thread. I know this is a pretty old thread, but I’m curious if you did get a chance to try the Cardas XLR to RCA adapters? and if so, how do they compare to the $7 generic ones from amazon or eBay?

I happened to have a pair of spare Kimber Select XLR cables. I didn’t want to waste a pair of expensive cables to let it sit around doing nothing, so I decide to swap them into my phono preamp -> line stage preamp connection. I was using a pair of Kimber Hero RCA for that. So I decided to try 2 pairs of the cheap $7 adapters from amazon to convert the Kimber Select to RCA.

I couldn’t believe how much better is the new sound. All of a sudden I feel my vinyl setup is finally sounding like analog. It seems warmer and more 3D-ish. It was the best $15 I ever spent on my system. So I’m now curious if I should give those $200 a pair Cardas adapters a try. I would need 2 paris, so it would be $400.

Another option I’m also considering is to buy a new pair of Kimber Select with RCA connectors, but it’s definitely a lot more expensive. $1400 vs $400. I also wonder if the RCA cable would sound any better than the XLR with adapters, assuming you are using the best adapters.

Anyway, if anyone have done similar comparisons, please chime in. Your opinion will very much be appreciated.

Thanks!

I haven't compared but I have a pair of Cardas Clear. They take a while to settle in, at least 100 hours. Sound great after that. 

Thanks @slaw,  good to know that you like it.