I'm currently using tara ref gen xlr between an arc amp and preamp, and rca from my cdp. I now have a player with balanced connections (Linn Ikemi) and plan on changing to a balanced cable. Any suggestions as to changing the cdp cable only, or is an upgrade of both cables in order for greater overall improvement? Was I wrong to mix balanced and rca in the first place? Any recommendation of which cable to upgrade to? I have been pretty satisfied with the Tara.
Well, I have finally balanced it...
I replaced my single ended cables with the same make/model of balanced interconnects, Tara Decade and Tara Air-2, between my DAC and preamp, and between my preamp and amp.
-Amp - Accuphase P-450
-Preamp - Pass Labs Aleph P, Gain at 12 o'clock
-DAC - Accuphase DC-61
-Transport - Sony 9000ES
-Speakers - Proac Response 3.8
These are my findings:
-The gain increased by 3dB to 6dB.
-Bass was much fuller and stronger.
-Mids were more natural and smooth.
-Highs had a bit more resolution.
-The sound was a bit quieter, more musical than technical.
It was not, however, as large a difference as I expected. When I do my next cable upgrade, I will likely stay with the balanced setup, probably using Tara The One, which is out of my budget range at the moment. (I know, I know... I need a turntable and tubes!)
-Amp - Accuphase P-450
-Preamp - Pass Labs Aleph P, Gain at 12 o'clock
-DAC - Accuphase DC-61
-Transport - Sony 9000ES
-Speakers - Proac Response 3.8
These are my findings:
-The gain increased by 3dB to 6dB.
-Bass was much fuller and stronger.
-Mids were more natural and smooth.
-Highs had a bit more resolution.
-The sound was a bit quieter, more musical than technical.
It was not, however, as large a difference as I expected. When I do my next cable upgrade, I will likely stay with the balanced setup, probably using Tara The One, which is out of my budget range at the moment. (I know, I know... I need a turntable and tubes!)