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First Foray into XLR

I know this is a topic like ‘oil’ or ‘tires’ on a car forum, but I have to ask...

Marantz AV8802a to Odyssey Stratos amp to Aerial 7T’s. Looking for advice on 1M XLR’s from pre/pro to power amp.

I’m skeptical of cables and snake oil claims, but I’m trying to be open minded. I’ve not used XLR before, so I’m not replacing anything, and not looking to spend a fortune, but would like input from others who’ve been where I am.

thanks
english210
parker65310
209 posts
 
I’m a huge fan of Silnote’s Morpheus II XLR interconnects. They only sell direct and that keeps the cost to us much lower for what you get. I’ve got very sensitive Apogee Duetta Signature Series II magnetostatic dipole speaker’s, solid state BAT VK-600 w/ BAT pack connected XLR to my BAT VK-5i tube preamp and XLR to “native” RCA on my Node2 streamer. The interconnects were only $200 a pair and sound phenomenal on this system. XLR does make a difference if you truly have “balanced” components. BAT (Balanced Audio Technology) optimizes XLR capabilities. Give Silnote a call in Roanoke and they will be happy to walk you through all of your questions.
craigl59
307 posts
 

+1 http://ielogical.com/Audio/CableSnakeOil.php

Very clear and incisive, ieales. BTW, most of the better Emotiva equipment is completely balanced internally and you can easily hear the difference/improvement between XLR and RCA cables when connecting this gear.

Think your main point that cables are system dependent should be better recognized on threads everywhere.

english210 OP
169 posts
 
Thanks Al and ieales et al. So the moral is, ‘who knows, keep trying til you find what you like’, or alternatively, ‘plug the rabbit hole!’

it does make sense, cables would be another component that can add or detract, to varying degrees, what is ultimately heard. 

I do think, in my application, XLR makes no sense - the amp isn’t a true balanced design, so I’d be converting anyway, and that does seem to be detrimental. 

Everything works as-is, so I’ll pick one pair of interconnects at a time and experiment. 
ron1319
57 posts
 
Why replug all cables in a system before auditioning new ones?  
aalenik
67 posts
 

english210 - This is a lot of discussion, considering that there is usually not much price difference between the RCA & XLR versions of the same cables.

1. If your amp isn't a balanced circuit, it makes no difference.

2. With balanced circuits, you may get a slightly better signal-to-noise ratio with XLR... with the emphasis on SLIGHTLY.  This can be a much bigger difference with very long runs of cable.

3.The Cable Company's lending library is an excellent suggestion. As always, best to hear (anything) in your own system before buying.

My suggestion for a bargain XLR (or RCA) interconnect is UIT (about $800/pr).  Just discovered them and I'm very impressed, esp. at that price-point.

I hope that helps.

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