XLR or single ended cables and why?

Andrew: The SPL is determined by the volume control setting. (We needn't go into the subject of dB's, watts and ohms, but suffice to say that it's not as you suppose.) Anyway, don't worry about any of this -- everything will behave as it did, except that you may find your preferred volume setting to be a couple clicks lower.

Very good Serus, thanks!

steve

Andrew, no, no one agrees with that statement. The designer is free to apply any amount of gain to any particuliar input, he could just as well cut the gain in the xlr input by some amount compared to the rca input.

steve

I have not read the whole thread as it is a little long, so I hope I am not repeating what's been said. I recently attached balanced cables to my sim pre to sim power amp, and have to say the difference is tremendous. I plan on getting a balanced phono preamp now.

It depends on your component's circuit. Some are made single ended and can be used balanced...some are made balanced and can be used single ended. Find out from the manufacturer how it was designed and use it in its preferred configuration