XLR or Rca's for Bryston 4B ST/BP 25 Pre


Hi everyone. I just bought a Bryston 4B ST amp to replace my 3B. I'm using the Bryston BP-25 pre-amp. These two components can be hooked up either "Balanced" or unbalanced RCA's. Question, which way yield the finest sound quality? I only need a 1m cable. If there isn't that much of a difference, I was thinking of getting the 1m VH Audio "Pulsars" w/the stock RCA connectors. Possibly the upgraded version w/ the Nexgen gold @ an additional $99 if there is that much of an improvement. Presently using older AQ "Quartz" IC's which I've owned for quite awhile. 10+yrs. Nice cables, but I feel there's room for possible improvement? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Happy Holidays. Thanks, Bill
128x128kotta
Balanaced connections are preferable for long runs. At one meter save some money and go with RCA.
If you decide to go with balanced cables, and want to do it for a moderate price, then try Bryston's own XLR cables. They are very good, and at $125 for a pair, they are also a good value. It's unlikely that you will be able to tell the difference, however, between RCA's and XLR's with such a short length of cable.
I was also using AQ Quartz RCA interconnects between my Threshold amp and preamp for many years. Last year I decided to try balanced XLR cables and ordered the Signal Cable Silver Resolution cables. What a difference from the RCA AQ Quartz. The sound was much smoother with less grain and had more trransparency with better detail. After doing comparisons I found the AQ Quartz to sound grainy and gritty compared to the balanced Silver Resolution interconnect. The Signal Cable products are a real bargain and can hold their own with many cables costing much, much more. Hope this helps.