Balanced ----- Unbalanced----

Are XRLs unnecessary?

Yes, in a typical home application XLR connections are not needed. The only way to tell in your system is to try it.

Herman, the reason we make balanced equipment stems from my experiences in college, setting up Neumann microphones in the music hall. We ran 150 feet of interconnect. That's not something you can do with single-ended- too much high frequency loss. It was a simple leap to see that there would also be an advantage to balanced operation in the home. You'll note that I am not trying to sell this guy anything- he already has the equipment.

Even if the highs are rolled off out-of-band, phase shift occurs in the audio band. This can be audible. Additionally, SE cables are more prone to noise pickup, Maab has an opportunity to prevent noise pickup (which can obscure detail).

To run balanced lines you either use XLR connectors or 'stereo headphone' connections. The latter are more commonly seen in semi-pro gear for musical instruments and recording. XLR is the preferred connection.

I didn't accuse you of trying to sell anything to the guy, but as manufacturer of balanced equipment you have a vested interest in promoting that format. Someone considering SE or balanced should be aware of that.

We're not talking about 150 foot mic cables, we're talking a few feet of wire. Your concerns about noise and phase shift do not apply.

I do agree that an XLR connector is a much better device than an RCA phono jack or 1/4 inch jack

If an XLR connector is better, Herman, how so?

The physical connection of the XLR is better. They lock together and the contact from pin to socket is better. There is a clear standard so you can use connectors from different manufacturer's and not worry if they mate well.

There is no real standard for RCA connectors so one manufacturer's male might not mate well with another's female and vice versa. That is why some SE manufacturer's tried to move away from the RCA's, like Naim did with their DIN connectors, but it never caught on as a standard.