All things being equal (hypothetical) which do you prefer, XLR or RCA?


Hello All,

Just curious here. All things being equal would you go balanced or unbalanced if you have the option for both? I only ask because I've never really compared-though I have gone both routes at different times. I have gone the balanced route now (power amp to pre, and DAC to pre), but wonder which route you all would choose...Just curious and having some fun...
kingbr

Showing 1 response by jaytor

Assuming your equipment is taking advantage of the balanced connections, then this is the clear winner in my book.

RCA cables carry the signal on the same connection as the ground currents between devices which is a bad idea. If all your gear is well design and plugged into the same distribution block with good grounds, RCA cables can work ok. But well designed balanced connections which isolate the ground currents from the audio signal will always be at least as good and usually better. 

Balanced connections also provide much better common mode noise rejection, so it there is any RF or EM noise generated by your components or other devices in the surrounding area, balanced connections provide a much cleaner signal. 

At this point in my audiophile journey (45 years in), I would not consider products that didn't support balanced connections.