Balanced vs Unbalanced Digital Cables

I would go balanced if your budget allows for a decent cable. Anything you can do to coddle and boost that source signal is generally worth it. 

I assue you mean AES/EBU cable which uses the same connector as XLR but isn’t the same thing.

I use AES/EBU for my digital connection. My Grimm MU1 does not support USB out and I like the AES/EBU positive connection.

My thought is that you should use the one that your streamer is designed around. My Chord DAVE thrives on BNC. MU1 is designed around AES/EBU.

My experience is that I have never had good sound from optical and coax is generally my least favorite. However, my Audiolab CD Transport is designed around the coax SPDIF and sounds great.

So I would look at vendor literature or contact the vendor to see if there is one cable format that they prefer. Often it just happens to be the one they used as they designed and tuned it.

Jerry

PS  you are getting some wrong answers from people in this thread who are talking analog cables, not digital.

@bigwave1

I suspect (but don’t know) that there is no “3db gain” with a balanced connection in the digital domain.  I mean, you’re either saying “1” or “0”, but more forcibly?

Not to say the signal might not come in stronger (perhaps 3db more if one hooked it to a amplifier without a DAC, or more clearly, but it’s not “gain” like one would think of it in the analog world, as in “louder” after it comes out the analog side of a DAC.

Again, this is purely a hunch, not knowledge.

I just email Lumin to see their reply and thanks folks!

I’m running XLR’s from my DAC to my preamp and from my preamp to my amps. Both made a difference in the sound. I have been using AQ Colorado XLR’s for years between the DAC and the preamp and I am currently testing some Clarus Crimson XLR’s.  There a difference, but so far, it’s small and I am able to keep them a couple more weeks, so I’ll decide then.