Cable Box to Ayre AX-7e amp RCA to XLR Adapter

You probably won't hear any difference given both components are not balanced. What you can try before spending a lot of money, is to find a music store and buy some cheap adaptors first.

Zd542: Thanks. My Ayre AX-7e integrated amplifier is balanced. Most people feel the Ayre sounds better when using balanced inputs (XLR). The cable box is not a balanced unit (RCA outputs).

Its been suggested I need to use a transformer between the cable box and the Ayre amp. For example, the Neutrik NA2M-D0B-TX & NA2M-D2B-TX products (which are the same except for the RCA color coding) include a transformer to show a balanced signal at the Ayre side. These products would require I add a short XLR female to XLR male jumper cables to connect to my Ayre AX-7e. I do not know the impact, if any, of the sound quality using a transformer.

Any comments?