Experiences With Costly Balanced XLR Interconnects Above $3,000

Can somebody here explain to me why $3,000 XLR connectors supposedly have a better CMRR than say $100 XLR connectors?

@pwerahera They won't. CMRR is a function of the electronics, not the cable.

The goal of the balanced line system is to eliminate sonic artifacts of the cable and eliminate ground loops. To do that, the equipment has to support the balanced line standard, known as AES48.

If this standard is supported, you'll find you no longer care about various cables because they all will sound the same regardless of cost.

But many high end audio balanced line products don't support the standard, so the benefits of going balanced are vastly reduced. Now we're back to having to audition cables!

Auditioning cables is bad because while its good you can hear the differences, its bad because you hear the differences. What that means is no matter what cables you audition and pick the best, next year that manufacturer will have a better one and if he doesn't, someone else will, and around and around we go.

The whole idea behind the balanced line system was to eliminate this problem, and if you adhere to the standard, it works. I run Mogami Neglex in my system; 30 feet per channel and maybe cost $300 for the pair. And no worries.

@atmasphere Appreciate your response. I am curious to know why won't manufacturers follow the AES48 standard. Do you think Audio Research, Mark Levinson, Cary Audio, Krell, and most of BAT all (Balanced Audio technology) don't follow this standard? For the kind of money these guys charge, I really doubt they will not adhere to the standard. But then how do you find out whether a particular manufacturer adhere to the standard of not?

Because there is no need to follow those standards, and having to buy expensive cables is not a problem for most audiophiles. 

atmasphere

... The goal of the balanced line system is to eliminate sonic artifacts of the cable and eliminate ground loops. To do that, the equipment has to support the balanced line standard, known as AES48 ...

With all respect to Ralph, that’s a circular argument and the claim not quite exactly true. The AES48 standard he touts was only adopted in 2019, and balanced audio circuits predate that by many decades. To suggest that only those complying with the standard are capable of such feats as eliminating ground loops is just not accurate.

if you adhere to the standard, it works.

I have differentially balanced Audio Research gear that works, yet the components are not AES48 compliant. As with many things, there is more than One Way. Similarly, I’ve heard AES48 compliant equipment that sounded like drek. In the end, AES48 is just a standard.