inexpensive xlr vs expensive rca

@marktrav - personally I’ve compared a nice XLR’s and a nice single ended cable with RCA’s, on a very nice Ayre based system - the Single ended proved to provide better sound quality across the board.

The XLR’s were Kimber Kable Silver Streak.

The Single ended cables were the gZero3 from KLE Innovations. These cables are capable of very high resolution and are excellent in terms of imaging, dynamics, bass extension/control and clarity.They also outperform many other brands of single ended cables

The gZero3 is a very good cable, but that has now been superseded by the QFLOW3 - which is an improved version.

The gZero3 retails around $550AUS for 1 meter - new

I owned the gZero20, which is a stellar performer. It retails for $2000AUS for 1 meter, but the ZPURITY8 offers a little better performance at $1700AUS for a 1 meter.

https://kleinnovations.com/kle-innovations-klei-products/klei-gzseries-cables/klei-zpurity-ics/klei-...

I would contact KLE Innovations and ask what other QFLOW models might be available - they are a brand new release not yet listed on their web site.

Caveat: the use of XLR cables is the preferred option when long cables runs are required in a high noise environment like a recording studio - in excess of 30 ft I believe.

I cannot make a general statement that ALL single ended cables are better - just the products I have tried from KLE Innovations.

Hope that helps - Steve

@marktrav - exactly what is your goal?

1. to get the best performing cable?
- in that case try cables from KLEI
2. to prove there is little if no difference between XLR and RCA?
- you have done that with your test, so stick with the cable you felt performed the best.

Having said that - your test has compared two mediocre cables and as such there will be very little difference between the two. I would have thought the XLR would have sounded better out of those two cables.

Neither of the cables you tested are in the same price point (i.e. $600 - $1500) as those you mentioned in your original post, so your findings are really not "transferable" to higher priced cables - regardless of the connector type.

So I guess you were more "generally" curious as to which connector type might offer the best performance?
- From what you observed there is little difference at those price points
- From what I observed, as stated in my earlier post, it is more about the cables than the type of connector

Good luck with your quest - Steve :-)

@marktrav - I think you will be pretty happy with the Van den Hul cables - they have been a long time favorite of mine. They are a definite step up from the two cables you used to conduct your comparison.

Another cable that I have not tried, but I like the geometry used in their construction, is from Anticables - they start from around $200 for a 1 metre pair (you can get as low as 0.5 meter.)

http://anticables.com/interconnects/analog-xlr-interconnects#!/Level-2-Performance-Series-Analog-XLR...

They also have some very good RCA cables...
http://anticables.com/interconnects/analog-rca-interconnects#!/SALE-50-off-NEW-Level-1-Classic-Serie...

They utilize a helix spiral neutral, which I have found is a vastly superior cable geometry to that used by many cable constructors and I have used the same Helix geometry many times with great results.

The Helix geometry provides a quieter background, faster dynamics with greater control, improved clarity and superior imaging.

One last thing - if you are into DIY - take a look at the following link
http://image99.net/blog/files/category-002ahelix-interconnect-cable.html

These are cables I have developed over the last few years and now use throughout my system.

Looking forward to hearing your comments on the Van den Hul cables

Cheers - Steve

@lastninja - in response to your postng of the Aurealis Audio web content above.

Please checkout the KLE Innovations site and read the Brochure and Technical Paper
https://kleinnovations.com/kle-innovations-klei-products/klei-harmony-plug/

I think you will find that nowhere does it state that the Silver Harmony is fabricated from "solid silver".

It would appear that most people "ASSUMES" solid silver is used simply because of the name assigned to the plug.

Based on that "assumption" is it feasible to conclude that an American Express Gold Card is made of gold? I think not.

The "Silver Harmony" is just a name assigned to an RCA that achieves a higher level of performance that the Copper Harmony, but not as good as the Pure Harmony or Absolute Harmony.

To quote from their documents:

Proprietary mathematical modeling is utilized to produce the Silver Harmony’s ground to signal pin relationship, parameters, and determines the proprietary metallurgical processes that are used.

I think this fact has been overlooked by the people at Aurealis Audio on purpose. They may have stated in their advertising that Solid silver was used and a customer complained and are now covering their "assets"

In fact they seem to have gone one stage further and have actually mis-quoted snippets from KLE Innovations documents on purpose.

For what purpose I do not know, but it would appear they have an axe to grind with KLE Innovations and are willing mis-quote their documents in order to disparage the good name of KLE Innovations in favour of their own.

Personally - I have auditioned every plug from KLE Innovations at length and all I can is that it does not matter the Harmony plugs are not made from Solid Silver - each plug in the range, much like American Express cards, provide a level "service" that improves as you proceed up the product line.

The issues here should not be with KLE Innovations, a company that I trust and respect, but with that post on Aurealis Audio that appears to have no other goal but to disparage.

Regards - Steve