odd that all of a sudden you think of this.
how does the system sound ? if it sounds good then leave it and don’t worry about it
25 responses Add your response
+1 @riley804 There might be marginal improvement using balanced connections if both amp and pre are fully balanced, but I don’t think it’s worth pursuing if you like what you’re hearing now. |
some say they hear a difference between the two and how true that is , i don’t know.
is it worth selling the preamp you have and then finding one that is balanced? the new preamp might not have the same sound so you have to deal with that and also finding cables that sound good also.
i thought (?) the purpose of xlr was for longer runs that rca can’t do ?
i would keep what you have |
I am borrowing a Conrad Johnson preamplifier and it sounds very nice but to my surprise I couldn't use XLR cables. If I wanted this preamplifier I would have to go through all the torture of selecting new cables versus XLR cables I already have. Fortunately I don't need extended Cable runs and it's supposed to be a really good preamp so maybe I'll buy one. Also borrowing some very nice speakers called Magico and will listen to these for a while until I have to give them back. It's nice having friends who have Nice gear.
|
Like everything it depends - in this case, especially on the downstream component and how it handles SE vs. balanced input signals. Sometimes there is an extra stage for SE vs. XLR (or vice versa) that the signal has to pass through. It can be an opamp or transformer, which is definitely going to impact the sound. Best is a differential input stage, which doesn’t care whether the signal is SE or balanced. For headphone amps I find balanced drive to be extremely effective, because it grants +6dB extra gain, up to 4 times the power, and double the slew rate along with common mode noise rejection. And Stax/electrostatic headphone amps have to be balanced anyways, and they sound the best (for other reasons too). For straight preamps, the advantages of balanced drive are going to be of much more subtle impact. |
Absolutely do not worry about it. Balance or not balanced is a design choice… I have had both and intermixed them. Typically there is virtually no difference in sound quality… Conrad Johnson components are incredibly good sounding… I would not think another moment about it.
I own Audio Research Reference gear and have tried to tell the difference between single ended and balanced… and could not. Conrad Johnson is one of the greatest audio companies in the world producing some of the most musically satisfying components available. Enjoy! |
It depends. If the balance of your gear is fully differentially balanced then you will typically find some degradation in sound quality if you use the single ended inputs and outputs. Examples of this where it really makes a difference are brands like BAT, Ayre Acoustics, Esoteric, etc... If your system is not differentially balanced, the gear simply offers XLRs, then usually you will find the RCA connectors will sound as good or better unless there is a bad noise problem. |
And there in lies the huge challenge manufacturers don’t really explain it very well. They say it’s balanced but then again is it really truly balanced for purposes of determining if it’s better to use XLR’s or a simple RCA connection.
This is why people can’t stand buying new equipment with these stupid challenges. Conrad Johnson I guess makes a really good product but they don’t use XLR. The streamer i use recommends XLR, a lumen. So wtf should you do? I guess you need to buy really good RCA cables to address any deficiencies. And the rabbit hole gets deeper |
A lot of his queries are "odd", to say the least...... |
Of course one of the goals of balanced operation is to eliminate the ’sound’ of cables; if set up correctly a cheap cable can sound every bit as good as an expensive cable. Look at it as a technology that successfully solved the interconnect cable issue (and did so long ago). There are balanced tube preamps around FWIW. If you want to get the most out of going balanced, make sure the preamp supports AES48, the balanced line standard. If inquiring about this and the manufacturer does not seem to know AES48, it usually means it does not support the standard. |
”This is why people can’t stand buying new equipment with these stupid challenges….” Well, this is the thing. If you want easy choices then buy something from a single manufacturer that you hear in a showroom… or a combination system you hear in a showroom… which unfortunately will sound vastly different in your home. If you want plug and play… high end audio is simply not for you. It just isn’t. Achieving really high end audio is a journey of love, the solution clouded with ambiguity. There is ambiguity at every turn. Your preferences are different than every one else’s, yours will change over time. Every series of components sound different if you change one piece. It goes on and on. I have been fascinated with high end audio for fifty years… learning more and more every year. I love complex, unstructured problems… this is a perfect pursuit for me. But for most folks it is an expensive lot of nonsense. For some one of the most rewarding pursuits possible. |
well said, very well said indeed |
I agree with @ghdprentice for the hifi journey. In the same time, people in different period do different things, there is thread talking " After years separates,I'm going to integrated " That said ,some people explore more and some one need easy solution. And It might be the same guy in different period.
|
I have a Herron Audio VTSP-360. Keith doesn't put XLR connections on any of his gear. It sounds fantastic. Before that I had a Modwright LS 100. While it had XLR connectors, it was not "balanced". It did however also sound great. How does your system sound? Another preamp might sound better than the one you have, but whether it is balanced or not is probably not going to be the reason it sounds better. |
I think OP has a big question mark in his brain and that let him to ask again. Very similar with me. On this forum, people said it again and again ,it is the better choice to use XLR input, but why there is so many RCA pre or amplifier on the market, especially for some main Street brand like CJ. In my personal experience, RCA connection bring very good experience, even better than XLR. All in all, it goes down to the design of the amplifier, the connection won't decide the sound in large percentage. |
