SQ difference XLR vs RCA ?

Probably not...

Nope, unless you own components that sports balanced design. Components with unbalanced design even with XLR jacks offers no improvements over RCA with short run of Interconnects cables.

When in doubt, check manufacturer specifications :-)

RCA and XLR can be implemented differently.   I think your question assumes that they are the same signal sent through RCA wires or XLR wires.  But XLR can be implemented different ways.  Often a small transformer is used in the XLR input.  This will change SQ, maybe better, maybe worse.  It may pair well with your preamp, it may not.  So implementation methods of XLR may make your question more complicated than you meant and answerers may not realize how their xlr is implemented.

In my amp, Decware, it is hard to compare.  The XLR amps have a transformer that adds about 8dB of gain.  so you have to adjust volume to try to do an A/B. Right now Im using XLR.  However, I've upgraded my RCA connectors coming out of the amp and may go back and forth.  I don't have a strong opinion.

@mabonn,

SQ difference XLR vs RCA ?

See article below:

Mike

http://www.atma-sphere.com/en/resource-why-balanced.html

no, most likely

My question is this:  if I have a quiet system with short runs, do balanced connections sound better?

They should not sound worse.

As the noise increases, and the runs get longer, the balanced stays better for longer.

Basically:

• If it sounds good now, then do not change it.
• If you are looking at an equipment change, which is more immune to noise, then balanced helps.

No. The difference is incredibly subtle and contingent on your specific components and length of run (if dozens of feet). When you get to own the best system you have ever imagined… then bring this issue up again. For now, rca will do the job and cost less.

RCA and XLR connections can and do sound differently.   I have a Gustard X26 Pro DAC that supports simultaneous RCA and XLR outputs.  I connect them using Harmonic Tech Pro Silway RCA and XLR cables to a PS Audio BHK Preamp which drives a 2A3 tube amp and Tekton Moab speakers.  It is easy to switch inputs to compare the sound of XLR and RCA.  There is a 6 dB difference but that is easy to correct using the volume control of the BHK.  The XLR is brighter and more detailed sounding which is fabulous on classical and many sorts of music but can be a tad fatiguing compared to RCA on tracks that might sound brittle or shrill with that brighter more detailed presentation.  Now I haven't figured out if the difference between XLR and RCA is due to the DAC, the Preamp, or the cables but the fact that it exists is indisputable and would be easily heard by anyone that knows how to listen.  Frankly, I like the fact that I can alter the sonic character so easily by changing the input.

Another factor, some equipment's XLR inputs/outputs are not really truly balanced. The XLR connections were just added for convenience. Unless absolutely necessary I would never use those and would go RCA in that circumstance. This is a question you would need to ask the manufacturer when in doubt.

I use a short .5m XLR connection from a Macintosh SACD (MCD85) to a Macintosh MA352 IA.  I was originally using the RCA outputs and inputs for SACD/CD.  It was a noticeable improvement in sound quality on many SACD & CDs (not all).

My conclusion is that the XLRs brought out the most in the medium and equipment depending on the quality of medium. 

Just to be an old curmudgeon, RCAs have worked just fine for me over the last 55 years.  

Balanced cables always sound better whether you can hear it or not.

Balance components are basically designed to have one side mirror the other side with respect to the electronics inside the chassis.  When manufactures do this they tend a cheap out because they have to do two systems.  So if you get a RCA only device there's no mirroring of the internals so the belief is that more money spent on the electronics you're buying.  Conrad Johnson is a perfect example, they only do RCA connections. 
 

Based on my experience XLR has always sounded better.  I can't think of a single time when I used XLR's that I wish I had used RCA.

Based on my experience XLR has always sounded better. I can’t think of a single time when I used XLR’s that I wish I had used RCA.

I am sure we could find some other piece of gear that would not sound better.

Balance components are basically designed to have one side mirror the other side with respect to the electronics inside the chassis. When manufactures do this they tend a cheap out because they have to do two systems. So if you get a RCA only device there’s no mirroring of the internals so the belief is that more money spent on the electronics you’re buying. Conrad Johnson is a perfect example, they only do RCA connections

What does Conrad Johnson have to do with anything?
50-75 years ago, no one was using XLR to my knowledge… Maybe NASA, and maybe Pro Audio were??

The use of XLR for pro audio brought better CMRR and lower noise.
It also brought higher signal levels, which helps too… as that also allows lower amplifier gain, which also helps from a noise perspective.

@russ69

Just to be an old curmudgeon, RCAs have worked just fine for me over the last 55 years.

hey russ -- you don’t know what you have been missing all this time... 🤣🤣

***************************************************************************

@mijostyn

Balanced cables always sound better whether you can hear it or not.

so when an xlr interconnect gets unplugged in a deserted forest, does the sound degradation truly exist?  😂😅

Some DACs are a SE design. In these cases there would be little to no improvement using XLR unless a long run required.
More of an improvement if the DAC is a balanced design.

I’ve initially tried XLRs because the increased signal. 

My Marantz SA10 sacd player is a different player when balance ic is used, It sounds more musical and dynamic.

@jjss49 Yes🤪

Wow.

So much crap on here.

Yes, if the equipment is designed to run (preferably) with XLR connections, you should use them.

Wonder how many of the responders on this thread actually HAVE equipment with balanced/XLR connections and have tried them.

There’s a reason manufacturers use them.

I won’t buy a piece of equipment if it doesn’t have balanced connectors.

Mijostyn

“Balanced cables always sound better whether you can hear it or not.“

Post of the Year

Balanced analog cabling and equipment tends to reject noise better, especially when you have cable lengths longer than 3 feet. All wiring (AC and audio) can act as an antenna, picking up RFI and EMI noise along the way. You should never utilize an unbalanced single ended cable longer than 3 feet. To prevent noise pickup, RCA cables should be kept as short as possible. I also think that when it comes to the quality of the cable itself, I don't hear as much of an audio performance difference using different balanced XLR type cables, as I do when using various unbalanced single ended cables. To me, the most dramatic difference I've ever heard in my sound system(s) is when I've auditioned and used different RCA cables. The "wow" factor really came in to play then! My systems using a combination of both balanced XLR and RCA type cabling and connections.   

Wonder how many of the responders on this thread actually HAVE equipment with balanced/XLR connections and have tried them.

Well, on my big Mac amp the extra gain of the XLR circuit raised my idle hiss to an audible level. I had to pad that down to remove the hiss. So in my experience XLRs can work in some installations and not work so well in others. 

Well, on my big Mac amp the extra gain of the XLR circuit raised my idle hiss to an audible level. I had to pad that down to remove the hiss. So in my experience XLRs can work in some installations and not work so well in others.

Usually the XLR side, on amplifiers, has a gain around 20 and the RCA side around 26dB.

And the on the preamp side the XLRs are 6dB hotter coming out.

Which makes this an outlier.

Did it hiss even with the XPRs unplugged or the preamp turned off?

I can only speak for my experience. I have a Denafrips stack DAC, Pre-Amp, and amplifier that are all true balanced designs throughout.....I have Morrow Audio MA4 RCA and XLR cables.....same cables, different connections.

My Denafrips Thallo amplifier only accepts XLR inputs, so have only used XLR connections. I did compare the RCA and XLR cables from the Pontus II DAC to the Hades Pre-Amp, and the XLR connections were clearly superior from the very beginning, so much so that I didn't need more than half an hour or so before reverting back to the XLRs.

My assertion is that balanced designs should not be degraded by using an unbalanced RCA connection

I have gone from using RCA to XLR and back over the 40+ years of equipment/listening.  I've stayed with RCA for the last 15 of those years even with 5-meter runs of interconnects from my preamps to the amps.  While I definitely agree about CMMR with XLR, I believe if your system is clean and relatively noise-free, my experience is that RCA is a touch better.  If you have really good RCA or single-ended vs. balanced (XLR) equipment, the mfg has put all the money into single path amplification of the signal.  Even with extremely well spec'd balanced circuits, there are two active components each touching the + and - signals and in some cases even high precision component differences can result in slight sonic differences.  In my experience, the least number of active components "touching" the signal will yield the cleanest signal.  Now if you do choose balanced and XLR equipment, make sure your equipment is balanced through the unit input to output.  If it's a single-ended device with XLR inputs or outputs, you're only going to get a single-ended input signal and output signal.  No CMMR benefit !  

All my equipment is balanced (Audio Research Reference) and Audio Research recommends using balanced. I have tried both. I was unable to hear a substantial difference. Since, more and more manufacturers are headed that way (I think), I went ahead and switched over all my interconnects. More as a just in case thing.

If my system was not in what I consider it’s apex state, I would not have changed over. I would have applied the money to improving components. There may be other components more sensitive to the interconnect used. I am sure Audio Research put a lot of effort into converting the signal from balanced to unbalanced… this is audiophile stuff. They want every input and output to sound good, but extra conversion is never a good thing and tiny differences add up to making an impact. So, it depends on where you are in system building if you should worry too much about this.

All my equipment is balanced (Audio Research Reference) and Audio Research recommends using balanced. I have tried both. I was unable to hear a substantial difference. Since, more and more manufacturers are headed that way (I think), I went ahead and switched over all my interconnects. More as a just in case thing.

If my system was not in what I consider it’s apex state, I would not have changed over. I would have applied the money to improving components. There may be other components more sensitive to the interconnect used. I am sure Audio Research put a lot of effort into converting the signal …

Well put @ghdprentice - especially the “improving components” part.

If the context of the thread; we were smart we would make a list of the source and receiving component and whether it makes a difference.

• Gear with both RCA and Balanced maybe have different sounding paths
• Some gear may look balanced, but not be truely balanced.
• etc

On the equipment I've owned (Hegel, Cary Audio, and McIntosh), XLR wins every time. They all were fully balanced. The differences were most definitely subtle, but noticeable.

@gillsysb 

Thank you for your comments. Let me respectfully ask one question… is there a chance that you were reacting to the increase in volume and not the quality of the sound? It is really easy to react to the increase in volume… which does not in any way enable your system an advantage. 
 

I am fortunate enough to have a preamp that allows me to easily equalize volumes and then make comparisons. 

Anything that I purchase in the future will be fully balanced. I am that convinced. The answer to your question is "I don't think so".

@coralkong , All my analog equipment runs balanced including the tonearm and phono stage. Digital runs are AES/EBU, Optic , Thunderbolt and USB. With the volume all the way up you can only hear noise on Phono with your head in the speaker.  

Balanced is inherently better. Well implemented it had definite benefits. 

Lowers the noise floor, much cleaner signal. 

Balanced always sound better.