XLR/Balanced problems???

Hi Phil, I think, that there is mismatch at the output levels of your CD player and input level of your pre-amp.Normaly I would say, that Revox is true 600 Ohm and that Pass is not true balanced.Libor

Hi Phil, There's nothing wrong with your equipment! The differences you're getting between the XLR and single ended cables are standard. I often do tests with the same cable, between the XLR and RCA versions. Mostly I get similar results to yours. The XLR has a deeper and louder bass, theres less extention at top end, with a slightly closed in sound compared to the SE, which in some cases, depending on the cables, it leads to muddiness in the mids which you might see as distortion. Sometimes the mids are just slightly sweeter with the XLR. But there definitely is a big difference between the sound of each output. rgds, david PS I am back to SE cables. Initially the XLR seems more impressive because of the extra bass ouput but with further A/B testing you'll see that the RCA is more musical and the XLR is more hifi and mechanical sounding.

Hi Phil, The differences you're getting between the XLR and single ended cables are standard. I often do tests with the same cable, between the XLR and RCA versions. Mostly I get similar results to yours. The XLR has a deeper and louder bass, theres less extention at top end, with a slightly closed in sound compared to the SE, which in some cases, depending on the cables, it leads to muddiness in the mids which you might see as distortion. Sometimes the mids are just slightly sweeter with the XLR. But there definitely is a big difference between the sound of each output. rgds, david PS I am back to SE cables. Initially the XLR seems more impressive because of the extra bass ouput but with further A/B testing you'll see that the RCA is more musical and the XLR is more hifi and mechanical sounding.

Sounds like your overloading your preamp's input. Going from single ended to balanced inputs can increase the output level by 3db eg the BAT VK d5 which I use doubles its output voltage from the balanced jacks to about 4.4v. Check to see if your CD player specifies an output voltage (the cd standard is 2v). Also see if your preamp has an input overload spec and whether you may have exceeded it.

No...the balanced outputs are constant...that's why I can't figure out why they're signal is so much stronger than the unbalanced at maximum volume.

Sounds like your problem is with the CD player or preamp. I don't know. Try other XLR cables, and try another balanced CD player, if you can borrow one. There could be some kind of impedance or level mismatch between preamp and CD player.

The Sony CD player that I have has constant levels for the balanced outputs (The unbalanced outputs have adjustable levels). If your CD player allows you to adjust the balanced output levels then you may be over driving the front end of you preamp.