inexpensive xlr vs expensive rca

If the preamp and amp support the balanced line standard, then you'll be fine running the less expensive balanced cables.

The balanced line standard was devised to reduce the sonic issues of the cable. Originally it was for trans- and inter- continental phone calls, which it made possible because the signal degradation is so much less than with single ended. Contrary to popular myth, the length of the cable is irrelevant- you can still have a benefit if the cable is only six inches.

Check with Ayre and see if the preamp supports 'AES file 48' which is the balanced standard. If yes, you're good to go.

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The gZero3 is a very good cable, but that has now been superseded by the QFLOW3 - which is an improved version.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

This is hard to say.
Some folks who say all cables sound the same will say buy the cheaper ones. Other folks who can hear differences will say each brand and model of cable is different and no way can it be said one general cable notion is better than another.
So I say if you cannot hear a difference, then FOR YOU there is no difference. And don;t waste your money.
If you can hear a difference, you would not be asking?
(my two cents)

For normal audiophile use, there is not a whole lot to be said for RCA over XLR or XLR over RCA.
Each is implemented differently in various ways, so a generalization is just not easy.

And if the expensive RCA are so cheap.. they may be fakes..
Do they have the serial numbers, or provenance to prove they are not fake?

I would respectfully disagree about any Ayre product sounding better using RCA connections and would suggest sticking with your XLR cables to the QB9. Having used both the QB9 and now the Ayre Codex, both pieces sound dramatically better running balanced. I have no experience with Parasound products and I won’t speak to the effect on them. But if the Parasound gear is truly a balanced design I would stick with your XLR’s.

Good Luck!

As a test, I ran XLR Belden 8423/Neutrik from my JC-3+ into my #1 JC-2 input, and I ran a pair of Goertz Micro-Purl CU RCA from the JC-3+ to my #6 JC-2 input.

While listening to the newly remastered 180G Pink Floyd Animals, I switched between input 1 and 6 on the remote. I "think" I may have heard very slightly more detail in the upper midrange on the Micro-Purl. Like the soft tapping of the ride cymbal may have been just slightly more revealed. The soundstage "seemed" to be maybe a little bit wider with the Belden 8423.

By the time I got through with the listening session, I convinced myself that I really heard no difference at all. And yes, the levels are perfectly matched between the RCA output and the XLR output between the two Parasound boxes. I'll see if the Ayre outputs the same levels between the XLR and RCA and try the test there as well. 

I'm not a cable non-believer. I think well constructed cables using the right gauge, inductance, capacitance, shielding, etc are necessary. I've got an AudioQuest Diamond between my Mac Mini and the Ayre because there was an obvious difference in clarity and detail over the Belden Gold USB cable I had been using. The only thing I can think of there is that the Diamond reduces the self-correcting error rate between the USB receivers by sealing the signal inside a DBS path. Honestly, I really have no idea and I hate the fact that it sounds better, but it does, so it was money well spent. 

I wonder how I would compare XLR vs XLR and not get confirmation bias. The way I did the XLR vs RCA, I get immediate feedback since I'm listening to the exact same piece of music at the exact same level and switching back and forth on the remote is instantaneous and seamless. If I'm taking time between listening to the same track during a physical cable swap, I'm not sure if what I'm hearing is real or imagined. 

Sorry, I know I think I switched gears here, but I'm just re-thinking my current cable setup. I might be good to go with what I've got.