Definately tin the braid, maybe even solder a small piece of regular wire to the braid to facilitte easy connection to the XLR connector.
The higher gade XLR connectors offer a slight edge, but I would look at the overall budget for the project and determine if the cost difference is acceptable.
The higher gade XLR connectors offer a slight edge, but I would look at the overall budget for the project and determine if the cost difference is acceptable.