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How to go from RCA to XLR?

I've got an Aragon Stage One processor with RCA outputs and two Aragon Palladium 1K monoblocks with XLR inputs. I know there are a lot of RCA-XLR cables available, but a fabricator told me you have to know which XLR pins are "hot" and these have to match the amps' input circuitry or you will damage the amp.
So how do you know which pins to make hot when you order the cables? When you buy these cables "off the shelf" are you just hoping you get lucky and they match up with your equipment?
Thanks
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almarg's avatar
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almarg
8,673 posts
 
What the manual describes is not differential and is not balanced. It just converts the amplifier to mono by paralleling up the channels, resulting in a single-ended amp with twice the power.

-- Al
rwwear
2,692 posts
 
I know Al, if it were that easy I wouldn't be asking. The amp is 50 years old. I don't suppose they had much balanced audio equipment then. I hope to get more power and noise rejection by doing it in a balanced configuration.
almarg's avatar
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almarg
8,673 posts
 
Yes, well as far as I can tell I think you'll succeed in both respects, if you install an xlr jack connected as I described, and connect the speaker between the + outputs as I described and not as the manual describes.

Good luck with it!

-- Al
rwwear
2,692 posts
 
I have to aquire another amp first. Might take awhile, but thanks for your input.

Robt.
almarg's avatar
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almarg
8,673 posts
 
A couple of further thoughts.

It will be important to make the two channels as identical as possible, meaning identical tubes, identical bias settings, etc. Otherwise the positive and negative parts of the waveforms will be treated asymmetrically, which is equivalent to a distortion.

Also, I take back what I said about possibly using the 16 ohm taps. I think that would result in too much current flowing. Perhaps someone else could suggest which taps would be best to use.

-- Al
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