XLR or single ended cables and why?

Salestalk and Ads are designed to make you fearful. Fear that you are somehow not getting the most out of your high $$$ system. And fear propels consumers to get their wallet out and spend more $$$

Do not be concerned: Wire is wire. There is no big deal to XLR.

Plug whichever existing interconnect cable you like best into your system. If you have an excessive hum, hiss or noise problem then by all means try something different...maybe even XLR. But don't expect any sonic miracles...a lower noise floor is the most you should expect to gain.

A cable is simply a connection (XLR or RCA, copper, silver or gold) and at audio frequencies you usually don't have to worry about shielding in most domestic environments. An unbalanced circuit can sound just as good as a balanced one in the majority of applications.

I would only ever worry about this if you already have a problem. If you do have a problem then consuider that it might be a component failure/compatibilty problem rather than assume a bad RCA cable.

Shadorne - If implemented properly a balanced component uses differential circuitry throughout - each phase (+ and -) of the signal has its own signal path. There are pros and cons to this, but it is far more than just another connector type.

There are lots of other threads that explain this in gory detail.

Balanced audio interconnects (XLR) utilize two conductors, while standard RCA audio interconnects use only a single "unbalanced" conductor. This enhanced design gives balanced audio interconnects the power to provide greater resistance against sources of noise (RF, EMI, etc.). The result is a more pure signal transfer, especially in longer-run applications.

You may or may not hear a difference between XLR and RCA in short runs, however XLR should prove quieter on very long runs or in set-ups where many cords come in contact with each other...think rock concerts, where all instrument and mic cords are XLR.

Tvad sez:

however XLR should prove quieter on very long runs or in set-ups where many cords come in contact with each other.

Exactly. Plus the common mode rejection (i.e. "noise" that is common to both sides of the channel is cancelled out). Often it is twice as loud (spl) at the same volume control setting.

Shadorne, Is it a big deal to have an extra increase of 6db with XLR ? That's a lot of extra juice. Running either at 4 or 8 ohm, It requires double in wattage power for each 3db increase. Isn't it ? BTW, I have my MD. pulled the wool out of my ears the other day. Thanks for the advise.