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In Reply to: RE: About differences between cables - RCAs vs. XLRs. posted by beppe61 on April 18, 2015 at 08:40:25
Cable manufacturers have been trying to come up with good rca connectors for years with some of the notable "improvements" being locking connectors as used by Furutech and others, multiple thin contact blades, expanding contact blades, and other modifications to the contacts and materials used in the body of the plug (see Eichmann and WBT NextGen). After selling my last Tom Evans Vibe preamp, I have gone to all balanced gear so no longer use rca plugs, except to my sub. If I were still using rca's, I would favor Furutech and Eichmann, although WBT and Xhadow have their fans too. I use these on the cables I make;
Follow Ups:
Hi and thanks a lot for the very valuable advice.
Great parts the Furutech ones indeed. I like indeed the XLR plug you show.
It looks solid and clean ... beautiful.
Also i read what a great preamp is the Vibe. Never listened to it sadly.
I am more a solid state guy because i am convinced that a good sound can be had also with solid state, not easy but ...However, may i ask you why you have switched to all balanced gear ?
is there any technical consideration behind the choice ?Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 04/19/15
I too do better with solid state components. I want great sound but I also want a minimum of hassle and concern. I want gear that can safely remain powered up all the time, both because IME all electronics sound better after warm-up, and also because my listening schedule is erratic and sometimes might be only for a half hour or so, although other times for longer. While this is mostly self-imposed because of other interests I am involved in, it does mean I do better with gear that doesn't take so much "care and feeding" as in warm-up, checking tubes, etc. I also want gear that is reliable and can be easily repaired, if necessary. At least I want manufacturers who are accessible to us in the USA and known for being responsive to their customers.
Currently, everything in my system can easily remain powered up with no worries about either safety or the gear itself. Of course, if I plan to leave for days, or in the event of thunderstorms, I do power things down. My current amps include a low power draw pair of Class D monoblocks and a large Class A/B heavy A bias McCormack (SMc modified) amp that has an outstanding automatic standby circuit that keeps things powered up at a very low bias and switches to full power when a signal is sensed at the inputs. This works very well.
I thought the Tom Evans Vibe was a great preamp (I ended up owning 5 different ones over the years) and even though I tried many tubed preamps (and a few solid state preamps) during that time period, I kept coming back to the TEAD Vibe. While basically an op-amp design, it was quite musical and enjoyable to listen to. The only minor nits were that, only compared to the very best I have heard, it was not quite as rich sounding and perhaps didn't convey the last word in bass slam.
What finally made me give that preamp up for good was a concern about repair options in the event I would ever need them (several have expressed problems shipping to England and dealing with TEAD) and also that my then Clayton Class A amps took only a balanced signal so I needed to use Jensen input transformers since the TEAD Vibe is single-ended and only has rca outputs.
I looked for a preamp that would simplify my concerns with the Vibe but still provide excellent sound and I finally found the McCormack TLC-1 passive/buffered preamp. To shorten that story, you can see more about my SMc modified TLC-1 Signature Edition on my system page. It is a buffered passive with no gain and has been completely rebuilt to a very high standard that approaches SMc's VRE preamp in sound quality. Working with the folks at SMc was a pleasure and the result betters over 20 high quality preamps I have had in my system. Although no gain, it outputs through high quality transformers and the bass is very powerful and defined. In every way, it is a joy to listen to.
So, back to your question, my Metrum DAC, SMc preamp, and both SMc DNA-2 LAE amp and Acoustic Imagery monos are fully balanced so running balanced cables was the natural way to go.
Hi and thank you sincerely for the very interesting story and the valuable advice.
I listened some years ago to a McCormack pre+amp and the sound was really excellent.
I decided for balanced because my best dac has only balanced outs but in a way i regret a little the choice. It has complicated my life.
There are so many unbalanced good equipment ...By the way i could be wrong but you did not really need the Jensen input transformers.
I have also a balanced power amp but in the recent past i was driving it with an unbalanced preamp and a rca to xlr adapter and I did not experience any particular issue. Maybe i was lucky.
I have checked now and the - pin at the balanced out is shorted to ground.
Instead connecting a balanced out with an unbalanced in is a real mess.
Bloody dac ... it is complicating my life, but dac is still a very open issue.
I have not find yet a very satisfying solution.
Thanks again for the extremely interesting story and very helpful advice.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 04/19/15
My pleasure-bg.
For RCA cables look into Transparent or Audience.
Hi and thanks again.
I imagine that the suggestion is valid also for their XLR versions.
Kind regards,
bg
bg-
I read in your system profile, that you use a Primare pre-amp. Is there a reason for not using a Primare power amp?
About 10years ago I had a wonderful demo of Primare gear (pre, power cd spinner) on Vienna Acoustics speakers. DiMario cables were featured.
Hi and yes i have a very old primare pre30 that sadly has some issues with the volume pot.
I am looking for a service shop here around and it is out of the system now. Do you know the unit maybe ?
I have also a even older Electrocompaniet 4.5 but it is a little soft and too rounded ... not very precise.
I prefer a precise equipment and then make up the sound with the cables. I know that is weird.But my main nightmare is the dac. I have problem getting a good digital sound.
But this week will be interesting. I am waiting for a pair of Cardas Hexlink xlr to use at the dac out into a SAC headphone amp (an amp designed for the akg k1000).
I am using the headphones to test the sound out from the dac.
If i will be able to get a convincing sound in the headphones that will mean that the source is ok.
I believe that my heaphone set-up is much more revealing than my stereo system and also i have problems with the present neighbours (cannot raise the volume).
I really have hopes in the new cables. They should arrive soon.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 04/19/15 04/19/15
Two comments,
First, the Clayton amplifiers are fully balanced and will not work with an unbalanced input, even through adaptors. The hum resulting from that scenario was way too loud to even listen. I had those results with two different Clayton amplifiers and others have reported similar results so it must be an inherent design issue. However, on the bright side, the Clayton's 100K ohm input impedance is high enough that, from a moderately low output impedance source or preamp, the rca to XLR input transformers work well, sound good and result in zero hum.
Second, if you call the folks at Jensen Transformers they may have an XLR to rca input transformer that would work for your situation. Another option is the SMc Audio Flex-Connect interface. Call Steve at SMc to discuss that solution. It is more expensive than the Jensen's, but very high quality.
Hi and thanks again for the very helpful advice
I am not an expert but it seems clear that my amp is not really balanced but just with a balanced inputs.
The adapters actually came with the power amp provided by the manufacturer to be used with unbalanced preamps.
The fact that many power amps are not really balanced makes me wonder if this is really need in a home situation.
A balanced unit need 4 amp lines instead of 2 and the gain could be debatable. Some high class units are unbalanced.
As i said the dac is my present problem. I am waiting for the next generation of multibit.
I usually find the sound from dacs clean but flat, unexciting.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
bg
Edits: 04/19/15
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