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Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ...

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Posted on January 20, 2021 at 14:48:20
Aaron 01
Audiophile

Posts: 561
Location: Golden Colorado
Joined: July 18, 2004
 Recommend me some warm smooth XLR interconnects, under $200 please. The only XLR cables I have are Canare L-4E6S with Neutrik gold XLR connectors. I have no other XLR cables to compare to.

The Canare are very open, but not as smooth and perhaps lacking in warmth compared to my RCA Audioquest cables. I have read that the Mogami W2534 are better, but I could not find how the people thought they were better?

Another option I found was the AQ Red River with XLR, but limited info on how these sound terminated with XLR's compared to others.

TIA,
Aaron

 

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RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on January 21, 2021 at 11:15:48
Luminator
Audiophile

Posts: 5152
Location: Bay Area
Joined: December 11, 2000



Here is the Canare L-4E6S, with 5-pin XLRs. We use it between the Simaudio 820S and 750D. We had to source a series of adapters, so that the audiodharma Cable Cooker (via its normal 3-pin XLR jacks) could treat such cables. So if you haven't already, get your Canare, and all other cables, on a Cable Cooker.



If you have and already like AudioQuest interconnects, hit the used market. Find bargains. Then place whatever you pick up on the Cable Cooker. The old AQ Lapis may not make distortion disappear, but it places them where they don't interfere with your listening. Pre-COVID, when we had the usual 1-4 visitors, it was the Lapis which brought everyone together, and made her/him/them sink into the music.

 

RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on January 23, 2021 at 05:31:03
Aaron 01
Audiophile

Posts: 561
Location: Golden Colorado
Joined: July 18, 2004
 Thanks Lummy,

I have ordered 2 pair of the Abbatron XLR - XLR3MBG06/XLR3FBG06 MALE/FEMALE, seems like a good XLR and recommended by Duster in an earlier post. I also ordered the Mogami W2549 cable to build a pair of interconnects to compare to my cheap Canare that I have on hand.

This leaves me with one extra set of XLR connectors to build with in the future. I have my eyes out for used AQ or another brand of XLR cables. I have always been a fan of the original AQ Emerald cables. Now I do have a couple of pairs of RCA terminated Emeralds and the Cheetahs laying around. I have been pondering neutering a pair of the Cheetahs and terminating them with the XLR's meself.

 

RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on January 23, 2021 at 07:25:58
Duster
Audiophile

Posts: 16927
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002
 Hi Aaron, you might like to try Mogami W3173 terminated with the Abbatron XLRs. Should be a good synergistic match. The foamed dielectric of the Mogami W3173 provides higher performance vs. the solid dielectric of other Mogami cables, IME. The design of the Oyaide PA-02 cable is based on the Mogami W3173, so it's no slouch for both balanced XLR and rca interconnect applications.

See link:

 

RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on January 27, 2021 at 21:31:27
Aaron 01
Audiophile

Posts: 561
Location: Golden Colorado
Joined: July 18, 2004



I have the Mogami cables built and initial impressions compared to the Canare cables with Neutrik are very favorable. The images are round, warm, and very musical. I am using these between a Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC and Moon 700i integrated amp. Switching to a pair of AQ King Cobras terminated with RCA, shows the King Cobras are still very detailed and easier on the ears than the Canare. The AQ KC have a bit more flat image, tighter bottom and mid, not as round, some micro details are easier heard. With the Mogami 2549 with mids and bottom are slightly more round and full, still detailed but a bit more laid back in its presentation.

Overall I am pleased, for just under $30 in materials to build. I think a big part of the success is due to the Abbatron XLRs recommended by Duster. In my past experience building RCA interconnects I built 2 identical sets, except different RCA connectors and the difference is easy to hear, the termination makes as much difference as the cable IMHO.

I may try something different in the future, but for now these are working well in my system.

 

RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on January 28, 2021 at 00:08:31
KanedaK
Audiophile

Posts: 1900
Location: Brussels
Joined: April 27, 2010
 I've been recommended an ultra cheap XLR cable that, apparently, sounds very good (see link)

I don't know if it is available in the US, but you can always order overseas.. for the price, it's worth checking it. (people who recommended it to me are very serious audiophiles on a French group, the fact it's such a cheap cable shouldn't have it dismissed)

 

RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on January 28, 2021 at 06:22:12
Aaron 01
Audiophile

Posts: 561
Location: Golden Colorado
Joined: July 18, 2004
 Merci

 

RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on January 30, 2021 at 19:36:23
SgreenP@MSN.com
Audiophile

Posts: 3402
Joined: April 23, 2007
 I have found very little difference in XLR balanced interconnect if attached to differentially balanced components

 

RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on January 30, 2021 at 21:18:41
Aaron 01
Audiophile

Posts: 561
Location: Golden Colorado
Joined: July 18, 2004
 In my system they made quite a difference.

 

RE: Recommend me some warm smooth XLR cables ..., posted on February 1, 2021 at 07:02:13
lokie
Audiophile

Posts: 1741
Location: Georgia, USA
Joined: January 28, 2003
 Gotham is a nice moderately priced high quality cable.

 

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