[VOLKS]

I am thinking of buying Brystons XLR Cables from their website,but im a little confused.......i understand the benefits of using XLR-XLR cables,but what about Brystons  XLR-RCA Cables?......are any of the benefits of XLR-XLR being lost if i buy an XLR-RCA Cable?My current CD Player has only RCA's........but i have a BP 26 MC and would love to take advantage of the balanced outputs that it offers......any advice on what i should do?
Thank You.

[werd]

I am thinking of buying Brystons XLR Cables from their website,but im a little confused.......i understand the benefits of using XLR-XLR cables,but what about Brystons  XLR-RCA Cables?......are any of the benefits of XLR-XLR being lost if i buy an XLR-RCA Cable?My current CD Player has only RCA's........but i have a BP 26 MC and would love to take advantage of the balanced outputs that it offers......any advice on what i should do?
Thank You.

Hello

yes try running the cd player into the tape monitor, its the best input on that pre. Its also the purist rca in and it doesnt sound like the rest of the rca's. Just run rca into rca (pre), the only drawback is you dont get to use the tape out.

hope that helps.

[James Tanner]

Hi,

There is no advantage to running XLR to RCA as the signal has to be balanced at both ends to provide a differential balanced circuit.

james

[brucek]

My current CD Player has only RCA's........but i have a BP 26 MC and would love to take advantage of the balanced........

If the cables use proper two wire plus shield cable, then you should definitely realize noise rejection by using the RCA to XLR connection with your setup.

There will still be noise rejection realized from the balanced configuration in the BP26, since noise rejection basically relies on matched impedances at the two inputs of the differential amplifier stage. The impedance of the positive differential amplifier will be that of the previous stages output impedance (~100 ohms), while the negative differential amplifier will be at ground or zero impedance. The mismatch to the differential input stage still offers decent noise rejection to the common mode ground noise.

The connection is known as pseudo balanced, and has an advantage over the unbalanced to unbalanced interface.

See Jensen white papers section 2.1

brucek

[jethro]

Happy Canada Day !

James,

How does the tape monitor input differ from other inputs on the BP-26 ?

[VOLKS]

Ok Thank You all very much .I now have the info i need to make a "Balanced Decision"  ......in the end i will get a CD Player with Balanced inputs,but in the meantime i will get the Bryston Cables.

[Robert D]

VOLKS,

Balanced,  Single XLR AES-EBU 110 Ohms from your New BCD-1 To Your New BDA-1, Then we Go From BDA-1  Balanced to Your BP-26MC. That's the only way, Right way to do It. How to get only the best out of both Worlds !
Enjoy !

All you have to do is tell James The lengths of the 3 cables that you need

Robert

[Mad Mr H]

......in the end i will get a CD Player with Balanced inputs....

Just a small point but might elp you when chatting to others in the future.....

The CD player with have OUTPUTS as it is providing the signal, this goes to the INPUT of a preamp, outputs of the pre go to input of the amp - In general.......

This will help you whn you ordr cables as the inpu and output of a balanced cable have different ends (male and female), RCA (or Phono) connectors re not gnder specific.

Just in case you are unsure , Looking at a balanced XLR connector , If it has "sticky out pins" then thats a male connector, if it has a receptor to accept th pins "then its female". (almost got childish grin on face)


Then you can get adaptors (wait for it!!!!) it is possible to get a double ended male or female connector (There now I have  childish grin  )

Try not to search google for these items  !

[/Childish mode off]

[Mad Mr H]

Back to a more serious mode......



EVEN if people think there is no benefit from RCA to XLR, unbalanced to balanced cables they are of use as a stepping stone.

You can always change a RCA to XLR cable to a fully balanced XLR XLR cable in the future, so you DONT have to buy cables again.

As it happens in short run in a hi fi system I don't think I have heard a benefit in RCA - XLR cables over RCA - RCA. But as I say as  stepping stone they are of use.

In LONG Runs in commercial audio we would use unbalanced to balanced cables - BUT the main long run would be blanaced via a "Balance transformer" This would over complicate a hi fi system.

Andy.

[James Tanner]

Hi Andy,

Remember though that your RCA Cable has to have a 3-wire arrangement (usually they are 2) to allow for conversion to XLR Balanced.

james

[BobM]

Generally if a component offers both balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) outputs, there would be no benefit to using an adaptor on the XLR over a straight RCA connection to an RCA input on a preamp. The XLR - RCA adaptor is just doing what is typically done inside the unit to wire the RCA outputs.

Now on a preamp, there could be a benefit to coming in XLR over RCA, if you used an unbalanced RCA output on the source, depending on the circuitry. But generally, since you've already broken the balanced nature of the signal, that would be marginal at best, if there's any benefit at all.

Bob

[Mad Mr H]

Hi Andy,

Remember though that your RCA Cable has to have a 3-wire arrangement (usually they are 2) to allow for conversion to XLR Balanced.

james

Hi James,

Well worth a mention, When I build cables I only use twisted pair for anything, For me most work is commercial so frequent changes of plan so a twisted pair can always be used for balanced in future.

WELL worth a mention,Thank you James, Its often easy to over look that others do things differently........

Some people even dont buy Bryston - What a wierd concept 

[Mad Mr H]

I ought to just add the screen/earth/drain call it what you like have many different types in cables......


You can have a braided shield - the coverage of this can vary from 100% coverage down to a very low value (not sure what....)

You can also have a double or tripple braided shield in some cables.


Then you can have a foil screen which usually is 100%

And a drain wire is another option, usually seen with the foil scrrn for ease of connection.

You can have several of the above.........

The signal cable can also vary, quality and size of cable.......


I mention these as a high quality cable in RCA - RCA can still have the ability to resist noise from external sources.

Balanced is without question the way to go for some of the signal path.

From CD player AES/EBU via XLR is the best option as mentioned by others - If available.

[werd]

Happy Canada Day !

James,

How does the tape monitor input differ from other inputs on the BP-26 ?

Hi Jethro

The tape monitor is a 10k ohm input as opposed to the 50k ohm input on all the other rca inputs. But largely the tape monitor is closer to the volume control than every other rca input including balanced. The other inputs sit before the switch that directs the signal(one less device in the way).

[Robert D]

Here is The set Up

and AES-EBU XLR

Take a look

XLR is they only way to Go

Robert

[drummermitchell]

I like that.

[Robert D]

I like that.

Me Too ! Buddy

Robert