unbalanced out

[frasse74]

Hi

I have some question about Xlr and rca..
It all works well i will upgrade my on Parasound
to a Parasound C2 and wants to use xlr from my
tube Cd-player to the C2 but my old hca-2205at
hasen´t any xlr so i must use the rca outputs to my amp.
In the future i will buy 2 monoblock and they will have xlr
can i then combine both xlr and rca like xlr to frontspeaker and
rca to center and surround.
So does it work and will it be better or will i have sound failures,
i have search over the net about that but i have´t found
any subject that are like my qustion...


frasse74 8)

[LuckyLuke]

Hi,

Yes it will work, i have it setup like that with my C1.
Dont forget to re-calibrate the speaker-setup, xlr will increase the levels +6db

good luck

[Peter Nielsen]

Yes, it works fine. No problem whatsoever!

A good rule of thumb is to use balanced (XLR) whenever the cable is longer than 10' (3 meters). For short distances unbalanced (RCA) usually is good enough and XLR does not really offer any advantage.

Also note that only using RCA outputs of the C2 may turn out to work better if you have high efficiency speakers. The higher output level of the XLR may cause background noise to be audible when high efficiency speakers are used. (Do a forum search if you need more info on this).

Nothing wrong with all RCA. The benefit of XLR is that you can do LONG runs without adverse effects. (300' or 100 meters is usually no problem at all with XLR but almost impossible with RCA. Another example is that while you may need a very expensive RCA cable to do 50' successfully, you can easily do the same distance with an inexpensive XLR cable...)

Ideally you would place your monoblocks next to the speakers, minimizing the speaker cable length to 3' (1m) or shorter. This is where you need XLR since the distance from the prepro to the amps often exceed 10' in this case...

Most likely, you will also want to run XLR to your subwoofer. This is an area where XLR often is most needed and useful as XLR goes a far way towards helping to avoid ground loop problem that sometimes is an issue with subwoofers.

Peter

[frasse74]

So if i getting this right
it works just fine to use xlr from my cd
and rca to my amp and that the xlr boost the levels
with 6db.
But how does the input calibtration handle xlr signal
does it boost my other sources if i do the setup with xlr
from my cd ..
I have to download the manual and read a bit more i think...


frasse74

[Peter Nielsen]

So if i getting this right
it works just fine to use xlr from my cd
and rca to my amp and that the xlr boost the levels
with 6db.

That does not make any difference. We're talking about the OUTPUTS of the C2. Your CD works fine with XLR or RCA regardless of anything. (Of course, if your CD is far from the C2, then you need XLR. If not, RCA will work great!!!)

But how does the input calibtration handle xlr signal
does it boost my other sources if i do the setup with xlr
from my cd ..

Consider this the same as using different amplifiers. The gain will be different.

This would be a major issue with an old fixed-level preamp from the 80's that did not let the user make channel specific level adjustments. However, with modern amps that have channel-specific level adjustment, it is a non issue. The only difference you, as a user, will see is that the channels that use XLR will have a lower number in the level adjustment dB display...

Don't worry about this. Believe me, It's a non issue with amps that have analog outputs like the C2. (Side note: In an all-digital setup it can become a major nightmare -- but that has nothing to do with this discussion and Parasound products, as Parasound does not offer a prepro with digital outputs).

I'm afraid that reading the manual will not help you much -- you need practical experience to truly understand how all this works! Personally, I never understood it all until I got the hands-on experience.

Peter

[Chris D]

I agree, search the club here for threads discussing balanced input/outputs. I was one of those who, based on reports of some noise in balanced connections when using VERY efficient speakers, decided to use unbalanced with my all-Klipsch setup.

I've switched my speaker setup, so I'm considering going to balanced connections now. If I do, that certainly will give me a great A/B comparison.

XLR to the sub(s) would be so nice... unfortunately, finding a sub with XLR inputs is so rare! I have SVS's high-end subs, and they don't even have XLR. (SVS doesn't have any subs at all with balanced inputs)

[Peter Nielsen]

XLR to the sub(s) would be so nice... unfortunately, finding a sub with XLR inputs is so rare! I have SVS's high-end subs, and they don't even have XLR. (SVS doesn't have any subs at all with balanced inputs)

My Martin Logan Decents have XLR input. Unfortunately my TacT TCS Mk II only has unbalanced outputs (it has balanced for all digital outputs, but only balanced for analog L/C/R).

As a result, I did notice a higher noise threshold in the subs when switching from the C2 to the TCS. Cheater plugs on the Decent power cords helped to alleviate the problem quite a bit.

The good news to me is that the TCS Mk III will be available very soon now, and it has balanced for all its 12 analog outputs (in addition to balanced for the 6 digital outputs), so soon I'll be able to switch back to XLR for the subs again.

Peter

[frasse74]

in Sweden we have a brand called Xtz who has Xlr inputs
and the got great reviews
hp://www.xtz.se/lista.php?katid=2&eng=true

and the cost almost nothing compare how they plays
the most expencive cost somewhere 550-560$

frasse74