Today we address the question that pops up when it’s time to buy interconnect cables: which is better, XLR, or RCA?
The Surprising Answer: we feel that RCA is the winner, by a hair. But it’s such a thin hair, it doesn’t matter. Rather than bore you with an introduction to the history and technology behind these two formats, we will get directly to the answer. First, the real answer is, it’s up to your ears. If we tell you which format is better, it’s kind of like telling you which red wine you should have with dinner tonight – it’s not up to us. It’s up to you, and your tastes.
However, if we are pressed, we give a slight advantage to RCA connectors, because they can sound slightly more “bursting with life” in some cases, which makes XLR cables sound not-as-lively. Again, it’s really close. So close, that the whole question becomes meaningless.
So what we are saying is, if you have a great pair of XLR cables, you should use them. If you have a great pair of RCA cables, you should use them.
Our very slight preference for RCA is based purely on listening. We have also done informal surveys of the listeners and dealers whose opinions we respect. The responses were either “it doesn’t matter” or “RCA is better” … zero answers preferred XLR.
We realize that naming RCA as the winner (and our methodology for this article in general) may be controversial, and so we give this answer with the following caveats, provisos, qualifications, disclaimers and lawyer-talk mumbo-jumbo:
1. Balanced/XLR connections are better for long runs.
If your cables need to go more than 15 feet or so, you might find an advantage with XLR cables, because RCA cables over very long runs can begin to act like antennas, which “attract” hum and noise. XLR cables (really we should be saying “fully balanced connections,” not XLR cables…. sorry) reject such noise, as long as the connections on each end are truly balanced. And yes, if you’re wondering, the XLR connections in every Backert Labs preamp are fully balanced.
2. Balanced/XLR connections can sometimes give a more quiet, “black” background.
We have heard this. It can be real. However, it does not make us prefer balanced/XLR connections. We feel that the question of XLR vs. RCA is either a dead-even draw, or results in a slight preference for RCA, depending on the brand of interconnects you are using. Again, this is because RCA can have a more lively, natural presence, but only by a very small degree. It’s so small that we honestly considered answering this question with a simple “It’s 50/50, there is no winner”.
3. Sometimes the balanced/XLR outputs of a source, or the XLR inputs of an amplifier, will sound better than the RCA connections.
This is because the circuitry leading up to that XLR connection is better-sounding. And the manufacturer knows it. This is why many manufacturers will tell their customers to prefer one type of connection over the other. They want their products to sound as good as possible. So, for example, if a DAC has a direct connection from the output of its circuit board to the XLR output jacks, but that output requires modification before it can be sent to the RCA jacks, then the XLR output may indeed sound better. However this is not a “win” for balanced/XLR connections in general. It’s just the way that particular product was built.
In conclusion: again, it’s really up to your ears, not ours. This is just our observation, along with the observations of the music lovers we have surveyed on this question. If you have either type of cable, and you are enjoying your music, you should keep listening!
