Gain differences between XLR and RCA

XLR is twice as loud as RCA...well, not always. Paul explains.

[@bristolwoodburners81]

Once again = Paul does a great job of filling in the gaps of knowledge for all of us. These little 5 min daily videos are great for anyone interested in hifi. Yes there's the occasional ps audio plug here or there - I'd do the same if it was my business, some do, but I don't begrudge him that. What you get in return are regular bite size snippets of useful information from a guy who is clearly passionate about his field and has had decades honing his craft. No-one else gives such regular, useful insights. Yr a gem in the industry crown jewels Paul , well done ..keep doing what you do 💙

[@seelensand]

Thanks Paul. I clicked on this video, thinking I already knew the answer and wouldn't learn anything, but I didn't know XLR was louder because of the two signals in it. I always though it was just an arbitrary standard, but now it makes sense too haha.

[@edmondj03]

Excellent explanation Paul. Very brief but to the point

[@betukoso]

I have that same amp paired with a PS Audio Setellar Gain Cell DAC When I used the XLR inputs for the first time I though it was going to sound louder but it didn't, now I know why.... great sounding amp, very transparent.

[@blackbassie]

Thanks! I never knew this

[@brainache555]

In my opinion it’s better to have a 6db switch like manufactures do. Sometimes you want the extra gain depending on your preamp or source

[@Sans_Solo_]

Also XLR setups typically have longer signal cable runs....so I suspect a higher voltage would be advantageous as to fight any voltage drop across a longer cable run.

[@philiptong4978]

1:01 XLR hot and cold are opposite polarity, not 180 out of phase differential amplification won't work properly if they are out of phase, make sense?

[@vegaslimoguy2376]

Out of phase is 180 degrees out! Where did u get your degree from?

[@philiptong4978]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6O7eYmNhayXm7M

[@SpaghettiKillah]

Well i'd be damned...I learned something new!

[@finscreenname]

My sources to my amps do not have XLR outputs even though my Pro amps (QSC's) does. Went round and round and was almost ready to redo my whole system because I thought I was missing something. My truth is after an insane amount of research, XLR has very small if any benefits for the average user. If you are wiring up the next U2 show XLR is for you. If you are like most and their amps are less than a foot away from the source, RCA is just as good. Paul just happened to give away the secret why the average person who converts to XLR thinks it's better.

[@ianorigbo7617]

Nice explanation. But I seem to prefer the perceived notion of louder sounds more dynamic and engaging. If the amp does not clip or distort that is. For this reason I like variable output Dacs, this way I can adjust the balance between Dac and amp.

[@mikeg2491]

My general experience is those extra decibels make a difference in headroom, I’m not necessarily looking to get my music louder as a whole but I tend to achieve those higher peaks better on most XLR inputs.

[@glenncurry3041]

Do you realize that depending on the DAC, unless it has a variable analog stage using it to reduce output levels is just throwing resolution bits away. e.g. if you want half the (volume) voltage out of your DAC you are tossing away the most significant bit. You've just cut the resolution of your DAC in half.

[@shadowofpain8144]

Me and my audio friend who just got a new Lina we exploring this from the Lina outputs. Was and still is a head scratcher as we got the opposite result.

[@shadowofpain8144]

Now we suspect the audio research amp the lina is connected to has a difference in the inputs.

[@shadowofpain8144]

Paul would this difference be on both say the output of a dac and the input on the amp.

[@justasimplefox]

Big calculator for big prices 😅

[@stephens2r338]

I undersand why they do that and for what reasons. However my burning question is if this makes sense then whats the reason for PS Audio choosing not too?

[@finscreenname]

Makes XLR sound better, Paul was never a fan of RCA's.

[@johannkrist]

Is XLR more audiophile than single ended or just bragging rights? I have heard, your system isn´t serious since you don´t use single ended. I´m using Vincent Audio mono blocks, hybrid design using tubes and Vincent preamp, No XLR in this design from Vincent but it sounds great. Now waiting on a new Preamp to arrive from Germany, something special made from New old stock Telefunken tubes. Looking forward to it.

[@MasterofPlay7]

It depends, some say XLR is for professionals, but RCA can sound more refined

[@glenncurry3041]

Technically XLR is a connector type and single ended is a circuit design type. XLR tends to be used with and assumed to be a balanced circuit where single ended tends to use RCA. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Both in RCA vs XLR and balanced vs single ended. Just the existence of one or the other does not automatically make it better than the other.

[@johannkrist]

@@glenncurry3041 :D I know the difference, I´m addressing how I feel there is a elite group of audiophiles that act like their XLR is the only way serious enough to be called audiophile

[@AnthonyAnderson-i5k]

Thomas Elizabeth Taylor Steven Harris Barbara

[@ianbigsand7]

I get the technicalities in your videos because of my engineering background, but I often wonder whether you should do a 'hi-fi engineering principles for dummies' video to establish some fundamentals. You could do a video like this and then refer to the fundamentals video for those who want to understand (just a little) deeper.

[@glenncurry3041]

Get his book?

[@funny0000000]

First Comment!

[@endrizo]

is that a comment??