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Need a XLR cable compatability lesson, for Bryston amps

Old Guy8

Old Guy8

Cliff & Cleo
Subscriber
Please excuse my ignorance.

I've never used XLR cables.
I need a brief tutorial to help me identify the compatability of Balanced cables I need to purchase for my stereo setup.

I want Balanced cables from a Denafrips Ares 2 DAC to my Bryston BP20 Preamp. And from the BP20 Preamp to a Bryston 3B power amp.

Are they called XLR Balanced microphone cables, with male and female connectors. Does it matter if word "microphone" is or isn't in the description? Is it the same thing?

Do the pictured female sockets take identical XLR connectors, even thought sockets are a different shape? Sockets on power amp have "open cavity between the 3 pins." This throws me off.

20220420_145402.jpg
Bryston BP20 Preamp female sockets, above.

20220420_145225.jpg
Bryston 3B Power Amp female sockets, above.

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
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It's fine if it says "microphone" on the cable product. It's line level. Just don't go for the XLRs listed as "speaker" cables...not much shielding (if any) in those, and different gauge.

I've been using Mogami brand. Sounds great to me.
 
Hoytis said:
It's fine if it says "microphone" on the cable product. It's line level. Just don't go for the XLRs listed as "speaker" cables...not much shielding (if any) in those, and different gauge.

I've been using Mogami brand. Sounds great to me.
Click to expand...
Thanks for information. Going to look for shielded cables.
 
Thanks for all info.

Looks like I can get Mogami cables with Neutrik connectors in 2 ft and longer lengths for $40+. That's a comfortable price point for me.
2 footers between amps. And 4 or 6 footers to DAC. Have to decide on placement of DAC.
 
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Canare is also a very fine cable.
I do quite a bit of live concert recording, and, I bought a large'ish bulk reel of it (500' reel?), and, made myself pairs of 100', 50', 25', 15's, and a bunch of unbalanced RCA's with the rem's from the L4E6S cable (quad-star mic cable). They get a lot of use, and, have never given the slightest bit of grief.
Oh yeah,... Neutrik XLR's, of course!

I also have Belden cables, which have proven flawless as well.
 
Old Guy8 said:
Thanks for all info.

Looks like I can get Mogami cables with Neutrik connectors in 2 ft and longer lengths for $40+. That's a comfortable price point for me.
2 footers between amps. And 4 or 6 footers to DAC. Have to decide on placement of DAC.
Click to expand...

BJC makes good XLRs too, using either Belden or Canare cable and Neutrik connectors. About $50/pr for 3ft. They will make them in whatever length you want. While the Canare is good cable, it's star quad and higher capacitance. Since big problem noise ingress doesn't exist in my space, I choose the lower capacitance Belden 1800F over the Canare star quad.
 
Thanks all. AKers come through again.

I've bought The World's Best brand RCA cables on Amazon, in the past They seem of good quality at price point. From what's visable anyway. Can't see the Soldering.

I'll check BJC, also. From whoaru99 and others they come highly recommended.

I worked in machine tool industry. Most of the cable and connector makers above, I'm familiar with. Just in the industrial versions.
OG
 
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Second pic shows "speakon" sockets, a newer style of commercial/professional coupler. Next to it shows a pictorial of a 1/4"TRS plug, which I didn't know are compatible with speakons. Ya learn something new every day here on AK!
 
Catmanboo said:
Second pic shows "speakon" sockets, a newer style of commercial/professional coupler. Next to it shows a pictorial of a 1/4"TRS plug, which I didn't know are compatible with speakons. Ya learn something new every day here on AK!
Click to expand...
That Bryston 3B power amp was made in 1994. So not new.
 
Everything still works regardless, presuming you refer to the pin 2 being "hot" or "cold". The only thing that changes is polarity and, frankly, there is typically no guarantee whether the full chain from material to amp maintains absolute polarity anyway.

Worst case, reverse the (+) & (-) connections of both speaker cables at either the amp end or the speaker end (but not both ends), if you want to play with/change the overall absolute polarity. Provided of course, your gear doesn't have a reverse polarity (or the misnomer reverse phase) switch.
 
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Professional Japanese Yamaha and some Sony the 3 pin is positive. Everything made in North America seems to be with pin 2 as positive. And Just because a manufacturer maybe using XLR's doesn't mean the signal is a balanced one. Some times pin three can be dead or a common as opposed to chassis ground. Altec was fmous for that. As was the early Mcintosh MEN 220 EQ. They corrected the issue promptly.
 
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