Transporter: the better output? RCA to RCA / XLR to RCA ? Difference?

[truckfighters]

hi there,

my amp has only RCA inputs.

will there be an audible difference if I use a XLR to RCA cable instead of the normal RCA ouput ot the transporter?

if yes and people out there have tried it. what kind of XLR to RCA cable will I need? read some stuff regarding floating pin #3 and so...?

what input sensitivity would my amp need at last to prevent it from damage (heard XLR has more output voltage than RCA)?

if the above questions are dumb, please excuse

[DCtoDaylight]

The Transporters internal circuitry combines the two phases of the balanced XLR output in order to create the unbalanced RCA output. It doesn't use the cheap and easy solution of only using one of the two phases like some equipment. As a result, I'd stay with the unbalanced RCA's in your case.

And no, it's not a dumb question, it's a perfectly reasonable thing to ask!

Cheers, Dave

[NewBuyer]

I don't own a Transporter (yet) - but one of the single biggest sonic improvements I ever made in my system, was to put a Jensen PC-2XR between the balanced output of my source, and the RCA inputs of my amp (using a 1-foot RCA interconnect cable between the Jensen and the amp). You might want to consider it.

[DCtoDaylight]

one of the single biggest sonic improvements I ever made in my system, was to put a Jensen PC-2XR between the balanced output of my source, and the RCA inputs of my amp

This isn't exactly the same as using an XLR to RCA cable, but since you bring it up, we might as well talk about it. Basically, there two way's to convert a balanced signal to a single ended one. You can use a transformer, like the Jensen, or an active circuit based on a differential amplifier. Either can sound very good, or conversely, either can have problems if poorly designed. The chief advantages of the active solution, as used in the Transporter, is small size and lower cost. Active solutions also usually have wider bandwidth and lower distortion. Transformer solutions are usually somewhat larger and more expensive. They have lower noise, and can (depending on the design) offer complete isolation of the source and receiver. This can be useful for breaking ground loops. They are also somewhat sensitive to the output impedance of the source, and input impedance of the receiver. If this matching is off, it can lead to changes in frequency response and common mode rejection.

Hope this is useful! Cheers, Dave

[barty]

I don't own a Transporter (yet) - but one of the single biggest sonic improvements I ever made in my system, was to put a Jensen PC-2XR between the balanced output of my source, and the RCA inputs of my amp (using a 1-foot RCA interconnect cable between the Jensen and the amp). You might want to consider it.

I'd be VERY interested inhearing if someone has tried this with the Transporter. With the anecdotal reports of the balanced output of the Transporter sounding significantly better, this would appear to be a good solution and much better than a simple adapter.

[johann]

With the anecdotal reports of the balanced output of the Transporter sounding significantly better, this would appear to be a good solution and much better than a simple adapter.

When levelmatched to within 1 dB, I hear absolute no difference between XLR and RCA in my setup. My setup includes Focal 1027 Be, AudioNet PRE 1 G3, AudioNet AMP 2 MAX and of course the Transporter. All music is rippped with EAC to lossless formats and my listening room has some acoustic treatments.

Interconnect cables for both XLR and RCA are Transparent MusicLink Plus.

Cheers,
/Johan

[barty]

When levelmatched to within 1 dB, I hear absolute no difference between XLR and RCA in my setup. My setup includes Focal 1027 Be, AudioNet PRE 1 G3, AudioNet AMP 2 MAX and of course the Transporter. All music is rippped with EAC to lossless formats and my listening room has some acoustic treatments.

Interconnect cables for both XLR and RCA are Transparent MusicLink Plus.

Cheers,
/Johan

Interesting. Looking at the specs, the balanced output is 3Vrms vs 2Vrms for the RCA. This is considerably higher output. Could the "unbalanced sounds better" be a simple "louder sounds better" effect? tomjtx - or anyone else were your listening tests between xlr and rca level matched?