Balanced IC's

falconcry72
falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
edited August 2011 in Wanted (WTB) Classifieds
I'm looking for a good deal on (2) quality pairs of balanced IC's. I'd prefer short lengths, like 12"-1 meter. I'd also prefer a matching pair, as in brand, not length.

Thanks!:smile:
2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
Post edited by falconcry72 on
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  • TNRabbit
    TNRabbit Posts: 2,168
    edited August 2011
    http://www.bluejeanscable.com/
    TNRabbit
    NO Polk Audio Equipment :eek:
    Sunfire TG-IV
    Ashly 1001 Active Crossover
    Rane PEQ-15 Parametric Equalizers x 2
    Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Seven
    Carver AL-III Speakers
    Klipsch RT-12d Subwoofer
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    Thanks for the link. If I can't find a good deal on any used ones, then I'll probably go with Signal Cable new.
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited August 2011
    I have Signal XLR's. Love 'em.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    nspindel wrote: »
    I have Signal XLR's. Love 'em.

    I'm debating between the Analog 2's and the Silvers. hmmm. There seem to be mixed feelings here about the silvers.
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited August 2011
    I did not like the silvers at all. Waaaay too bright even after 500 hours of break in. Stick with the Analog 2's.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited August 2011
    I have one or two pairs of Neko Audio 1m XLR cables if you are interested. They are nothing fancy, but work very well and IMO are the best for the money.

    xlr-xlr.png
    Jake
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    zingo wrote: »
    I have one or two pairs of Neko Audio 1m XLR cables if you are interested. They are nothing fancy, but work very well and IMO are the best for the money.

    xlr-xlr.png

    Thanks for the offer, Jake, but I just placed my order with Frank at Signal for (2) pairs of his Analog Twos.:smile:
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited August 2011
    Nice move. I use the A2's between dac and tube pre, and between the pre and the amp. I tried experimenting with a pair of the silvers between the dac and pre - definitely more revealing, yes. I had a couple of "WOW!" moments with them, but at the same time they are BRIGHT! To the point where female vocals literally hurt my ears, couldn't even listen. I was hoping they'd calm down with a good break in, but when they reached the 500 hour mark and were still too over the top, I called it quits with them. Frank took them back and gave me a full refund. You can't beat that guy, I just love dealing with him. Top notch service. You won't be let down with the A2's, I guarantee it...
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    nspindel wrote: »
    Nice move. I use the A2's between dac and tube pre, and between the pre and the amp. I tried experimenting with a pair of the silvers between the dac and pre - definitely more revealing, yes. I had a couple of "WOW!" moments with them, but at the same time they are BRIGHT! To the point where female vocals literally hurt my ears, couldn't even listen. I was hoping they'd calm down with a good break in, but when they reached the 500 hour mark and were still too over the top, I called it quits with them. Frank took them back and gave me a full refund. You can't beat that guy, I just love dealing with him. Top notch service. You won't be let down with the A2's, I guarantee it...

    Good to hear! I'll be using mine in the same positions: between DAC and pre, pre and amp. I figured the silvers would be too bright for the Magnepans, and Frank echoed that sentiment, saying that many a maggie owner has been more happy with the two's than with the silvers.

    This will be my first time running my rig balanced, so I'm anxious to hear any difference. I'm not sure if it will be better, though, since I'm assuming that the MIT AVT1 single-ended IC's I'm currently using are higher quality than the analog two's that will be replacing them. I'll soon find out!
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited August 2011
    Me thinks you will be a happy man. The first thing you should notice is a lower noise floor. You should hear nothing in the background, it should be pitch black.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    nspindel wrote: »
    Me thinks you will be a happy man. The first thing you should notice is a lower noise floor. You should hear nothing in the background, it should be pitch black.

    Cool. I don't know how well balanced my current DACs are internally (musical fidelity M1, benchmark dac1), but the DAC I'll be getting next week (audio gd nfb-7) is a good, real balanced design, and the SNR rating for the balanced outputs is much higher than for the unbalanced outputs.
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited August 2011
    Have you ruled out the W4S? In my opinion this is the dac to beat right now.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    nspindel wrote: »
    Have you ruled out the W4S? In my opinion this is the dac to beat right now.

    no, I have not ruled it out. The W4S is next in line in my DAC showdown.:cool:
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited August 2011
    I LOVE balanced connections and think they make a good difference. Good choice on the Signal ICs, and your Maggies will love the detail of the NFB-7.
    Jake
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    zingo wrote: »
    I LOVE balanced connections and think they make a good difference. Good choice on the Signal ICs, and your Maggies will love the detail of the NFB-7.

    Yea, if the lazy-**** seller ever gets around shipping it...:tongue:

    jk man, take your time, I know you're out of town!:wink:

    I am looking forward cheking it out.:smile:
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited August 2011
    falconcry72 wrote: »
    Yea, if the lazy-**** seller ever gets around shipping it...

    Note to self: extend my vacation by a few days...
    Jake
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    zingo wrote: »
    Note to self: extend my vacation by a few days...

    Harsh man, harsh, but hey, do what ya gotta do; everyone deserves a good vaca every now and then.:biggrin:

    I've been on a quasi vacation for the last month. I was in a motorcycle accident, so I've been working from home while I recuperate. I'm glad to say that I will be back in the office Monday; I was starting to get cabin fever pretty bad.:frown:

    My accident accounts for my resurgence into audio these last few weeks. The bike had all my focus for the last few months, but with it now trashed, the 2-channel system is getting a lot of attention.:wink:
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited August 2011
    Signal Cable's stuff is very nice, great choice Falconry.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited August 2011
    falconcry72 wrote: »
    My accident accounts for my resurgence into audio these last few weeks. The bike had all my focus for the last few months, but with it now trashed, the 2-channel system is getting a lot of attention.:wink:

    That's a good idea as it's a lot harder to hurt yourself wrecking a 2 channel system then a bike. :tongue:

    The DAC will be in the mail tomorrow. :smile:
    Jake
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited August 2011
    zingo wrote: »
    That's a good idea as it's a lot harder to hurt yourself wrecking a 2 channel system then a bike. :tongue:

    The DAC will be in the mail tomorrow. :smile:

    haha yea, no kidding! And now my girlfriend isn't as annoyed with my obsessing over audio, when the other option is me dying on a motorcycle.:eek: I guess that's the silver lining.:rolleyes:
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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