Xlr Balanced Audio Outs

gudnoyez

Hey I am looking at the back panel of the Oppo 105D and wondering how do you hook these up to an AVR? I guess just using a pair of Audio Quest rca's will do the trick but was wondering what the difference was and where would be a good place to buy Xlr cables. I tried calling Oppo but cant speak with anyone until Monday.

The AVR I have now is a Denon 891, but plan on getting either a X4000 or a 4520CI. I am not sure what a Xlr balanced cable is or looks like! Any input would be appreciated and yes I guess I am a Dumb A$$.

zane77

Unless you have an AVR or amplifier with fully balanced inputs you will not be gaining anything by using XLR cables versus RCA cables. Remember quality cables matter.

SCompRacer

XLR.....


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLR_connector

Good quality cables can be had here.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

Currently I use a mix of Signal XLR and a long pair of Sanders XLR from pre to amp.

http://signalcable.com/analogtwo.html

Like zane said, best to use only with other balanced gear. You can get XLR to RCA adapters, but I think they should only be used if one component doesn't have RCA outs.

This is what happens with an XLR to RCA adapter.


http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/connection/xlr-rca-1.html



One of the drawbacks of an adapter is if the balanced gear has common mode DC. And common mode DC is more common than not. This is DC measured from the ground of XLR to the positive of XLR, and ground to negative of XLR. Not between positive XLR and negative of XLR. With the XLR adapter, you connect negative and ground together, and if you have 2 volts of common mode DC, guess what the amp gets?

The point being I'd measure for common mode DC before using an adapter.

gudnoyez

Thanks guys hey Zane I will call Oppo Monday, I to put it in my shopping cart just to make sure these are available, no sales tax and $27 to ship, I cant wait gone will be the LG Blu Ray Player, and Marantz CD5004, and in comes the Oppo, I wonder if the wife will notice, I told her nothing about this and don't plan on it until it gets hooked up. Thanks for the answers fellas, got a lot more questions but I will save them for the Oppo CS Rep.

SCompRacer

Congrats on a nice player/DAC!

Here is a nice wiki on it.

http://wiki.oppodigital.com/index.php?title=BDP-105

http://wiki.oppodigital.com/index.php?title=BDP-105_Hardware_FAQ

The 105 uses AC coupled outputs. That means using output caps to block DC. IIRC they use high quality Elna's.

gudnoyez

SCompRacer wrote: »

Congrats on a nice player/DAC!

Here is a nice wiki on it.

http://wiki.oppodigital.com/index.php?title=BDP-105

http://wiki.oppodigital.com/index.php?title=BDP-105_Hardware_FAQ

The 105 uses AC coupled outputs. That means using output caps to block DC. IIRC they use high quality Elna's.

Thanks have not got it yet but will order it next week, hopefully it will be the last media player I will need for a while. I have spent a lot of time checking out all the reviews on this player and Cambridges TOTL, the 752bd, I like what I have read on all the 105 reviews. Thanks to you I have some more reading to do. Thanks

SCompRacer

If you like reading, check out the ESS Sabre DAC chip white paper. The way they do SPDIF is of particular interest.

http://www.esstech.com/PDF/sabrewp.pdf

Here is the support page if you'd rather choose the pdf link that way.

Select the 'Sabre White Paper (featuring ES9008).' It applies to the ES9018 DAC chip as well.

http://www.esstech.com/index.php?p=support_downloads

CoolJazz

That XLR to RCA drawing shown above is something to really look at.

IF that is a female XLR (output) to RCA (input), then as drawn you are SHORTING a hot lead to ground...something you NEVER want to do!

OK...now to modify that...you can if it's a transformer out or a servo balanced out. Neither of those are very typical in consumer equipment. Servo outs are in some band equipment and once a while transformers in a select few good brands. Direct IC outputs, as is most typical, should NOT be shorted by your external wiring.

But still the rule you should remember...do not short outputs!

And this on going drum beat that nothing good comes from balanced interconnects unless the equipment is "fully" balanced is just plain BS! Pure plain and simple. There is much advantage to be had by balanced...which can all be negated by crap circuitry...or be key to better, depending on implimentation.

CJ


PS...and with regards to the original question. You can use the unbalanced stereo pair on the 105 just the same as the balanced pair. But why would you....just buy the 103 and save some coin if that's how you're going to run.

gudnoyez

I'm buying the 105D to run analog through the HT System which one is unable to do with the 103. I was just courious as to what the XLR balanced outputs were, since the Avr I'm running now nor the ones I'm looking at do not support XLR connections, I will just get better interconnects than the audio quest ones I have been using.

SCompRacer

CoolJazz wrote: »

That XLR to RCA drawing shown above is something to really look at.

IF that is a female XLR (output) to RCA (input), then as drawn you are SHORTING a hot lead to ground...something you NEVER want to do!

Male/female, doesn't matter. Terminal 2 is positive or hot connected to center pin of RCA, correct. Terminal 1 is ground and 3 is negative connected to outer barrel of RCA. Nothing wrong with that picture or method. Yes, positive to ground would be bad.

BlueFox

gudnoyez wrote: »

I'm buying the 105D to run analog through the HT System which one is unable to do with the 103.

I'm not sure I understand this. The 103 has 7.1, 5.1, and stereo analog RCA outputs. It doesn't have the XLR out as does the 105, and the analog is not at the level of the 105, but it does let you run analog through the HT.

CoolJazz

SCompRacer wrote: »

Male/female, doesn't matter. Terminal 2 is positive or hot connected to center pin of RCA, correct. Terminal 1 is ground and 3 is negative connected to outer barrel of RCA. Nothing wrong with that picture or method. Yes, positive to ground would be bad.

The low or "-" lead is just as "hot" as the high or "+" leg, just opposite phase at any given time. So it's just as bad to short it as the high side. Again, unless it's a transformed out or servo.

If you short an active output, it may or may not survive. If it survives, it's usually going to have very high distortion and likely clip hard at some point depending on build out resistor values used.

Outputs connectors are male and the mating connector female and inversely the input connnection by convention is always a female and your connecting cable will be a male. And when wiring a RCA output to XLR input you can wire as that drawing shows and nothing is shorted. And if wired in that way, the XLR input will still have some noise rejection, just not as much. As posted, it didn't specify which direction the signal was going, so yes, it matters a lot!

CJ

gudnoyez

BlueFox wrote: »

I'm not sure I understand this. The 103 has 7.1, 5.1, and stereo analog RCA outputs. It doesn't have the XLR out as does the 105, and the analog is not at the level of the 105, but it does let you run analog through the HT.

Through an HDMI cable is my understanding, and that the Dacs used in the 105 are superior to those ran in the 103. I just want the best analog reproduction, and was informed the 105 is the one that offers that.

BlueFox

You can't run analog out over an HDMI cable with either the 105 or 103. You are correct the 105 has better analog, which is why it costs $600 more than the 103.

gudnoyez

BlueFox wrote: »

You can't run analog out over an HDMI cable with either the 105 or 103. You are correct the 105 has better analog, which is why it costs $600 more than the 103.

That's what I meant kinda thanks for clearing that up.