RCA to XLR trouble

[somebodyelse]

Official Audio Component Guide – GND-Tech

Welcome to another official guide here at GND-Tech about audio products ranging from headphones to speakers, sound cards, amplifiers, and more.

gnd-tech.com

Seems like an anti-snake oil article. What's wrong with that quote?

The first part is technically correct, but meaningless in practice for a decent DAC. The signal is reduced while the noise floor remains the same (so reduced SNR) but when the noise floor is inaudible (as it will be for any decent modern DAC) or below the noise level of the monitor's ADC, you can't hear a difference. For the 'blind test' I'd love to see the details of the test. It's certainly possible for the OS or application to have poorly implemented volume control, or for the analog volume control to have audible distortion that might be preferred, but if both are done well you're unlikely to hear the difference. We have whole threads on these issues, like:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...olume-control-vs-analog-volume-control.20512/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...nding-the-windows-audio-quality-debate.19438/

 

[nab1828]

The first part is technically correct, but meaningless in practice for a decent DAC. The signal is reduced while the noise floor remains the same (so reduced SNR) but when the noise floor is inaudible (as it will be for any decent modern DAC) or below the noise level of the monitor's ADC, you can't hear a difference. For the 'blind test' I'd love to see the details of the test. It's certainly possible for the OS or application to have poorly implemented volume control, or for the analog volume control to have audible distortion that might be preferred, but if both are done well you're unlikely to hear the difference. We have whole threads on these issues, like:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...olume-control-vs-analog-volume-control.20512/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...nding-the-windows-audio-quality-debate.19438/

I don't know if this applies to lower end subs, but Genelec have this to say:

https://support.genelec.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013337160-Where-does-the-volume-control-happen-in-SAM-Systems

Supposing it applies to the 7040/7050 or F One subs, I could go digital out on the Wiim and have the subs deal with the conversion and volume control?

 

[somebodyelse]

7040/7050 don't have digital input or remote volume. F One has a wired remote volume control that probably works via the DSP, and has digital input, so should be usable that way. It has RCA outputs.

 

[rcstevensonaz]

We discussed this recently—again for the millionth time. Follow Bill Whitlock's recommendation as illustrated below:

View attachment 366769

If you make them yourself, use a 'regular' XLR connector and a good Shielded-Twisted Pair (STP) cable that does not have a drain wire. If you're so inclined, you can even use a star-quad cable like Mogami W2534. Additionally, it is imperative to maintain the twist of the inner conductors right up to the solder cups in the connector—at both ends. Using an adapter and a two wire cable gives you no rejection. If you use a STP unbalanced cable to the adapter, the 'untwisting' of the pairs in the adapter will defeat the purpose of using an STP cable.

If you buy pre-made cables, you should open them up and examine the layout and the build quality on both ends of the cable. Bad solder joints, stray wires, or untwisted pairs in the cable? Send them back and find another vendor.

First, thanks for posting this. Even though I'd seen these diagrams many times, this was the first time I noticed a reference to using 2 conductor Shield-Twisted Pair. For completeness, Mogami W2549 is also a commonly recommended STP wire for such interconnects. The Star-Quad (W2534) vs STP (W2549) debate is a different conversation.

But a question:
Why does Bill Whitlock show the RCA shield being connected to both the "Lo" (Pin 3) wire and the shield wire; while the RaneNote 101 recommended wiring (Rane 17) shows the RCA plug only being connected to the "Lo" (Pin 3) wire and not the shield wire? These seem to be contradictory — so is one right and one wrong? Or are there cases where Whitlock's connecting the shield wire is preferred, and other cases where Rane 17's leaving shield disconnected is preferred?