Hi all,
I’m thinking of my next upgrade and in the direction of my amp. Currently I have a Musical Fidelity M3si which I use in power amp mode by virtue of the HT input. I’m wondering whether swapping this out for a dedicated power amp is worthwhile. And if so, what are the options in the £1k to £3k price band.
This would also allow use of xlr inputs. I know nothing about these and their merits so your thoughts and advice appreciated on both fronts.
Btw - driving Kanta No1.
No specific advice but just a note on XLR connectors. They are just that - a species of connector. Usually, however, they are used when a 'balanced' connection is thought desirable. It is a bit of a generality but by and large balanced connections are preferable. I say 'preferable' but to be precise what I mean is that in some cases balanced connections are preferable but in others 'single ended' will give exactly the same result. Single Ended just means there is one end of the of the input rather than two. So while Balanced is sometimes better (and this typically means less induced noise) Single Ended is never better than balanced. So if you have a choice, go Balanced. Single Ended connections are typically terminated with RCA plugs. Hence Balanced vs Single Ended is often expressed as XLR vs RCA.
In practice the differences, if any, are small. Often the measurable differences make no audible difference because the induced noise is below the noise floor - just lower in Balanced rather than Single Ended - but still inaudible in any event.
The time to take Balanced Connections seriously is where your interconnects are subject to an electrically noisy environment or where the interconnects are very long.
There are tons of nice YouTube videos on the subject. A good one is
here
By all means search the 'Tube for guidance because it is an interesting subject in any event; especially the concept of Common Mode Noise Rejection. This is an ingenious concept.
Typically preamp manufactures will make disparaging remarks about balanced connection - and this always seems to correlate with the fact they do not offer balanced connections.
Takeaway: don't stress about it. There are many variables in choosing equipment and the type of connection is one of the less important ones.