Spectral amps, connect balanced or unbalanced?

SlickenSmooth -- Thu, 04/08/2010 - 16:48

I wonder what everyone's opinion is on this subject. I know Spectral recommends unbalanced. Robert Harley and my dealer prefer balanced. I've been testing this the last few days and I think that;
Balanced;
+Fuller sounding, sound loses 'whiteness'
+Better attack
+More thumping and fuller bass
-less transparency
-slower

Unbalanced;
+Faster
+More transparent
+More clarity
-Bass is light
-Emotional vocals sound a bit less emotional because of the 'whiteness'

What does everyone (Spectral owners) prefer?

edwardce -- Fri, 04/09/2010 - 09:34

I am longtime Spectral owner and never had the chance to make the comparison. What are the details of the cables you are comparing? Are you talking about between the Pre and Power only? Spectral circuits are by design single ended (unbalanced) and I think that is the reason they recommend using unbalanced cables. When using balanced cables you are adding circuitry and wire to the signal path. However, I have no issue with what you report hearing. Which do you prefer?

SlickenSmooth -- Fri, 04/09/2010 - 16:50

Hi edwarce,

Yes I mean between pre and power only. I'm using MIT Magnum MA cables, RCA and XLR. I've been listening to RCA (single ended) these days and find some types of music easier to follow (i.e. Keith Jarret, Koln, when the piano starts to get really complex) and others less involving and lacking character (Just listen to music that needs drive, like Marcus Miller, M2, Power).
I need to listen a few weeks more before I can make a choice.

Silence is Music

Eclipse (not verified) -- Sat, 04/10/2010 - 20:57

Funny, I recently evaluated the Magnum MA RCA against my 350 UL II - the Magnum sounded grainy, less transparent; the MIT/Spectral cable is really much better overall between my 30SL and 360 II's... There is no Spectral-spec'ed XLR cable so I never experimented. I would not be surprised if the XLR cables themselves were giving you a sense of heavier bass and the overall difference in sound you observed - e.g. I used to have 350 Reference RCA that gave me exactly that hefty bass, but it was fake (a tone control). I guess it's all a matter of preference.

SlickenSmooth -- Sun, 04/11/2010 - 06:33

Hm I thought the Magnum MA RCA sounded the way you describe when it was not burned in. Right now it has nothing of that. I've heard the 350 UL II on my Spectrals but really prefered the presentation of the Magnum's. Still it's amazing what a Oracle MA-X interconnect can do between Spectral amps.
Right now I prefer the XLR. It gives up some detail and trasparency but it's just slightly. It doesn't take away anything from the musical experience. The extra drive can bring music more alive and the it's much easier to feel the energy of the musicians and the instruments, which imo is of utmost importance.

Silence is Music