Moving from an RCA connection to a balanced connection changes how noise travels between two devices. The principle is well known: two signals of opposite polarity, a separate ground, and an input stage that subtracts one from the other. The cable must still maintain this balance from end to end. This is the territory of the second tier in AudioQuest’s Rivers series, positioned between the Red River and the Yukon.
The Triple Balanced geometry is based on three independent conductors: one for the positive signal, one for the inverted signal, and a third dedicated to the ground reference. The shielding covers the entire length and carries no signal. This distinction is far from cosmetic. On a cable where the shield serves as the return conductor, radio-frequency interference picked up by this enclosure modulates the ground reference of the devices, and this modulation ultimately appears in the audio signal. By separating the two functions, the Mackenzie leaves the shield with its sole role as a barrier. The same geometry is found on the RCA version of the cable, where the two signal conductors remain separate from the ground.
The conductors are made of Perfect Surface Copper+, the best copper in the AudioQuest catalog, surpassed only by PSS silver reserved for higher ranges. The work focuses on surface condition: the wire is protected at every stage of drawing and manufacturing to remain smooth, with the brand aiming to reduce distortion linked to grain boundaries. This point marks the difference from the Red River, which remains one step below in metallurgy.
All conductors are solid rather than stranded. AudioQuest’s argument is based on the electrical and magnetic interaction between neighboring strands, which a solid conductor eliminates by design. It is best understood for what it is: a matter of purity and geometry, not gauge. At audio frequencies, skin effect remains marginal with such thin gauges.
Achieving full-coverage shielding costs nothing. Preventing captured radio frequencies from reaching the devices’ ground plane requires more, and that is the purpose of the in-house noise-dissipation system. Three alternating layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetics “shield the shield”: they absorb and reflect most of the stray energy before it reaches the layer connected to ground. The Red River makes do with dissipation through a metal layer; the move to a three-layer carbon network is the other structural difference between the two models.
In a contemporary hi-fi cabinet, the benefit is tangible: switch-mode power supplies, internet boxes, Class D amplifiers, and lighting dimmers saturate the radio spectrum around the equipment, and this pollution ultimately enters through the interconnects.
Hard-Cell Foam insulation is polyethylene expanded by nitrogen injection, creating gas pockets in contact with the conductor. Nitrogen absorbs virtually no energy and therefore does not release it in the form of distortion, unlike solid PVC. The rigidity of the foam has a second function: it keeps conductor spacing constant throughout the length, stabilizing the cable’s characteristic impedance.
The trade-off is noticeable during installation. The Mackenzie is a firm cable, sheathed in a black and brown braid, which requires a few centimeters of clearance behind the rack and does not tolerate tight bends well. In constrained routing situations, it is better to allow a little slack than to force the bend radius close to the plugs. The Yukon, one tier above, uses polyethylene air tubes.
The male and female XLM connectors are assembled without solder. AudioQuest cold-welds the conductor to the pin, since solder is a foreign alloy inserted into the signal path. The ground bodies are stamped rather than machined: the metal can therefore be selected for its electrical properties rather than its machinability. The contact is silver deposited directly onto high-purity purple copper, without the nickel underlayer commonly found on standard plugs.
This construction has a practical consequence: the cable is made to order in the Irvine, California workshops and cannot be re-terminated at home. Non-catalog lengths and terminations are handled through the dealer, with a lead time. The conductors are oriented in a direction determined by the manufacturer through listening, and an arrow printed on each plug indicates the connection direction, from source to destination.
One point deserves to be stated clearly: common-mode noise rejection is the work of the receiving component’s differential input stage, not the cable. The Mackenzie cleanly carries both polarities; it does not create balance. Some devices fitted with XLR sockets convert the signal back to unbalanced immediately behind the connector; the connection works, but the expected benefit is reduced. Checking what the electronics actually do upstream and downstream avoids disappointment.
Where a balanced connection delivers on its promise, it tolerates long lengths without significant degradation, which an RCA connection handles less well. By convention, the XLR output delivers a level around 6 dB higher than the RCA output of the same device, a difference that becomes apparent when comparing two inputs by ear.
The cable connects any device equipped with analog XLR sockets: digital-to-analog converter to preamplifier, preamplifier to power amplifier, network player or CD player to integrated amplifier, audio interface or console to active speakers. A stereo connection requires two cables, one per channel.
One caveat to keep in mind: this is an analog cable. A digital AES/EBU connection, which also runs on XLR plugs, requires a characteristic impedance of 110 ohms and a cable designed for that purpose. Using an analog interconnect in this application sometimes works, but can lead to read errors depending on length and sampling frequency.
AudioQuest offers the Mackenzie XLR individually or as a pair. A standard stereo connection requires two cables, one per channel. Individual purchase is mainly intended for mono connections, such as an XLR-input subwoofer or a center channel.
The cable has a female connector and a male connector. The female connector plugs into the source output, and the male connector into the input of the receiving component. The arrow printed on the connectors confirms this direction of flow, from the source to the destination.
It is electrically possible, but the adapter connects the inverted signal pin to ground. The connection becomes unbalanced again, the level drops by approximately 6 dB, and the benefits of the three-conductor geometry disappear. For an RCA connection, the RCA version of the Mackenzie uses the same internal design.
The pinout is compatible and phantom power would pass through without difficulty, but that is not its intended use. Mackenzie is a firm installation cable, made to order in a specified length. A stage cable requires flexibility and resistance to repeated handling, which this construction is not designed for.
Yes. The catalog covers several standard lengths, and AudioQuest accepts custom lengths and terminations through authorized dealers. As each unit is assembled to order, these requests extend the delivery time.
Christophe
Very well-constructed XLR cable.
Its neutrality is its greatest asset.
Comment from March 13, 2024 — Experience from March 26, 2023
