Damn it, I just bought one of these last week for $1680.99! I should've known the price would go down. Frankly, I thought that $1680.99 was a bit expensive.

You kidding? Why wouldn't you buy that cable? If you rub it hard enough, the data genie comes out and will grant three of your wishes (subject to terms and conditions)!

I would take XLR connectors over RCA or RTS phone jacks for most applications, and TRS Phone jacks over RCA for pretty much any application, simply for their ease of use in most cases and reliability. XLR is a beast of a cable design, especially the shielded/grounded versions. Only thing that could have made them better is a self aligning plug style, but they're also not really that expensive in the grand scheme of things.

The main difference with XLR contacts is also that it is a differential signal, and it has a lot less noise than RCA. Why we still find high end audio systems with RCA contacts is beyond me.
I love also people that say they get a better sound with a gold/silver plated power cord. If changing the power cord really makes the sound different, the only place your amplifier belongs to is the trash :D

gold/silver plated power cord.

.

The issue is, gold is not a very good conductor ... only reason it's used so often is the fact it does not oxidize like silver and copper does ... [ LINK ]

That's not the point. Gold is expensive, therefore it should sound good :D
I wonder if anyone is making platinum plated power cords...

That's not the point. Gold is expensive, therefore it should sound good :D
I wonder if anyone is making platinum plated power cords...

Or just full platinum. It's an electrical conductor, after all.

The main difference with XLR contacts is also that it is a differential signal, and it has a lot less noise than RCA. Why we still find high end audio systems with RCA contacts is beyond me.
I love also people that say they get a better sound with a gold/silver plated power cord. If changing the power cord really makes the sound different, the only place your amplifier belongs to is the trash :D

You can get XLR systems, but they only come into play once you're dealing with separate systems rather than integrated receivers. This is a Marantz 7701 preamp/surround processor, retail $1,000 or so. It has no amplification of its own. Actually quite moderately priced for this tier of equipment.

That's not the point. Gold is expensive, therefore it should sound good :D
I wonder if anyone is making platinum plated power cords...

Those electrons feel more appreciated if you buy them gold to travel in, and they will return the favor with better sound. Right? At least that's how the underpaid Best Buy clerk with a commission on the stuff he help sell explained it to me.

I suppose another reason why high-end equipment has RCA is that, well, it works with just about everything out there. That's pretty important when for whatever reason you can't go and make your ideal setup.