My amp has a combination input on Channel A.....which will accept either a 1/4 inch mono jack or an XLR plug. Various threads have suggested in the past that you get a better sound out of a Taylor by using the XLR connection on the amp. Does that apply to the newest version of the ES system?
2nd Question: Does it make any difference if the 1/4 inch end of this XLR cable is mono or stereo? Normally, with my other guitars, I simply run a 1/4 inch mono on both ends. The 812ce seems to work fine with that cable. I don't own any XLR cables so I'm considering whether to buy one.
As to your fist Q: One gets better
signal (better "tone" is debatable) that is cleaner with superior signal to noise ratio when using the balanced output from the ES system, and of course, that includes the current version. Moreover, when running a balanced signal a longer cable length does not degrade the signal.
But, whether yours or any amp will yield better tone when utilizing the balanced cable ...that is a wholly different story that will differ on
every amp. It is a question of input gain and impedance on a given amp and whether it matches well with Taylor's, as well as the fact that some amp's balanced input vs unbalanced input go through different EQ circuits which will affect tone. Especially if that combo input is "voiced" for a mic input ...whoa, now it
definitely EQ'd differently! No way to predict whether you will prefer one over the other; you have to plug it in and see which you like.
As for your 2nd point, I think you are misunderstanding the 1/4" end of a balanced cable. That end is not "stereo," though it can be confused as such since stereo headphones have the same configuration: TRS, which means tip, ring, and sleeve conductors. For a balanced cable such as the one that works with the ES systems, that TRS end correlates to the XLR 1,2, and ground pinouts ...nothing at all to do with stereo. So if you're using a simple 1/4 to 1/4 (as in a regular guitar cable), that is a typical unbalanced signal. Your desire to try out the balanced output of the ES requires that you get a true balanced cable where the XLR and TRS have the correct pinouts (not all the same). Clearly, Taylor sells these cables, but you are not limited to Taylor. Hope that helps you a bit
Edward