Kimber Kable PBJ Interconnect Cable - XLR to XLR

PBJ Is the Kimber Cable That Made the Braid Famous

Kimber Kable's PBJ has been in the line since the late 1980s. It is three conductors, braided, with no jacket and no shield. Kimber calls the construction simple and elegant. Reviewers have called it a classic. It is still made by hand in Ogden, Utah.

Other length & termination options are available. Call us to discuss your needs.

Three Hyper-Pure Copper Conductors

The conductors are Kimber's VariStrand hyper-pure copper. Each is a bundle of strands in several gauges. The three are woven in Kimber's tri-braid field geometry, the pattern that rejects noise without a shield around it.

A Fluorocarbon Dielectric You Can See

Each conductor sits in its own extruded fluorocarbon jacket. That is the clear insulation that gives the PBJ its look. For the balanced cable Kimber publishes 45.7 pF of capacitance and 1.01 µH of inductance per meter. Low capacitance keeps a line-level signal intact over a longer run.

The Switchcraft XLR Plug, Explained

PBJ ends in the plug Kimber fits to its balanced cables: a studio-grade Switchcraft XLR with silver-plated contact pins. Kimber solders it on by hand under nitrogen in Ogden, Utah. The plug latches into the jack and will not pull loose by accident. The silver plating keeps the contact clean.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Corey Greenberg, writing in Stereophile on July 1, 1993, called the PBJ "reference-level wire you can actually afford." The review helped make the cable a staple of budget systems.

Stephen Mejias, in Stereophile on June 20, 2012, heard "an outstanding job of re-creating the performance space." The PBJ remains in Stereophile's 2026 Recommended Components.

Who Is This Interconnect Best For?

• You want the original Kimber braid — the PBJ is the cable the line was built on, so you are buying the reference point
• Your sources sit near power supplies — the tri-braid cancels induced noise along its length, so the shelf stays out of the music
• You dress cables in tight spaces — three thin jacketed wires bend where a fat cable will not, so the plugs sit square on the jacks
• You want a plug that locks — the Switchcraft XLR latches into the jack and its silver-plated pins resist tarnish, so the connection stays put
• Your components have only RCA jacks — the PBJ XLR is balanced at both ends and will not fit an RCA jack. Choose the Kimber PBJ RCA instead, or call us and we will match the connector

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Run the PBJ from a balanced XLR output on your DAC, streamer, CD player or phono stage to a balanced XLR input on your preamp or amplifier. Keep left to left and right to right. Line up the pins and push until the latch clicks. Press the latch tab to release the plug.

Then listen.

Measure the Path, Then Add a Little Slack

Measure the route the cable will really take between your components, around shelves and behind the rack. Then add a little slack. As audio legend George Cardas puts it, "A cable that's just long enough usually turns out to be just not long enough." Keep the left and right cables the same length. We recommend a matched pair.

XLR on Both Ends, or Not at All

Balanced XLR works when both components have XLR jacks, and we recommend using XLRs whenever they do. If one component has only RCA jacks, use an RCA cable instead of an adapter. You only get the possible benefits of a balanced output with a pure XLR-to-XLR connection.

A Long Run Between Components?

If your amplifier and speakers sit far from your source, we recommend a long interconnect over a long speaker cable. A really long interconnect affects system performance less than a really long speaker cable.

When Is It Time to Upgrade?

An interconnect often stays in a system for years, so it is easy to overlook. Look again when something else changes: a new DAC, streamer or phono stage, a better amplifier, or a move to components with balanced XLR jacks.

Pairs Well With

An interconnect is one link in the chain. It usually joins these categories.

• Integrated Amplifiers — the usual input end
• Digital-to-Analog Converters — DAC output to amplifier
• Phono Preamplifiers — phono stage to line input
• Speaker Cables — the last link to the speakers

Frequently Asked Questions

What XLR connector does Kimber use?

A studio-grade Switchcraft XLR with silver-plated contact pins. Kimber names it on its balanced Tonik, PBJ, Silver Streak, Hero HB and Hero AG. Kimber solders it on by hand under nitrogen.

What does VariStrand mean?

Each conductor is made of copper strands in more than one gauge. Kimber uses this stranding in every interconnect it makes.

Is the PBJ shielded?

There is no separate shield. Kimber relies on the tri-braid geometry to reject noise, which is why the cable has no outer jacket.

Is there a step up from the PBJ?

Kimber Timbre XLR is the next rung. It keeps the three-wire braid and adds a low-loss fluorocarbon dielectric, with the same Switchcraft XLR plug.

See It in Action

Audio Advisor looks at the PBJ, its braid and its plugs.

Need a Different Length or Connector?

The most popular configurations are shown on this page. If your system requires a different length or termination, call our audio experts. We’ll help you choose the right configuration and arrange a custom cable for your system.

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Learn More

Want to learn more about interconnects, braided cables, or RCA versus XLR? Visit our Learning Center for guides, tips, and expert advice.