RCA To XLR adapter

[richardp01]

I am considering buying an Auralic Altair.   It has only one coax input with an RCA socket.   I need two.   It has an AES input with an XLR socket.   

1.  Can this be fed from a coax feed using a digital coax cable with RCA jacks and an RCA to XLR adapter?   I have such an adapter with the negative RCA connected to XLR pins 1 and 3 and positive to pin 2.  It worked on the "balanced" input for a Musical Fidelity M1DAC. 

2.  Are "balanced" and "AES" the same?  3.  Is there an AES standard for which pins carry positive,  negative and ground? 

 

 Does anyone have an authoritative response? 

[mjb]

The Devialet SPDIF to AES/EBU cable is below, it's as you describe: negative to pins 1 & 3, positive to pin 2.