Balanced XLR vs RCA for phono stage

ghdprentice

Nice write up.

It hurts me to be the one to tell you, @ghdprentice, but user @tokushi is AI. It's pretty obvious.

macg19

I did install a same brand/model XLR interconnect a few days ago. It took about 10 seconds for me to know the XLR's were staying. The increased gain was significant ... there was also a s/n benefit ... What blew me (and my wife) away, was the change in presence / imaging / holography ...

Good for you for ignoring the naysayers and finding out for yourself. I've found components that are truly balanced usually sound best when connected in a balanced configuration for the same reasons you note.

macg19

GoldNote said they are AES compliant 

That is very interesting, and doesn't seem to be consistent with the specs you quoted:

Unbalanced RCA @ 2V and balanced XLR @ 4V

I'm not familiar with this component so I can only say that I'm puzzled.

I think it remains debatable that using a balanced circuit consistent with AES48 is the "absolute best right way to do it." That's why there are so many excellent components (such as the ARC that I mentioned) that use operational amp circuits to generate both halves of the signal.

atmasphere

In a true balanced line situation, the inverted output is generated with respect to the non-inverted output and vice versa, rather than ground.

With all due respect to Ralph, I am going to quibble with this definition. There's more than one way to design a balanced circuit and operational amplifiers have long been used to generate both halves of the signal. There are advantages to the AES48 standard, but I don't think it's accurate to say that only amplifiers meeting the standard are "truly balanced."

By way of example, most (if not all) ARC amplifiers are differentially balanced yet don't comply with AES48. To claim that all ARC did to achieve balanced outputs is "add a 2nd output ... out of phase with the first" really doesn't accurately describe the amplifier's circuit.

elliottbnewcombjr

... Short runs in home audio systems (no mics, mixers, eq ...), where no problem exists, make no logical sense ...

Many components that are differentially balanced yield 6 dB more gain in balanced configuration; or, you could see that as gaining 6 dB in s/n. So depending on the equipment, there can be very much to gain by using XLR connections.