Phono stage options - balanced with XLR both input and output...

@hagtech ​​@lewm , phono cartridges are indeed balanced items. Just because the device does not have a third ground wire does not mean it is not balanced. In this case it is the tonearm that is grounded by the third wire.

Or the third rail? 😎

It is hard to have a motor with one side pushing and pulling and the other side somehow at zero.

Hold it! I am on the side that says phono cartridges, except for a very few that use a common ground, ARE inherently balanced in the sense that they CAN deliver a balanced signal. Mijostyn, my point was that when used to deliver a balanced signal, the signal ground floats. There is no ground connection on a cartridge. When wired for SE operation we choose one side as signal ground arbitrarily and take signal off the other end.

I have a BMC MCCI Signature ULN phono stage listed on Audiogon now that is fully balanced in and out. It was one of two phono stages I settled on after considering a number that were suggested to me by the community, and I documented it on this thread.

If you have a moving coil cartridge, it is well-worth looking into. My reason for selling it is that I recently became a dealer for other brands and cannot afford to keep it given the inventory I am accumulating. Reviews on it are all very positive as well. 

I agree with lewm that cartridges are not inherently balanced (only 2 terminals)

@hagtech A balanced source will not have a center tap. This is because a center tap will decrease the Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) on account of the fact that the center tap (even if caused by two matched resistors) can never truly be center. So phono cartridges are indeed a balanced source, as are dynamic microphones (which are similar in that they are simply a moving coil attached to a diaphragm). Tape heads are also a balanced source (whether used that way or not).

One proof of a balanced source is to reverse its connections at the source. This will merely invert phase. If its a single-ended source, the reversal will result in a loud buzz. The ground connection is only used for shielding so no signal currents are passed through the ground. This is another reason why center taps are never used since they will result in some signal current in the otherwise neutral shield.

Almost all tonearms have 5 wires; 4 signal wires and the ground. These are balanced sources; when used single-ended you wind up with that 'ground wire' and a buzz will result if its not connected. A real single-ended source would not need a ground wire. But if you are connecting a balanced source to a single-ended input, you have to sort out what to do with the ground connection and using the ground wire is the best technique.

You need the 3rd wire...