Truly Balanced Cheaper Preamplifiers?

When AR were questioned as to how the amplifier can be fully balanced, they said:

 The REF Phono 3SE does not have balanced inputs. We create a balanced signal after the inputs using a phase inverter. What turntable are you using that has balanced outputs? The outputs of the Phono 3SE are balanced and will feed your line stage with a balanced signal, pin two is positive, pin 3 is negative, and pin one is ground.
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Summary: The phase inverter does not increase the gain of the unit, it simply maintains a balance signal through the circuitry. This does provide CMR but we have no published specs on that to share.
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Summary: The REF Phono 3 uses a phase inverter circuit which converts the single ended inputs to balanced so the unit is fully balanced through the unit at at the XLR outputs

All very strange.

@clearthinker   The ARC phono section doesn't have a balanced input. The only explanation I have for this is a failure to realize that call cartridges are balanced sources? Or maybe they worry that dealers won't like it if it uses an XLR input. Dunno. At any rate it sounds like its a single-ended input with a balanced output.


My Triplanars were supplied with balanced connections (XLRs). ARC owns a Triplanar (I know people over there as we're in the same town). So this shouldn't sound weird to them. It does sound like you encountered someone in marketing that didn't really know what was going on.

Schiit Freya + one of the most overlooked features is that when you used the balanced outputs Freya will convert unbalanced inputs to balanced going out. It is also what they call true balanced not just xlr that many people think is balanced and is not.

Therefore, expensive cables aren’ts as important also.

Oh how I wish this were true!

Schiit Freya + is your best bet. I run it’s balanced outputs to the balanced inputs of my amp. Everything Else in the system is single ended and it converts them to fully balanced. Before running balanced I ran all single ended with hi-end cabling and the system sounds better fully balanced. Please note that my Freya+ took over 200 hours of burn-in before sounding its best.

I would need to know whether the amplifier is tube or solid state but i can tell you that buying a cheap preamplifier is never a good idea in either case you should look for a high quality vintage balanced preamplifier to cut down on the cost.