Balanced XLR vs RCA for phono stage

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.

macg19 OP

you could buy a pair of XLR from a source that allows returns, try/keep/return

@elliottbnewcombjr I've ordered the same Zavfino Fusion cable but in XLR - it should be a good (fair) comparison. I'm away this week so won't get to try them until Sunday, will report back.

Thanks all for the feedback.

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.

@cleeds You're correct. However I never said that an amp or preamp that didn't meet AES48 couldn't be balanced. In high end audio, there's quite a lot of true balanced product that does not support the standard. Nor did I say anything about ARC doing what you mention above, although in at least one case that is precisely what they did.

In the quote above there is a bit of nuance. When you have two outputs that are simply inverted WRT each other, one output might be ever so slightly different amplitude or phase shifted WRT to the other. In a proper balanced line cable, this can't happen. This might be easier to understand if you think about a simple output transformer with only 2 output wires, driving pin 2 and pin 3 with no connection at all to pin 1 (which is chassis ground).

@macg19 Without knowing more about the circuit I can't say. However the doubling of output voltage suggests that it does not support AES48.

@atmasphere Thanks Ralph. I've asked Goldnote and BAT to weigh in but I'm trying out an XLR cable regardless.