Pick it Pro Balanced cartridge? real balanced? any good?


anybody familiar with this cartridge in a balanced system?  any impressions you can share?

https://www.project-audio.com/en/product/pick-it-pro-balanced/

 

 

audiocanada

The way I understand it...all cartridges are balanced.   Im using XLR from the cart to my balanced preamp, amp and speakers

There have been historically a very few cartridges that for example used a single ground for both channels. Those cartridges (Decca, I think, or early Grado) are inherently single-ended and cannot drive a phono stage in balanced mode.  But any cartridge that has two leads, one used for hot and one used for ground in an SE hookup, can also be used to drive a balanced phono stage in balanced mode. So there is nothing unusual about the cartridge in the advertisement, good or bad. In balanced mode, the "hot" lead by convention carries the positive phase of the audio signal, and the "ground" lead carries the negative phase.  Ground floats.

So there is nothing unusual about the cartridge in the advertisement, good or bad. In balanced mode, the "hot" lead by convention carries the positive phase of the audio signal, and the "ground" lead carries the negative phase.  Ground floats.

@lewm Actually both the + and - sides of the cartridge output is what floats.

@audiocanada FWIW Dept.: We've been doing balanced line connections between tonearms and cartridges longer than anyone else, since 1989 or thereabouts. You don't need a special cartridge to run balanced; all you need is the ability to change out the tonearm cable and a balanced input in your phono preamp.

"Actually both the + and - sides of the cartridge output is what floats."

Probably that is a better way to say what I said.  I certainly don't disagree.

pay more attention to the fact that it is just an elliptical stylus, with limited performance, only 22db separation at 1khz, no channel balance spec given

Channel separation at 1 kHz: 22dB

Tracking ability at 315Hz: 70 µm

Frequency response: 20 - 20 000 Hz +/- 2dB

Stylus type: Elliptical Stylus tip radius: r/R 8/18 µm

Tracking force, range: 1,8 - 2,2 g (mN) Tracking force, recommended: 2,0 g (mN)