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Why so few balanced phono inputs?

I have been through the posts regarding whether a phono cartridge is a balanced connection or not and per Ralph Karsten etc. I agree it is balanced. It finally hit me why someone like Pass Labs doesn't offer a balanced input on a balanced unit (I wanted one until I saw they only had rca)...There are so few turntables that offer a balanced out connection. I got mine from VPI and it was easily switched and was a huge improvement... but are there other TT brands that offer a balanced connection? I was in a high end shop the other day...first time in a while... and saw none. Even SME didn't show one as an option on their site. Not trying to open the balanced vs. single-ended thing but maybe it is endemmic to the conversation. Thanks
sm2727
thekong
203 posts
 
You do have to have matched parts and I think the one that stymies many designers is how to do the EQ. That can be quite tricky if you don't know what you are doing!!

Ralph, thanks for the reply! When I discussed the issue with some local DIYers, they did mention having difficulities in doing the EQ in balanced mode !
dentdog's avatar
dentdog
469 posts
 
I run balanced all the way to the pre amp. Balanced cables from the tt-Trans Fi, to the phono pre-BAT, to the pre-Zesto. Balanced for the CD Player-NAD M5 to the Pre-Zesto.
Got hum in the phono chain. Dead quiet in the CD chain.
Bought a Buss bar and tried every kind of ground. Amps are Mac 60s across the room single ended. High efficiency ZU speakers.
Bought a BPT 3.5 with all sources into it. Still got hum.
Suggestions or just wish me luck?
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,577 posts
 
If you have hum in the phono its because its not wired correctly or the interconnect is not built correctly.

We built the world's first balanced line phono preamps; whenever we ran into a hum problem it was because of either a wring error or a cable simply was not built correctly.

If you remove the tone arm interconnect from the phono input, does the hum go away?
thekong
203 posts
 
You may also want to confirm whether your BAT phono really has true balanced input.

Members with more knowledge on BAT please correct me if I am wrong. If I understand correctly, the early BAT phonos really had single end input. The later / current units (not sure starting when) has full balanced inputs.
mattmiller's avatar
mattmiller
1,479 posts
 
"Conversely, those who make only SE devices (like Manley Labs) are prone to diss the notion of balanced"

This is not true. Manley Labs makes many products that have balanced circuitry. Take a look at there much sought after commercial products and home audio amplifiers like the NEO Classic.
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