Some pretty basic reality:
1. There are many reasons for the quality of sound of a phono stage, differential design being one of many. Balanced might be beneficial, but many non-balanced phono stages beat balanced phono stages. This single factor certainly is not the most critical determinant.
I don't sell, make, or endorse any phono stage makers, I have absolutely no commercial or personal bias. I own both balanced and unbalanced phono stages.
2. Differential circuitry certainly does not eliminate cable influence.
* An inappropriate impedance will still be just as deleterious to the sound.
* A cable design that rings will still ring. And this sounds horrible, balanced or not.
* A cable with leading edge overshoot will still have it. And this too sounds horrible, balanced or not.
* A cable with changing impedance relative to frequency will still have phase distortion, balanced or not.
* A cable that rounds transients will still round those transients, balanced or not.
Balanced design does not change any of the above at all.
Years of interface design experience in high tech, outside of audio, is my background for this statement. In the audio field technical testing and listening confirm this.
1. There are many reasons for the quality of sound of a phono stage, differential design being one of many. Balanced might be beneficial, but many non-balanced phono stages beat balanced phono stages. This single factor certainly is not the most critical determinant.
I don't sell, make, or endorse any phono stage makers, I have absolutely no commercial or personal bias. I own both balanced and unbalanced phono stages.
2. Differential circuitry certainly does not eliminate cable influence.
* An inappropriate impedance will still be just as deleterious to the sound.
* A cable design that rings will still ring. And this sounds horrible, balanced or not.
* A cable with leading edge overshoot will still have it. And this too sounds horrible, balanced or not.
* A cable with changing impedance relative to frequency will still have phase distortion, balanced or not.
* A cable that rounds transients will still round those transients, balanced or not.
Balanced design does not change any of the above at all.
Years of interface design experience in high tech, outside of audio, is my background for this statement. In the audio field technical testing and listening confirm this.