Balanced or single ended phono cable to Aesthetix Io?

thekong - that was innovative! what load did you end up with (and for what cartridge)?

o_holter, I just got the idea from the Wavestream Deluxe Phono, which had similar arrangement, only that both input and loading jacks are RCA.

 

In my system, I prefer 200 ohm with the Ortofon A90.

Since the Io has a single-ended input, using a balanced interconnect will still result in a single-ended connection.

The benefit of a balanced connection is that the interconnect cable will cease to have an influence on the sound of the system. It seems to me that the phono input is the best place for this sort of immunity.

Apparantly - and I stress apparently, because it is just something I have heard - so don't shoot the messenger.

Balanced (XLR) cables are significantly better where the cable is longer than 30+ feet. However, there is an opinion that the balanced circuitry that processes the balanced signal can vary greatly from one component to another so you can never be certain of whether the signal is not being coloured by that circuitry.

Single ended is much better suited to shorter runs and with the right cable architecture/geometry can out perform XLR and there is no processing of the signal - other than amplification

I have observed improved performance when using a 1 meter single ended cable vs. a 2 meter XLR cable, but how much of that was due to the Balanced circuitry as opposed to the cable materials and architecture I have no idea.

Something to investigate ? - maybe :-)

Balanced (XLR) cables are significantly better where the cable is longer than 30+ feet. However, there is an opinion that the balanced circuitry that processes the balanced signal can vary greatly from one component to another so you can never be certain of whether the signal is not being coloured by that circuitry.

Single ended is much better suited to shorter runs and with the right cable architecture/geometry can out perform XLR and there is no processing of the signal - other than amplification

I'm not shooting- but I am correcting. Balanced operation offers advantages even in short runs. You know how with a single-ended cable you have to audition it to make sure it works in your system? If the balanced line is set up according to the balanced standard (which is very easy with phono, since its a balanced source to begin with) then the interconnect cable will not impose an artifact. I've seen audiophiles spend upwards of $2000 on a 1 meter cable, while you can get a $200 balanced cable of the same length to sound better.

Balanced operation is only amplification- there is no further processing of the signal.  You are actually doing more processing of the signal when you go single-ended, as you are taking a balanced source (the phono cartridge) and then converting its output to single-ended. Why not just run it balanced all the way? Its cheaper as far as the interconnect is concerned and it sounds better.