How to accomodate a balanced only phono stage ?

I own an Audio Research PH-2 which is fully balanced in to out, and has balanced input connections.
The cartridge on any turntable is OK to use, all you need to do is use a RCA to XLR input adapter. The signal from the cart is fine going into the connector and being connected to the bal input of the Phono stage.
I made a cable with RCAs to XLR as that TT had RCA out on the base of the TT.
If you plan on a permanent installation, you can just replace XLRs on the Phono cable, just leave thee ground XLR pin unconnected, and put the plus and minus wires on those plus, minus XLR pins. No problem.
A few companies have a special adapter (VPI) for balanced phono.

you don't have to do anything the turntable, it is naturally a balanced signal. Its a matter of physical connection. Some balanced phono preamps have xlr inputs instead of rca connectors which require either an adapter or a custom made interconnect, if that is what is needed/can be used, that has rca on the tt side and xlr on the phono pre side. I have used an Audioquest cable made that way and it worked great. Any TT setup can run into a balanced phono pre with the right connection.

Hope this doesn't go down too badly as my first post!
and I was just about to post about getting a new cartridge.

I don't think it is as simple as that.

The problem with running balanced from a cartridge is that the input electronics are doubled which creates 'electronic' noise and not 'common noise' which balancing cancels (CMRR). Common noise in a turntable cartridge system should be nothing significant if your system is setup correctly. Input stage noise though, due to doubling of stages/ components creates more problems than it can solve.

If you have noise or hum from your turntable it is better to look at 'why' than to try and irradicate it using balancing..... prevention is better than cure!

From what I can see, it is a marketing ploy by some phono stage manufacturers, and usually the not so serious ones, and seems to be the fashion for now... I have listen to it and am not at all convinced it is worth the effort and if anything looses some of the 'air' and speed that the single-ended RCA connection gives.

07-31-10: Tdaudio
you don't have to do anything the turntable, it is naturally a balanced signal. Its a matter of physical connection. Some balanced phono preamps have xlr inputs instead of rca connectors which require either an adapter or a custom made interconnect, if that is what is needed/can be used, that has rca on the tt side and xlr on the phono pre side.

It's that simple.

Phono interconnect with RCA connectors + ground wire on the turntable end, and XLR connectors on the phono preamp.

I have a set of these made by Atma-Sphere that work perfectly (Atma-Sphere is differentially balanced, and all phono cartridges are fully balanced, as has been mentioned already).

I think to be truly differential it needs a center-tap 0v.
MC cartridges do not have a center tap so the ground (0v) is floating and does not form part of the signal. The ground path of the tonearm should not be part of the balanced signal - pin 1. The chassis is normally pin 1 with 2 hot and 3 cold OR pin 1 CT (center tap), 2+, 3-.

A mains transformer has a center tap for the 0v which the preamp or amplifier uses as the 0 volt reference and is used as the 0 volt reference for the system.

I don't think anyone produces a Moving coil cartridge which is truly balanced - having a center tap. This would mean having 6 pins.