Props to Albert Porter for turning me on to the KAB device. I knew they existed, but he zero'd in on that one, the company is reliable, and you can get the device quickly.
As to Alonski's questions, I can only offer my own experience:
1. Yes, there are benefits to using the balanced connectors even if everything in the chain is not fully balanced. I also like the firm connection made by XLRs. Whether you can hear a difference, I don't know. I have identical lengths of the same cable terminated both ways, but have not bothered to compare on the stretch between my phono stage and line stage.
2. My assumption on separate power supplies was that they were made separate for a reason. I don't know that you have to go to the length of hiding it, but I think power supplies have the potential to throw off a lot of garbage, and getting them isolated from low level audio signals is beneficial. Having said that, I had the tube power supply to my old line stage separated by one rack shelf and it was fine. The 'stacking' thing you see in photos is likely the same thing as having a blonde as a hood ornament on the car- you wouldn't drive it that way. :)
3. When the designer of the Veloce line stage was at my house, we tried the caps on the RCAs and it didn't make a difference on my set-up. Not that it wouldn't on another...
As to Alonski's questions, I can only offer my own experience:
1. Yes, there are benefits to using the balanced connectors even if everything in the chain is not fully balanced. I also like the firm connection made by XLRs. Whether you can hear a difference, I don't know. I have identical lengths of the same cable terminated both ways, but have not bothered to compare on the stretch between my phono stage and line stage.
2. My assumption on separate power supplies was that they were made separate for a reason. I don't know that you have to go to the length of hiding it, but I think power supplies have the potential to throw off a lot of garbage, and getting them isolated from low level audio signals is beneficial. Having said that, I had the tube power supply to my old line stage separated by one rack shelf and it was fine. The 'stacking' thing you see in photos is likely the same thing as having a blonde as a hood ornament on the car- you wouldn't drive it that way. :)
3. When the designer of the Veloce line stage was at my house, we tried the caps on the RCAs and it didn't make a difference on my set-up. Not that it wouldn't on another...