Pro-Ject Connect It Phono DS Phono Cable - 1.23 Meter - Mini XLR to Mini XLR

Connect it Phono DS — 90 pF, Silver-Plated Connectors, Mini XLR

This is Pro-Ject's Connect it Phono DS, sold each: a 1.23-meter balanced phono cable with mini XLR at both ends. It is the top of Pro-Ject's balanced phono cable range, at the lowest capacitance of the three.

Balance is not something a cable adds to a phono signal — it is something the cartridge already has and that most systems discard at the junction box. A moving coil generates from two coils with no ground reference, and a balanced cable simply keeps that intact.

Balanced All the Way to the Phono Stage

Fit and Materials

1.23 meters, mini XLR to mini XLR. It suits Pro-Ject's balanced-output turntables — the X1 B and X2 B among them — into a balanced phono stage such as the Phono Box DS3 B. Any turntable and preamp with mini XLR jacks can be paired.

Phono DS uses flexible oxygen-free copper conductors with silver-plated copper connectors, and a capacitance of 90 pF — the lowest in the range. Silver plating gives a lower contact resistance than gold over brass, at the joint where the smallest signal in the system changes hands.

The early recording chain was balanced throughout because it had to be: long runs, hostile buildings, and no tolerance for hum. Domestic equipment traded that away for cost. On a phono signal the original reasoning has not stopped applying.

Who Is This Cable Best For?

• You run a moving coil into a balanced phono stage — the arrangement this cable completes
• You want the lowest capacitance Pro-Ject offers — 90 pF, against 100 and 130 further down
• You want silver-plated contacts — rather than the gold-plated brass and phosphor bronze below
• You own a Pro-Ject balanced-output turntable — the X1 B, X2 B and the rest of the B range
• Your phono stage takes full-size XLR — Pro-Ject builds a 5-pin DIN to XLR version; see tonearm cables

What Length Do You Need?

This cable is a fixed 1.23 meters, which suits a phono stage on the same rack as the turntable. Measure the route the cable will follow rather than the gap, and leave enough slack that it hangs rather than pulls at the plinth.

Pairs Well With

What most owners fitting a tonearm cable shop next.

• Phono preamplifiers — the other end of this cable, and the bigger variable
• Phono cartridges — the signal source everything downstream is serving
• Cartridge alignment tools — geometry first; no cable fixes a misaligned cartridge
• Tonearm cables — the other lengths and terminations in the range

Frequently Asked Questions

How many do I need?

One. A turntable takes a single cable to the phono stage, and this is sold each.

What is the capacitance?

90 pF, the lowest of Pro-Ject's three balanced phono cables. The Phono S is 100 pF and the Phono E 130 pF.

Will this work with an unbalanced phono stage?

Not usefully. Balanced operation needs a balanced socket at both ends; with an RCA input at the phono stage there is nothing for the cable to preserve.

Is it restricted to Pro-Ject gear?

Any pairing with matching balanced sockets works. Pro-Ject builds the range for its own True Balanced turntables and phono stages, but nothing about the cable is exclusive to them.

Why publish the capacitance?

Because the cartridge drives it, and on a moving magnet in particular it shifts the frequency response. It is one of the few cable specifications that changes what you hear in a way you can predict.

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