Pro-Ject Connect It Phono DS5-Pin DIN to XLR - Full Size XLR

Connect it Phono DS, 5-Pin DIN to Full-Size XLR

This is Pro-Ject's Connect it Phono DS in its 5-pin DIN to full-size XLR configuration, sold each. It carries a balanced signal from a turntable with a 5-pin DIN output to a phono stage with full-size XLR inputs.

A moving coil cartridge produces a balanced signal whether or not anything downstream is set up to receive one. Two coils, no ground reference, balanced all the way to the junction box — and then, on most systems, converted to unbalanced and sent on.

Balanced All the Way to the Phono Stage

Fit and Materials

1.23 meters, 5-pin DIN at the turntable and full-size XLR at the phono stage. It suits a balanced-output turntable presenting a 5-pin DIN, feeding a phono stage with XLR inputs rather than mini XLR. Check both sockets before ordering — neither end adapts.

The cable uses flexible oxygen-free copper conductors with silver-plated copper connectors and a capacitance of 90 pF, the same construction as the mini XLR version. What differs is the plugs: a 5-pin DIN carries both channels balanced out of the turntable in one connector.

Studios have been balanced since the beginning, for the plain reason that it rejects interference. Home equipment went unbalanced to save money at a time when few sources needed the help. A cartridge output is the one that still does.

Who Is This Cable Best For?

• Your turntable has a 5-pin DIN output — the socket this version is cut for
• Your phono stage takes full-size XLR — rather than the mini XLR the rest of the range uses
• You run a moving coil — a balanced source carried balanced the whole way
• You want the lowest capacitance in the range — 90 pF, as in the mini XLR Phono DS
• Both your sockets are mini XLR — that is the other Phono DS; 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.

Why a 5-pin DIN at the turntable?

It carries both channels, balanced, through a single connector at the deck. Which one you need is decided by the socket your turntable presents, not by preference.

What sockets does this need?

A 5-pin DIN on the turntable and full-size XLR inputs on the phono stage. Neither end adapts, so confirm both before ordering.

Does it have to be Pro-Ject at both ends?

Any turntable with a 5-pin DIN balanced output and any phono stage with XLR inputs will pair. Pro-Ject designs it around its own balanced range, but the sockets are what decide.

Why does Pro-Ject publish the capacitance?

Because it is a load the cartridge has to drive, and a moving magnet is sensitive to it. At 90 pF this is the lowest in Pro-Ject's phono cable range.

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