Transparent Audio MAGNUM OPUS Phono Interconnect (Balanced)

The Magnum Opus Phono Interconnect (Balanced) is Transparent’s Magnum Opus Phono cable ordered with differential-balanced termination — the pinnacle of balanced-line vinyl signal transmission. Under the sleeve it uses the same iconic outrigger network housing, IFER (Integrated Flexible Epoxy Resin) filling, reconfigured PMMA-and-IFER platform (stiffer, heavier, more stable, more vibration-nulling than Opus), and precision-wound OFHC conductor as Magnum Opus Phono (RCA), with the network calibrated to the balanced-topology impedance and to the electrical characteristics of a differential-balanced phono preamp input rather than a single-ended one. All network components are matched and measured at the edge of what technicians can control in production.

What separates Magnum Opus Balanced Phono from Opus Balanced Phono at the electrical level is tolerance and matching: the network calibrated to the specific balanced-topology impedance of your phono stage and to the exact cable length with a precision Opus production doesn’t reach; the calibration extends to the full vinyl chain — cartridge, tonearm, phono stage — with Magnum Opus tolerance. Custom-machined gold-plated connectors mate to precision-wound OFHC stranding. Optional custom DIN termination is available at the tonearm end at additional cost, fabricated to precise tonearm, turntable suspension, and phono preamp requirements. The differential-balanced termination itself is an upcharge over base Magnum Opus Phono (MOPHDIFBAL+, $3,000); every other element of the cable is Magnum Opus construction. Manufacturing runs multi-day per pair.

Magnum Opus Phono Balanced is designed for the finest vinyl chains ever made where the phono stage has true differential-balanced inputs — not simply XLR jacks wired to a single-ended input stage. Because the network is calibrated to a specific chain and topology, Transparent needs the tonearm, cartridge, and phono stage specified before manufacture, and Magnum Opus is customized to the very edge of production tolerance for the specific chain. Level-matched TRANSCENDENT companions include Magnum Opus RCA, Magnum Opus Balanced, and Magnum Opus Speaker Cable. This is the top of the Transparent balanced phono cable hierarchy — no upgrade path above. Warranty registration extends to lifetime and entitles owners to free network recalibration when a cartridge change requires network adjustment.

Balanced phono only makes sense if the phono stage is actually differential-balanced end to end — if it isn’t, the base Magnum Opus Phono (RCA) is the correct specification. The tolerance difference between Opus Balanced Phono and Magnum Opus Balanced Phono is the kind of change audible only on familiar recordings with the actual chain in place. Walk in during business hours or book ahead if the audition needs the actual cartridge, tonearm, and phono stage in place.