Question How important are phono cables?

ricof90

Established Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2019
Messages
70
Reaction score
15
Points
25
Age
33
Location
London
In a similar vein to my other thread regarding speaker cables. I thought i'd ask another question, this time around the topic of phono cables.

Currently my turntable is connected to the phono pre with QED Profile and then the pre connected to my amp with the Project Connect-It cable.

Would I experience an improvement if quality if I upgraded them?

Reasonably priced recommendations sought, please.
 
please keep your money in your pocket or go and buy more vinyl with what you would have spent on phono cables.....
 
Well that all depends on who you ask. Opinions are like bumh0les, everyone has one.
Its also a bit of a Brexit question in that people can be very polar on the topic of any cables.
My personal opinion - being a scientist and an engineer, is that as long as you are using something better than the 50p phono cables that get shipped with cheap chinese hardware, then the law of diminishing returns rapidly applies. There 'maybe' differences that may or may not actually be measurable with some very high end spectrum analysers costing tens of thousands of pounds, but to the Mk1 Human Ear, probably not so much. I honestly believe that the money would be better spent on other components within the system (or vinyl :D).
 
Night and day, you'll reach sonic nirvana, supermodels will be flocking to your door and you'll never want to leave the house again...

(ps. phill's advice is spot on)
 
My answer is pretty much the same as I gave in the speaker cables thread. I've compared a few different ones over the years, and once I get above the really cheap cables that often come "for free" with equipment to something decently made, I can't hear any difference.

I was making up some interconnects recently and I thought I'd try a comparison again, so I got sample lengths of a cheap Van Damme cable and one that cost £10 per metre, both screened, and I made up 0.5m pairs. I couldn't hear any difference, so I bought more of the Van Damme.

The expensive cable (I forget the brand now) was a lot thicker, and when I examined it I found the extra thickness was really just thicker insulation - the copper was of similar thickness. So that's another advantage to the cheap one - being thinner and more flexible, it's easier to work with.
 
What probably makes the difference is not so much the cable but the actual connectors. However just like speaker cable there is simply no justification in spending a fortune. My mantra is to ask for cables or interconnects when you buy new kit. I've never been refused, especially where the dealer cannot or will not reduce the price on an amp. When I bought my Rega Elicit-R there was no reduction or deal available anywhere but AudioT threw in Chord Clearway connectors gratis.
 
What probably makes the difference is not so much the cable but the actual connectors. However just like speaker cable there is simply no justification in spending a fortune. My mantra is to ask for cables or interconnects when you buy new kit. I've never been refused, especially where the dealer cannot or will not reduce the price on an amp. When I bought my Rega Elicit-R there was no reduction or deal available anywhere but AudioT threw in Chord Clearway connectors gratis.

I'll second this. Ensure the connectors are of good quality.
 
RF screening (Foil+Braid) is very important in phono cables, especially if they cross power cables in your system...
 
I use the same criteria for cables as I do for women. Needs to look nice, be thick and not cost me too much.
 
What's of more importance is the electrical specification of the cable. High capacitance will cause a roll of at high frequencies - and some cables are specifically designed to do this for musical instrument applications, while poor shielding may result in more electrical noise getting into places you'd rather it didn't.

There's no doubt that phono cables and particularly those for record players DO affect the sound, but the law of diminishing returns comes into play here, so I would second the advice of others to get a quality cable but not to get sucked into the spiralling world of eosotericer...
 
Unlike the discussion on speaker cables, the construction of interconnects , especially phono cables does matter. Even the selection of the insulation between the metal conductors can affect things. There is a triboelectric effect , plus microphonics addition to normal electrical interference
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom