Hi guys, I need some advice on phono cables for my turntable.
I currently have some seriously cheap pro-ject phono cables on an Opera Consonance LP5.0 turntable, and that needs replacing. I'm hooking it up to an Opera Reference 5.5mk2 tube amp via an Opera PM2mk2 phono pre-amp.
So I have some candidates:
Van Den Hul ISIS (ca 80-100GBP)
Van Den Hul The Thames (ca 125-150 GBP)
Maple Audio Works Ambience ca (335 USD)
JIB HF-001B/C (not sure but saw in China at an audio show for about 2500 RMB)
Can anyone tell me what would be the better choice? I'm considering the Ambience for the phono pre-amp to tube amp stage. It's supposed to be mind bogglingly amazing. But I'm not sure if I can get hold of a set. They are not very common.
The JIB cables seem well made too, but I cannot find any reviews on them whatsoever, and they are even harder to find. Making it impossible to get an idea on their sound characteristics.
The Van Den Hul cables are easy to get, but I don't know how they perform. They are also cheaper than the others I mentioned.
I need to get cables from my arm to my phono pre, and from my phono pre to the tube amp. Considering that the main amp as well as the phono stage are both tube driven, I probably want a cable that is very accurate and clean, rather than warm and coloured.
I don't have any opportunities to actually audition cables (I'm in China, and if I visit the civilised world I don't have my setup in my inner pocket with me to do trials...). As such I would like to hear some recommendations from people.
I'm open to alternatives, in which case I'd say my budget is around the 150GBP +/-30 GBP
I currently have some seriously cheap pro-ject phono cables on an Opera Consonance LP5.0 turntable, and that needs replacing. I'm hooking it up to an Opera Reference 5.5mk2 tube amp via an Opera PM2mk2 phono pre-amp.
So I have some candidates:
Van Den Hul ISIS (ca 80-100GBP)
Van Den Hul The Thames (ca 125-150 GBP)
Maple Audio Works Ambience ca (335 USD)
JIB HF-001B/C (not sure but saw in China at an audio show for about 2500 RMB)
Can anyone tell me what would be the better choice? I'm considering the Ambience for the phono pre-amp to tube amp stage. It's supposed to be mind bogglingly amazing. But I'm not sure if I can get hold of a set. They are not very common.
The JIB cables seem well made too, but I cannot find any reviews on them whatsoever, and they are even harder to find. Making it impossible to get an idea on their sound characteristics.
The Van Den Hul cables are easy to get, but I don't know how they perform. They are also cheaper than the others I mentioned.
I need to get cables from my arm to my phono pre, and from my phono pre to the tube amp. Considering that the main amp as well as the phono stage are both tube driven, I probably want a cable that is very accurate and clean, rather than warm and coloured.
I don't have any opportunities to actually audition cables (I'm in China, and if I visit the civilised world I don't have my setup in my inner pocket with me to do trials...). As such I would like to hear some recommendations from people.
I'm open to alternatives, in which case I'd say my budget is around the 150GBP +/-30 GBP
I know cables aren't the most important part of the system's sound, but when the main amp costs some 2,5k, the turntable costs 4,5k, the phono stage costs 600GBP, and the speakers cost about 3,5k, you are not gonna tell me that 5 year old cables that cost 20GBP sound just as good as 100-300GBP cables. Sorry, but there's no way I believe that.
So, back to my original question, which cables would be suitable?
So, back to my original question, which cables would be suitable?
Seeking for a phono cable is a nice opportunity to rewire your tonearm and rearrange your entire setup as well, running short and direct lengths from the cartridge tags to the RCA males (with no additional joints). Add a nice set of RCA males and you are golden (neutric or gold eichmann bullets)
I do not know what cable your tonearm uses, but I have used the Shielded Cardas litz wire in many occasions and it performs very nicely in comparison to many oem and after market cables. Pretty decent for its price.
Whatever cable you choose, keeping it short will further reduce interference and will also reduce its capacitance allowing you to better load your cartridge.
Just keep in mind that if your phono does not have an external psu it might get noisy keeping it close to your cartridge.
It shouldn t cost more than $100 and won t take more than a few hours if you know your way around your tonearm.
I do not know what cable your tonearm uses, but I have used the Shielded Cardas litz wire in many occasions and it performs very nicely in comparison to many oem and after market cables. Pretty decent for its price.
Whatever cable you choose, keeping it short will further reduce interference and will also reduce its capacitance allowing you to better load your cartridge.
Just keep in mind that if your phono does not have an external psu it might get noisy keeping it close to your cartridge.
It shouldn t cost more than $100 and won t take more than a few hours if you know your way around your tonearm.
I know of no 'wearout' mechanism in cables, and expensive copper conducts electricity just as well as cheaper copper, so yes that is precisely what I am telling you. I think you will find that professional sound people only replace cables when they break due to repeated handling, not because the cable is worn out from handling too many signals.
Your setup may be sensitive to things like excess cable capacitance, but that would show that your sources have too high or too nonlinear output impedance. Sadly, paying a lot of money for components does not necessarily guarantee good engineering.
May i recommend asking at the cable or vinyl asylum? Spending more than 50c on a cable makes engineers very emotional.
That is why the manufacturers are engineering components to only work good when paired with another component from the same manufacturer. The imperfections of one component are masked out by the other component's imperfections.
And here come the cable guys selling you the perfect cable that will fix the whole thing
Oxidised copper, brittle and porous dielectric must mean squat to you. Even the mechanical damping an old dielectric provides is dramatically different.
the anti-cable fanatics 
and you will only get 
If you are using your system indoors it takes some few decades for those effects to kick in.
The main issues with turntable connections are screening and capacitance. The bulk of any problems will come from the arm wiring, not the external cable. This is because the arm wiring is nearer the motor (a potential source of interference) and has most of the capacitance.
Dielectric issues may vary the capacitance a little, but as I said this is OK provided you drive it from a sufficiently low impedance. To think otherwise must mean that circuit theory means squat.
PS it seems to me that it is the cable fans who are getting emotional, rather than answering the OP's question. I expected some people to disagree with my recommendation; sadly I also expected some of them to get emotional about it. They have not let me down!
Dielectric issues may vary the capacitance a little, but as I said this is OK provided you drive it from a sufficiently low impedance. To think otherwise must mean that circuit theory means squat.
PS it seems to me that it is the cable fans who are getting emotional, rather than answering the OP's question. I expected some people to disagree with my recommendation; sadly I also expected some of them to get emotional about it. They have not let me down!
Last edited:
I use Blue Jeans LC-1 RCA interconnects if no soldering to the turntable terminals is required, and Blue Jeans Belden 1505F (terminated at one side only) if you have to solder it to the turntable. (because the LC-1 is difficult to solder).
These cables are cheap, very well made, have very low capacitance and good screening.
This is what matters for a good turntable cable.
In my view, fancy expensive "boutique cables" will add nothing, and will be worse in many cases.
These cables are cheap, very well made, have very low capacitance and good screening.
This is what matters for a good turntable cable.
In my view, fancy expensive "boutique cables" will add nothing, and will be worse in many cases.
If you are using your system indoors it takes some few decades for those effects to kick in.
Dunno. Or i might just be older than you
Have plenty of older cables which show all these effects in various degrees. Most notably a Monster speaker cable from the early 90s which turned green under the sleeve within the first few years of use.
We are talking about quality cables here, not cheap junk. Belden is a top manufacturer and does not sell junk. And the price of a boutique cable does not meet the quality nowhere near. 95% of them are just rebranded cables manufactured by some large OEM supplier.
Don't mind me. Any one is free to believe in whatever he thinks is good for him. Some are buying overpriced cables other are putting a simple discrete buffers at the output of their stages
Don't mind me. Any one is free to believe in whatever he thinks is good for him. Some are buying overpriced cables other are putting a simple discrete buffers at the output of their stages
Another cable thread !!! 
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.