On what experience do you base that?
To me it seams high quality... however I use SOLDEREX 4% silver which is the BEST soldering.
I was mentioning Kimber Kable RCA zirconium because I like how it resists abuse and how it slides... but any cheap RCA connection would be as good.
I agree that the RCA phono socket is not the best, but it has become the standard, so we have to live with it.
What I find absurd is that to justify their high price, as lot of phono plugs have massive screw in connectors.
I prefer the SME sort where the outer screw in case is insulated from the plug, so that less metal is used for the signal and tend to use the thinner Van Damme microphone cable from turntables and the fatter on for most interconnects, although I am using some Chord that I purchased at a good price second hand between pre and power.
Another point worth making is that using twin core seems to have some benefit.
This is pseudo balanced, where the earth braid is only connected on one end.
It is said that the earth end should be connected to the amp/ preamp end and this is what I do, but I have not bothered to test this out (life is too short).
None of this needs to be expensive and decent cables of this sort can be had for around £50 or less and may have better solder joins that most can do at home.
If one can solder well, of course money can be saved.
What I find absurd is that to justify their high price, as lot of phono plugs have massive screw in connectors.
I prefer the SME sort where the outer screw in case is insulated from the plug, so that less metal is used for the signal and tend to use the thinner Van Damme microphone cable from turntables and the fatter on for most interconnects, although I am using some Chord that I purchased at a good price second hand between pre and power.
Another point worth making is that using twin core seems to have some benefit.
This is pseudo balanced, where the earth braid is only connected on one end.
It is said that the earth end should be connected to the amp/ preamp end and this is what I do, but I have not bothered to test this out (life is too short).
None of this needs to be expensive and decent cables of this sort can be had for around £50 or less and may have better solder joins that most can do at home.
If one can solder well, of course money can be saved.
No, you don't actually. You can fit BNC sockets and use adapters where necessary like these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Male-Phono-Female-Adapter-Gold/dp/B000NJM14Q/ref=asc_df_B000NJM14Q/
Then rewire to BNC plugs at your leisure.
For the small gain with all the pain, would it be worth it?
I also change components between systems and any chunky adaptors would be worse than just using the original phono's.
I prefer just to try to use phono plugs with less metal, as long as they make a good contact.
I've slowly been moving to balanced XLR or TRS for everything I can, and if I'm going to buy something like a DAC then whether it has differential outputs is pretty high on my list.
I am generally sick and tired of crappy RCA connectors that are intermittent, have a death grip that makes me tempted to grab a pliers, or are spaced so closely together that you can't unplug the things.
When you're designing your next preamp or power amp, it might be worth considering the use of balanced inputs and outputs with XLR or TRS connectors.
Here's my rule of thumb for connector shopping:
XLR: Neutrik is where it is at. They have an excellent "collet type" strain relief that seems to work better than anything else I've seen so far.
TRS: Amphenol TRS connectors have a very, very nice feel and a good strain relief.
Power: Neutrik PowerCON. No need to cut a square hole, and it's a nice locking connector.
RCA: Rean / Switchcraft make some of the least annoying RCA connectors. The little nickel plated ones. Smaller is better. These usually fit nicely, and they don't have enough meat on them to have a death grip.
Unfortunately BNC has never caught on in audio. It's a shame, since it's superior to RCA in just about every way. There's even a differential version available.
I am generally sick and tired of crappy RCA connectors that are intermittent, have a death grip that makes me tempted to grab a pliers, or are spaced so closely together that you can't unplug the things.
When you're designing your next preamp or power amp, it might be worth considering the use of balanced inputs and outputs with XLR or TRS connectors.
Here's my rule of thumb for connector shopping:
XLR: Neutrik is where it is at. They have an excellent "collet type" strain relief that seems to work better than anything else I've seen so far.
TRS: Amphenol TRS connectors have a very, very nice feel and a good strain relief.
Power: Neutrik PowerCON. No need to cut a square hole, and it's a nice locking connector.
RCA: Rean / Switchcraft make some of the least annoying RCA connectors. The little nickel plated ones. Smaller is better. These usually fit nicely, and they don't have enough meat on them to have a death grip.
Unfortunately BNC has never caught on in audio. It's a shame, since it's superior to RCA in just about every way. There's even a differential version available.
If Eichmanns are too tight and lose grip, Star Line (MS Audio?) RCA plugs are a low cost alternative. When I buy new plugs (I still have many others) I buy only them, preferably the plastic bodied version. You can get gold, silver or rhodium plated versions, from many sources. But be aware, the plastic case versions have a very slightly smaller cable entry hole. I have to enlarge that to use 9mm cables. They can be re-plugged many times, IME.
Star Line~ Tellurium Copper RCA Plugs connectors 2 Pairs / 4pcs | eBay
Star Line~ Tellurium Copper RCA Plugs connectors 2 Pairs / 4pcs | eBay
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