Forgive my ignorance, but will this really sound the same? Also, for argument's sake (and also so I really understand what matters to sound), assuming I didn't care if my turntable looked like Frankestein's monster, could I keep the wires outside the tone-arm tube permanently without this affecting the sound quality?
thx, N
To clarify:
By tonearm wire I meant the wire INSIDE the tone-arm - I'd have hoped that the comment on my DIY interconnects would have made that clear - apologise if not.
tonearm wiring configuration
I'm not sure how critical the (tonearm) wiring configuration actually is. I would do two twisted-pair Litzwire runs or whatever Thorens did, when I take it apart.
I've a metal tone arm so shielded cable seems pointless as well as heavier and less flexible.
At 47k ohms and a few hundred pF of RCA cable capacitance, stereo separation shouldn't be compromised by a few pF between channels.
I wonder if the fidelity changes people mention are instead due to changing tonearm mass and resonance? Or is that voodoo.
I'm not sure how critical the (tonearm) wiring configuration actually is. I would do two twisted-pair Litzwire runs or whatever Thorens did, when I take it apart.
I've a metal tone arm so shielded cable seems pointless as well as heavier and less flexible.
At 47k ohms and a few hundred pF of RCA cable capacitance, stereo separation shouldn't be compromised by a few pF between channels.
I wonder if the fidelity changes people mention are instead due to changing tonearm mass and resonance? Or is that voodoo.
Of course you can. There may be a minor issue with hum but nothing too severe. As the loop at the tonearm pivot can be large enough, it is mechanically often better than having the wire inside the tube. Most of the teflon insulated tonearm wires are really not flexible enough inside an arm tube but can work fine outside. I am certainly not the only one who needed such a comparison as a convincer before doing the real re-wire job.
Edit: As i only use MC carts i cannot really say what the hum situation would be in a high impedance circuit using an MM cart.
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I suspect that the EMI/Rf issues are greatest, then the mechanical effects of the wire, stiffness, vibration due to mass etc followed a long and low 3rd by their electrical properties.
At least the difference between not picking up Radio Sheffield on my phonostage via shielding the wire was orders of magnitude greater than the difference in sound between the standard rega via I removed and the silver enamelled litz that replaced it.
Frankly anyone who tries to tell you that "the subtle nuance of improved flow and timing integrity with a holistic handling of the....." is more important than having the signal buried 80db below local radio stations is trying to sell you something you don't need.
Buy decent fine litz the more flexible the better and make sure it's shielded wherever you can outside the arm, anything else is just chasing clouds.
At least the difference between not picking up Radio Sheffield on my phonostage via shielding the wire was orders of magnitude greater than the difference in sound between the standard rega via I removed and the silver enamelled litz that replaced it.
Frankly anyone who tries to tell you that "the subtle nuance of improved flow and timing integrity with a holistic handling of the....." is more important than having the signal buried 80db below local radio stations is trying to sell you something you don't need.
Buy decent fine litz the more flexible the better and make sure it's shielded wherever you can outside the arm, anything else is just chasing clouds.
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For what it's worth, I made a phono cable for a friend of mine that wasn't shielded.
In spite of it being fed from a low output moving coil cartridge and feeding a phono stage with 60dB of gain, there were no hum or other problems.
I think more critical is grounding any metal parts surrounding the cable, such as the tonearm.
se
Use the solid-core silver/teflon wire from A-M Systems ($50 +/- for 10ft.). Great sound, imaging and speed. Somebody said "gold" but gold has a lower conductance than copper, silver is the highest (look it up) and run a single grouping of wires if you can all the way from the cartridge to preamp if you can. Makes a HUGE difference. Different cable materials and configurations are sonically different. You are a fool if you think there isn't.
Thanks for the feedback guys.
Sorry to keep throwing coal into the fire, but does anyone really know what (if anything) is wrong with the stock wires in the SL-1210 arm? Again, I can find a million "views" online, but 90% of them come from sites in one way or another selling rewires, upgrades and the like...
Typical criticisms are:
1. wire is too thin
2. wire is of poor quality
3. existence of PCB between wire and interconnects affects quality
What do you think about the above? Also, am I missing something else?
And to pre-empt any further suggestions that I should try and see, I will - I promise! - I just want to hear views of people who know a thing or two about audio in the meantime (SY - you're one of them).
Again, I am stressing that this is ONLY regarding the wire in the arm - RF is therefore a non-issue as the wire will be in a metal tube and anything out of the deck will be properly shielded. Not to mention that, to borrow EC8010's phrase, I always "do the twist".
Thanks,
Nikos
Sorry to keep throwing coal into the fire, but does anyone really know what (if anything) is wrong with the stock wires in the SL-1210 arm? Again, I can find a million "views" online, but 90% of them come from sites in one way or another selling rewires, upgrades and the like...
Typical criticisms are:
1. wire is too thin
2. wire is of poor quality
3. existence of PCB between wire and interconnects affects quality
What do you think about the above? Also, am I missing something else?
And to pre-empt any further suggestions that I should try and see, I will - I promise! - I just want to hear views of people who know a thing or two about audio in the meantime (SY - you're one of them).
Again, I am stressing that this is ONLY regarding the wire in the arm - RF is therefore a non-issue as the wire will be in a metal tube and anything out of the deck will be properly shielded. Not to mention that, to borrow EC8010's phrase, I always "do the twist".
Thanks,
Nikos
I thought that exact same thing until about three weeks ago when I asked why the new pass phono pre wasn't balanced input. I've since talked to a couple of people in the cartridge industry, and found that not only are many carts not balanced... but they are deliberately neutered until you buy "up" in the line.
Neutering = tying the ouput grounds together and earthing them to the top plate of the cartridge. No matter your nomenclature, this is not balanced.
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