SUT Interconnects
What cables have you tried between an MC SUT box and 47K MM phono stage? What was your favorite?
I’ve tried the AudioQuest upper-line "normal" ineterconnect cables (Sky, Fire) - great cables in other slots - but very colored coming out of a SUT. Not great performance. I assume that at 1.0m+ lengths, their capactitance is far too high for this application. I’ve tried 0.5m runs of Wind & Niagara (a bit lower in their "normal" IC line, slightly smaller guage wire and less shielding to boot) and got better results. However, my best results by far are with a 0.5m AQ WEL Signature LP phono cable (optimized for low capacitance phono applications). I’ve also tried the Bob’s Devices custom cables, 0.7m, both copper and solid silver versions - these have good performance (particularly the silver), but are more on the level of the 0.5m Niagara, still short of the WEL LP.
The problem I have is that the WEL LP is quite spendy, and I want a 2nd good SUT cable for a 2nd arm & SUT setup. Looking for more reasonably priced options. I’ve had excellent results with a Synergistic Research Foundation phono cable on a tonearm (DIN plug), and wonder how a short all-RCA run of it might do off a SUT (also interested in the Atmosphere X series). Any experience with SR or other cables off a SUT would be appreciated!
I would have assumed you want low capacitance all the way from the cartridge to the phono inputs. Now you’ve got me thinking. audioguy85, can you say more about your 1:10 SUT that results in the cartridge seeing 100 ohms? Insofar as transformers have no intrinsic impedance (ideally) you would have to place a 10K resistance across the secondaries of a 1:10 SUT to achieve a 100 ohm load. Maybe that’s what you do. Just curious. |
@mulveling I have tried numerous interconnects within my system and have had a very tight focus on the Vinyl Chain from Cart' Tag Wire through to Phon'. After trying many Cables and then commencing in a investigation of Wire Types. I urge you to look into a Cable that has a PC Triple C Wire or a D.U.C.C Wire. With your willingness to trial and compare, I think this will be a great addition and very very worthwhile to add to your trials. At first I thought I was over rating the positive influence I was being met with, but after loaning the Cables in both PC, 5 Pin DIN Phono and RCA Phono, the responses from others has pretty much proven to myself, these cables are adding extra in a very attractive way. I am now working with a few friends to produce and Internal Tonearm Wire in both Wire Types, as well as the RCA and Later on XLR Cables in PC Triple C to be used upstream of the Phonostage. |
The inductance of the cartridge and transformer in parallel with the capacitance of the tonearm cable causes an electrical resonance. Best to keep that resonance as high as possible. Depending on the transformer design you may well have to load the transformer in a certain way to deal with this resonance. So its best to minimize variables by minimizing the capacitive aspects since there is little you can do about the inductances involved. This is one reason why I prefer to run direct if I can. |
Very interesting! Your vast and deep expertise is always appreciated. Considering that SUT box users like me are, for practical reasons, usually limited to a 0.5m minimum cable length on either side (and usually RCA) - what are some good "audiophile" cables with the smallest possible capacitance per foot? Capacitance specs aren't always listed. From the specs I have seen, Cardas interconnects seem to consistently show an impressively low capacitance - much lower even than my AudioQuest phono / LP cables (AQ's normal interconnects are WAY too high). Is there anything likely to be better than Cardas for this role? I know that besides a spec, there are some clues you can use - like avoid large gauge wires (keep it smaller than 23 AWG) and avoid braided geometries. The Stax headphone cables uses a ribbon layout (with large spacing gaps) to minimize capacitance. |
