co, according to the physics (Maxwell's Equations), capacitance is the great enemy at line level, while inductance is the enemy for speaker cables (because current is so much higher at the speakers). So low capacitance for tonearm wire and interconnect. That also goes for connectors, and ETI is the best alternative IMO.
Connect the shield to the RCA shell at the amplifier end ONLY. That avoids one source of ground loop.
I always make sure that the tonearm is grounded, so yes, I connect the drain at the tonearm body, and at the preamp ground. Both ends.
I think that your approach is by far the wisest one: use microphone cable and then let another cable prove it's superiority before buying. I have never upgraded from Canare Starquad, and my system is high end.
Connect the shield to the RCA shell at the amplifier end ONLY. That avoids one source of ground loop.
I always make sure that the tonearm is grounded, so yes, I connect the drain at the tonearm body, and at the preamp ground. Both ends.
I think that your approach is by far the wisest one: use microphone cable and then let another cable prove it's superiority before buying. I have never upgraded from Canare Starquad, and my system is high end.