Turntable Placement Between Speakers with Short Interconnect?

@nyev 

It's important not to obsess too much.

There's nothing wrong soundwise putting the TT between the speakers.  Remember they have minimum output 90º to the sound axis, so this is actually an area of minimum interference from sound waves.

There's nothing wrong with an integrated amp either.  It isn't necessary to run monoblocs so that the amps can be right behind the speakers - indeed the amps like to see a bit of load from speaker wires.  Anyhow, if your speakers are 10 feet apart, and few are much more, then there will be only 5 foot runs of cable.

Connect the TT to the amp with short wires, this is essential.  So put the amp under the TT.  Although a wood stand can be heavy, whatever material floor you have it is worth having a lot more mass.  My system stands on a support made of big pieces of marble and stone.  All in all it must weigh nearly 1000 pounds.  That won't vibrate or go anywhere.  I have a concrete slab floor and the marble base is spiked to it.

I run my whole system balanced from cartridge to power amp.  But with the layout I recommend above, you won't need 14 feet x2 of expensive interconnect, so no wait required.

You are overthinking it, anticipating rather than actually having a problem.

And here’s the kicker: what if the phono module you choose doesn’t sound great? They make a much larger audible difference than phono cable length.

I have 3 different length phono cables, to a SUT with it’s factory attached phono cable.

the longest 8lf din/rca one for my far left tonearm custom made for me by Pine Tree.

https://pinetreeaudio.com/

discuss your needs, pick your length and connectors, they will make it very promptly.

main arm, 1m ortofon, oh boy

the 3rd phono cable came with my Acos Lustre GST-801 tonearm, possible OEM or seller got it.

Despite all the BS about ’keep phono cables short’, I nor anyone else can hear the difference between any of them when I move them hither and thither.

I relocated my SUT, could shorten the 8lf one, I’m not gonna bother.

IF you go into a SUT (with PASS for MM), to a Phono Stage, then to a Preamp, then to an Amp you have 4 lengths of cables involved. It’s the phono stage that is going to determine the sound, not the cable length of any or all of them.

One of the reasons I do not like ports in speakers is so that I can put equipment between the speakers with no side or rear radiation.

have a peek at my turntable between my speakers

the isolation feet below my TT Plinth is to tame my springy wood floor’s flex, not any sound waves in that location, just enough to get 2 steps away after needle drop..

Equipment in the middle effecting imaging? That’s really a visual issue to overcome.

It’s essentially ALL in your head, there are no sound waves in the middle.

Close your eyes, get the image of stuff in the middle out, there you have it.

Have a look at my last photo with the little christmas tree right in the middle. It’s not blocking any sound waves, it’s up to me to ignore what I see and go with what my brain puts together from any mix of l/r in/out of phase, timing tricks .... anything any engineer can come up with using zero center sound waves!

Thanks, and yes I think I will start with the TT connected beside my amp to see if I have any issue first.

I did a subjective vibration test using bass heavy tracks with the volume cranked (which I don’t do during normal listening), and testing for vibration and bass resonance at various locations.  I did find that the outer sides of the speakers the bass and any vibration was far less noticeable than from in the middle between the speakers.  My guess is that in the middle you have an additive effect to the low frequencies from both speakers, instead of just one on the outer sides of each speaker.  So, I don’t think it is all psychological… 

If you take the questionable advice of Elliot, to the effect that worrying about IC length is BS, at least be sure to purchase cables with the lowest capacitance possible.  Capacitance, not "quality", should be the determining factor.  I might suggest AntiCables as a company that makes very low capacitance, and good sounding, phono cables.  Also, using balanced ICs is a waste of money unless the phono stage inside your integrated is also a balanced design.