Phono cable advice.

@soundermn

In my case, I would need a tuner to hear the radio... my cables don’t receive FM broadcasts, as you so arrogantly insist they do. Several people here, including industry experts are saying phono cables don’t need to be shielded in most (not all) cases.

Ok, forget about radio, but for the rest of the statement, especially using ART-9, it’s nothing but a miracle. Alleluia!

But i don’t believe in miracles, the majority of the cables for a phono application are in fact shielded. There is a difference between interconnects and phono cables, no doubt. Swaping phono and interconnect (even from the same manufacturer) between tonearm and phonostage is not in favor of unshielded cables. This is my experience, but you may like unshielded for whatever reason. So your cable is just what we call "interconnect" ? I can reverse a question and ask you what is a disadvantages of the shielded phono cable in your opinion ?

I will simply quote a trusted expert for an example, Chakster.

atmasphere6,625 posts10-16-2018 3:08pm


A further advantage is that unshielded cables have lower capacitance per foot, which is really helpful when dealing with the resonance that develops due to the cartridge inductance and the cable capacitance.

So, the disadvantage would be the converse of what he says. Potentially higher capacitance, for example.

However, you miss my point. My point was that you and Invictus are making these blanket statements as if they are facts, and absolutes. Nobody is "unintelligent" for using something that works. There are NO absolutes in this hobby. You are misdirecting the OP by providing your opinion as if it is fact. It may be fact in SOME situations... but not in others.

And, the fact that it works for me isn't any kind of miracle.  As stated by Atmasphere and others in this thread, there are some situations where a shielded phono cable is not as good as an unshielded one.

These are not blanket statements. This is the LAW. To suggest that small signal cables need no shield is an insult to electrical engineering and all of the hard work that goes into proper design and not just in cables but in any electrical components. Especially in today’s polluted world. 

Well there goes my thread...lol.

For the record I have or will have to try the:
-AS Impact SE (burned in version)
-Jelco RCA/RCA
-Zu Audio Mission (V1)
-DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix

Whether I can tell a noticeable difference on my modest setup remains to be heard but I’ll try to post an update when I can. @chakster yes, the LS50 Wireless speakers have wireless capability but as I’ve stated earlier all my sources will be hard wired as well as the speakers have a wired connection to each other. I have a Node 2 connected via Lifatec optical and my turntable will be connected to the phono pre by one of the above cables. The phono pre will then be connected to the KEFs via another pair of DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix.

It’s coming down to a MoFi StudioPhono or Lounge Audio LCR MKIII w/silver upgrade for my phono pre.

Thanks again for the excellent input everyone!

Good luck! As a geezer, I am totally confused by the wireless thing but have fun and report back after you're done so you can rile up the masses here a bit more haha!