Recommendations for a jazz record which demonstrates vinyl superiority over digital

Your Krell preamplifier likely has a very wide bandwidth, which makes it susceptible to RFI in the environment, though perhaps not a source of RFI. RFI can get in by radiation from an outside source like a radio antenna or on the AC line via wires or on an IC connector, also via traveling on the wire.

@lewm 

IC?  NFI! 

RFI = Radio Frequency Interference

I have an entry-level Krell KSB-7B pre-amplifier with external power supply so I doubt that RFI is a problem there, but who knows?

@richardbrand The RFI is injected directly into the phono input by the tonearm cable. If the preamp has provision for 'cartridge loading' then yes, its susceptible.

@atmasphere 

OK, RFI via the tonearm cable makes sense!  The Krell has adjustable impedance from 5 to 47,000 Ohms, set with internal switches, for MC cartridges.  It has switchable gain for MM cartridges.  Its frequency range is 5 to 100,000 Hz within 1 dB and it is a fully balanced design with no capacitors in the signal path.

The manual talks about positioning of both the power supply and other components like CD players to minimise hum, which I have had to work on, starting with the deck.

The original cables in my SME 3009 tonearm (series 2 improved with fixed head shell) must be 40 years old, and the connectors at the cartridge end have become heavily oxidised.  One of the connectors came adrift when I changed cartridges and had to be soldered back.  Despite this, I am thrilled with the replay quality.

One day when I get more confident, I should seriously look at replacing the litz wiring but it looks like a very fiddly job.

Richard, I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now, but IC = InterConnect.