Cartridge Leads

First, I do believe the leads make a difference. I use the AQ Litz/w cotton leads. I have read somewhere about some dissatifaction with the Cardas spring clips themselves. I would imagine that VDH silver would make a difference, just like copper vs silver I/Cs or any other cable.

The silver litz vdH leads are probably available thru Sumiko, since they're standard on SME IV and V tonearms. They're very good but a little bit difficult to bend/twist in tight spaces.

Cardas leads are excellent but the spring clip versions are not recommended. They seem like a good idea on paper, but the clips are bulky and the wires short. The conventional ones come in gold and rhodium. Mrs. Cardas recommends the rhodium.

Among the better manufacturers, the clips and how they are attached to the wire, and how they fit on the cartridge pins, are all more important than the wire itself IMO. The wire is really too short to make that much of a difference between types, but the connections (tightness, contact area, and cleanliness) are very important for good signal transfer.

Clearaudio makes a good phono cartridge connector.Michael Percy may be able to supply the VDHs.