RCA End Caps

These are leader items, are almost loss leader items.

I suggest you go down you your local machine shop with a block of nickel and brass.
Ask them to CNC machine it into an RCA cover.
Let us know what they charge.
I assure you it won't be $3 for one, or even $3 each for a 1,000.
These CNC machined blocks of a nickel and brass mixture are a bargain.
If you are judging these by their size than I suggest you check out what diamonds are going for.
You will be shocked....

These are a bargain. CNC machined nickel and brass or plastic for about he same price?
Not a tough choice.

How well do they work? Depends on how much of a problem you had in your systems environment in the first place. Keeping the dust off of, and out of, unused RCAs alone justifies their cost
(plus they look good).

BTW, these items are also made in the U.S.A.
Brian

PS the XLR caps are also out.

After experimenting with shorting caps on preamp inputs, my conclusion was that the plastic dust covers already provided with Accuphase products do just as well (in other words there were no perceived sonic differences using a metallic composition cap at least in my experience). These plastic Accuphase dust caps may be available separately from one of their dealers such as Audio Unlimited in Colorado

I got some from Virtual Mode (http://www.virmode.com/ -- but note that their web site doesn't list all the accessories) for $2 or $2.50, I think; definitely not $3. They sell different ones for analog and digital outlets.

If you do a search for *SHORT OUT PLUGS* You will find a thread I started awhile back that will teach you how to make your own using parts from Radio Shack. I must have made 30 or so for about a buck a piece. Better check your manuals before you start randomly plugging them in. My Theta gear recommended them for unused inputs only (NO OUTPUTS) I would recommend just using dust caps for the outputs, which you could probably make yourself just eliminate the shortout and soldering step. Good luck

These caps do nothing but they look nice -- if you walk around your stand to look at them. A sheet of Mumetal does a lot more to block EMI or RFI than these caps.