Phono interconnect under $500 used

Stevecham, FWIW, in the OP the cable in question is Mogami 2549, which is a balanced cable. It is therefore not that unreasonable to assume that it is being used in that application. So I addressed the issue of balanced line operation with respect to a phono cartridge.

If the cable was being used single-ended, then it would be subject to a number of issues and thus I would expect that some of them might be audible. However the only clue we were given is the type of cable. Pani has not responded yet; maybe we might get some clarification on that.

Ah, thank you for pointing that detail out, I should have researched the Mogami model and realized the application.

Thanks for a an elaborate discussion on this subject. I just use the Mogami cable in an RCA-RCA format. Am I using it in a balanced way ? There is no XLR connection anywhere in the chain.

Hi Pani, if that is the case then your are subject to issues of cable construction as the circuit is putting signal current through the shield.

This simple fact causes many audiophiles to go on the hunt for the holy grail of audio cables. That is what keeps the high end audio cable business one of the most profitable sectors in the high end audio industry.

Do you say that the cable from tonearm to phonostage should be terminated with XLR connectors and the phonostage should be a balanced one ?