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Covers on unused RCA inputs?

Years ago, I vaguely remember being advised to put little plastic covers on the unused RCA inputs on the back on my preamp. These plastic plugs had a piece of metal that connected the two poles of the RCA input. The theory was, by bridging the two sides of the RCA input, ambient RFI and static electricity were blocked from entering the preamp, resulting in a lower noise floor.

Of course, these plugs could only be used on RCA inputs, not outputs, as this would short circuit and possibly damage the preamp.

Has anyone heard of these gadgets? Does anyone use them currently? Thank you.
javachip
bdgregory
1,710 posts
 
I had a RFI problem with my preamp I needed to tame, and after coming across a similar thread as this I set out to find come caps. The cardas caps are pricey and I didn't want to spend the dough without knowing they would solve my problem. I decided to make my own.

DIY Shorting Caps:
I have a drawer full of cheapy RCA cables that accumulated over the years (you know - the ones that come packaged with consumer gear), so I chopped off the cable from the RCA connectors, leaving only about 1/2" pigtail on the RCAs. I stripped the insulation off and twisted the ground shield and postive wires together(knotted them up so they're secure). Voila! Free shorting plug. As for the results, I found they did help - much quieter, though they look like hell - good thing they're not visible.

I also found these on ebay:
RCA Caps which I purchased. I just received them but haven't swapped them out for my DIY models yet. These are like the Cardas caps - they don't short out the inputs, only cover them.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
I use them on my unused phono input (no turntable presently) to ensure I don't accidentally plug a line level device in there.
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,354 posts
 
I used Cardas RCA caps and there are no audible effects. Scratches on the input rca jacks, but less dust, is about all these things were able to achieve in my system.

And what is it with the bleeding of signal from other sources? I've seen so many preamps having this issue. Is this a common preamplifier design flaw? Is this an indication of something going wrong?
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Audphile1...The good old fashoned rotary selector switch used to have a "deck" the function of which was to short out all the inputs except the one selected. We no longer see rotary selector switches, and the solid state circuitry common today runs at much lower impedance than old tube circuitry and is less susceptable to bleed through. So, preamp designers don't bother with shorting the unused inputs. I guess you could call it "a common preamplifier design flaw". Gone, like tone controls and Loudness compensation.
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