Phono cable advice.

sorry to chime in here, but invictus, I don't think you can make a blanket statement like this.  I am using Steger Silver Solids on my TT.  They are unshielded, and I have no problems whatsoever with noise.  My rig is dead quiet.

One should never speak in absolutes.  :-)

@chakster, thanks for the sage advice!  Going forward, I will avoid touching or holding my cables while listening to music.

FWIW, to answer your condescending question, I use LOMC.  An Audio Technica ART9, to be exact.  Not exactly junk.  Neither is my Chinook, nor my Primaluna Dialogue HP.

In my case, I would need a tuner to hear the radio... my cables don't receive FM broadcasts, as you so arrogantly insist they do.  Several people here, including industry experts are saying phono cables don't need to be shielded in most (not all) cases.  Why do you continue to argue your point, while seemingly putting me down?

@invictus005 Thank you for pointing out my lack of intelligence... as well as that of Atmasphere.   And further, thanks for citing all that wonderful expertise you have, facts to back up your opinion and your personal experience that backs up your point.

No intelligent person insults someone of whom they know nothing.

In fact, maybe you are right.  I'm pretty stupid to let myself be dragged into the fray with people like you.

chakster1,919 posts10-16-2018 3:53pmPhono cable must be shielded, good cables have low capacitance anyway, so we don't have to worry about it.

With unshielded cables anyone can listen to a radio in the speakers, it's a free bonus of unshielded cables, i don't think this is what we need. 

I hear you Chakster.  Then again, I think the most learned and intelligent person here is Atmasphere.  If he speaks in definitive terms, I believe him.  And he said:  

atmasphere6,625 posts10-16-2018 3:08pmThe reason you can make an unshielded cable work in a phono situation is that the cartridge is a pretty low impedance. Its hard for radiated noise to impinge the cable when such a low source impedance is present.
A further advantage is that unshielded cables have lower capacitance per foot, which is really helpful when dealing with the resonance that develops due to the cartridge inductance and the cable capacitance. 

If Atmasphere says not to worry about it, I'm going to heed his advice and worry about something else.  And, BTW, in my own experience, I am using unshielded silver cables, and they sound fantastic between my vintage TT and Manley Chinook.  I don't hear the local radio station because I don't have a tuner.

Therefore, it's not a fact that a phono cable MUST be shielded.  There may be specific situations where a shielded cable works better, but it isn't an absolute, and in fact may work better if NOT shielded for most situations.  IMO, and based on advice from Atmasphere.

not biting, mr. troll.

I will simply quote a trusted expert for an example, Chakster.

atmasphere6,625 posts10-16-2018 3:08pm


A further advantage is that unshielded cables have lower capacitance per foot, which is really helpful when dealing with the resonance that develops due to the cartridge inductance and the cable capacitance.

So, the disadvantage would be the converse of what he says. Potentially higher capacitance, for example.

However, you miss my point. My point was that you and Invictus are making these blanket statements as if they are facts, and absolutes. Nobody is "unintelligent" for using something that works. There are NO absolutes in this hobby. You are misdirecting the OP by providing your opinion as if it is fact. It may be fact in SOME situations... but not in others.

And, the fact that it works for me isn't any kind of miracle.  As stated by Atmasphere and others in this thread, there are some situations where a shielded phono cable is not as good as an unshielded one.