Man this is frustrating

I tried many interconnects up to $400/pair and the best ones for turntable to phono stage connection are Valab solid core silver interconnects sold on eBay at around $100/pair, assuming you are using an MC cartridge.  They are superbly shielded and dead quiet, while at the same very vibrant-sounding.

Many vibrant silver cables are energetic yet lack solid bass foundation. Never mind BJ and AQ. You will do far better to contact Jason Terpstra for some giant killer Virtue Audio Nirvana cables.  I am using them side by side with the likes of Sablon, Transparent Ultra, and Stealth Varadig on Goldmund and latest bel canto electronics and Mark and Daniel and Jas Orsa and REL speakers. Once broken-in they are open, balanced, dynamic, extended and clear as a bell. Had I known sooner, I could have saved a LOT of money. 

gyne,

Phono cables only see a minute signal in normal use so never open up unless they are seasoned with a higher signal. I had one of those Duo-Tech things years ago. I can't remember if it was any good or not.

If you want to do it right, pay a cable manufacturer with a Audiokarma Cable Cooker to cook your phono ICs for a few days and then follow it up with playing them from a CD player or tuner set on static continuously for a week or so. If you are not willing to send them off, use your Duo-Tech and then do the CD player/tuner  thing for a week.

It will still take a while playing LPs even after that for them to fully settle.

Dave 

Here's the recipe I use: 
http://www.image99.net/blog/files/4127b5fe2694586e383104364360373b-74.html

Instead of the teflon tubing in the recipe, I used a foamed Teflon tube from vh audio. It's a very interesting and ideal material. I think I have pics of my Interconnects in my system page for reference. The soldering isn't very difficult; the wires and surfaces are tiny, so you can't help but make a clean joint. There's no room for a mess!

My go-to source for interconnects & power cables is Signal Cable. Their prices are more than reasonable; built-quality & sound of cables more than satisfactory; and the guy who owns the place is tops in customer service.

Here's a link to interconnects: http://signalcable.com/analog_interconnects.html

I have 4-5 prs of Analog 2 interconnects (~1/2 of my desktop system is cabled w/them). 

IMHO Signal Cable is a "safe haven" for those who tire of the pricey and at times, arrogant feel of the "cable wars" in high end audio.