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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

Showing 1 response by nsgarch

nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
The original reason for shorting plugs wasn't RFI but because many early preamps would make a popping sound as you rotated the selector swith past unused inputs. I haven't had (heard) that problem for a long time, but I use shorting Camacs in my Levinson 26s pre anyway, because it reduces my OCD ;--)
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