@joenies , the phonograph cartridges starts out life as a "balanced" item, Plus, Minus and Ground. Why anyone would think strangling it with a Single Ended cable sounds better is beyond me. There are specific specifications for professional balanced equipment that many consumer electronics companies overlook. Your problem is going to be balanced termination on the tonearm cables. Anyone who is familiar with male XLR connectors can exchange the RCAs in a heartbeat. Pin 2 is plus, pin 3 is minus and pin 1 is ground which is usually left open as most tonearms have a separate ground wire.
@lewm , you always forget Channel D.