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SUT Interconnects

What cables have you tried between an MC SUT box and 47K MM phono stage? What was your favorite?

I’ve tried the AudioQuest upper-line "normal" ineterconnect cables (Sky, Fire) - great cables in other slots - but very colored coming out of a SUT. Not great performance. I assume that at 1.0m+ lengths, their capactitance is far too high for this application. I’ve tried 0.5m runs of Wind & Niagara (a bit lower in their "normal" IC line, slightly smaller guage wire and less shielding to boot) and got better results. However, my best results by far are with a 0.5m AQ WEL Signature LP phono cable (optimized for low capacitance phono applications). I’ve also tried the Bob’s Devices custom cables, 0.7m, both copper and solid silver versions - these have good performance (particularly the silver), but are more on the level of the 0.5m Niagara, still short of the WEL LP.

The problem I have is that the WEL LP is quite spendy, and I want a 2nd good SUT cable for a 2nd arm & SUT setup. Looking for more reasonably priced options. I’ve had excellent results with a Synergistic Research Foundation phono cable on a tonearm (DIN plug), and wonder how a short all-RCA run of it might do off a SUT (also interested in the Atmosphere X series). Any experience with SR or other cables off a SUT would be appreciated!

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Showing 3 responses by lewm

lewm
12,526 posts
 

Shielding adds capacitance. Cable geometry also affects capacitance. The 12AX7 tube, often used as the input voltage amplifier in tube MM stages has a high Miller capacitance that adds to cable capacitance. Transistors also add capacitance at the input.

lewm
12,526 posts
 

I would have assumed you want low capacitance all the way from the cartridge to the phono inputs. Now you’ve got me thinking.

audioguy85, can you say more about your 1:10 SUT that results in the cartridge seeing 100 ohms? Insofar as transformers have no intrinsic impedance (ideally) you would have to place a 10K resistance across the secondaries of a 1:10 SUT to achieve a 100 ohm load. Maybe that’s what you do. Just curious.

lewm
12,526 posts
 

Captive, low capacitance, short length leads are best, sometimes known as "flying leads", because the leads are directly soldered to the transformer secondaries inside the chassis of the SUT, at that one end. That way you at least eliminate an RCA jack and plug in the signal path and effectively minimize capacitance. But if you must traverse a distance of 3 ft or greater from cartridge to phono inputs, it would be preferable to have shortest possible (flying) leads on the cartridge to SUT side and make up the remaining distance on the SUT to phono inputs side.

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