VPI Scout 1.1 distance from phono-pre

" I assume the scout has some kind of amplifier on the tonearm."

No. I think you may be confusing the block with the RCA terminals on it with some type of active device. Its just a clean way to terminate and mount the end of the tonearm cable.

If you're using a moving magnet or moving iron cartridge then you should keep the capacitance of the cable as low as possible. This is relatively easy with short lengths, but when you get beyond 4 feet or so it becomes harder. One reasonably-priced option is Blue Jean Cables' LC-1, at ~12pF/foot.

Thanks for the responses. I have a much better understanding now. I just finished setting up with some placeholder cables but will look into the BlueJeans and any others you recommend. Its my first time using vinyl in 25 years and my records are all 50's-70's latin and jazz and not really in great shape- not damaged, they actually look pretty good, but lots of crackling. I am not (yet) a collector of audiophile LP's and am most likely going to be living in the crackle/pop world when it comes to vinyl which I suppose I will have to get used to. I would like to know if anyone has particular success with any one cleaning machine for the older records. For now I will pick up the Spin clean until I can save for something that can really clean the LP's which I understand will be somewhat costly. My cartridge is a Orto 2M red which I figured would be good for these old records, but I'd like to look into the next step if anyone has any ideas The rest of the path is Primare R32 > Red Wine Audio Signature 57 > Tekton Enzo speakers. Thanks again for your help.

2M is typical and normal for a tonearm cable length.