I've thought for a while that my LT-30 sounded kind of "flat" and lifeless compared to the same cart in my Pioneer, and suspected it was the high capacitance of the internal signal wiring. Total capacitance from the headshell to the RCA plugs was 310pf, but the interconnects are only 67pf. So something inside was creating a lot of capacitance.
As you can see in this pic, the tonearm wire takes a circuitous route from the tonearm base to the interconnects. There's an extra 30" of shielded wire inside the table because of this.
Here's the signal wire after removing it:
I had an extra foot of Cardas tonearm wire, so I decided to rewire it with a more direct route from the tonearm base to the interconnects. I left the wiring inside the tonearm intact. Here's the Cardas wire after soldering to the muting board:
And here's the new wiring arrangement, with the signal wire exiting the tonearm base and going straight to the interconnects instead of being mixed in with that wad of wiring:
The result? A 213pf reduction in capacitance, for a total of only 97pf from end to end. The sound improvement was immediately noticeable -- brighter, airier, and more lively. I made sure the new wiring wasn't hanging up or rubbing as the transport moved back and forth before closing it up.
I'd be interested in hearing from other LT-30 owners who have access to a capacitance meter.
Now to spin some more vinyl
As you can see in this pic, the tonearm wire takes a circuitous route from the tonearm base to the interconnects. There's an extra 30" of shielded wire inside the table because of this.
Here's the signal wire after removing it:
I had an extra foot of Cardas tonearm wire, so I decided to rewire it with a more direct route from the tonearm base to the interconnects. I left the wiring inside the tonearm intact. Here's the Cardas wire after soldering to the muting board:
And here's the new wiring arrangement, with the signal wire exiting the tonearm base and going straight to the interconnects instead of being mixed in with that wad of wiring:
The result? A 213pf reduction in capacitance, for a total of only 97pf from end to end. The sound improvement was immediately noticeable -- brighter, airier, and more lively. I made sure the new wiring wasn't hanging up or rubbing as the transport moved back and forth before closing it up.
I'd be interested in hearing from other LT-30 owners who have access to a capacitance meter.
Now to spin some more vinyl
