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Tonearm cable = RCA Phono cable?

D

dinaudio

New Member
Here, the tonearm cable refers to the cable that connects the tonearm and the phono preamp.
The RCA Phono cable refers to the cable that connects the phono preamp to preamp.

Usually tonearm cables come with 5 pin DIN or something other than RCA termination on one side that connects to the tonearm. But some turntable comes with RCA connections. Then you need two RCA cables: one from the turntable to phono preamp with a ground cable and another from the phono preamp to preamp.
If that's the case, do you use the same kind of interconnect cables? Or, do you use different kinds -- a tonearm cable from the turntable to the phono preamp, and an RCA phono cable from the phono preamp to the preamp? For the latter case, what makes tonearm cables with RCA terminations on both sides different from RCA phono cable?
 
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There can be differences but don't need to be.

I would want a captive ground wire on the RCA--RCA phono cable to make it convenient to use between the phono and the preamp, whether it be the phono pre or the main pre phono input.

One would want a low capacitance phono cable to use with the turntable no matter where it plugs in. This would need to be chosen based on the capacitance needed for the cartridge to sound its best and the capacitance in the turntable. If this cable is close to the phono input on the pre or the phono amp a short cable can help keep the capacitance low. This would allow adding the correct capacitance as needed by external means.

The cable from the phono amp to the preamp can have a wider range of electrical characteristics without affecting the sound quality of the system.
 
A little bit confused on your wording, so I'll try to clarify, and help.

Yes, as you have mentioned, "Phono Cables", the ones that will go direct from a Turntable to a Receiver, PreAmp, or a Phono Stage can come in either DIN-RCA, or RCA-RCA Termination.

Although some use whatever they have on hand, and sometimes such works just fine, usually a dedicated "Phono Cable" will or should have better Shielding.

From a Phono Stage to a PreAmp, then it is permissible and just fine to use a standard RCA-RCA Interconnect Cable of whatever length you choose.
 
Thanks for your reply.
Yes, I understand my wording is a bit confusing. Well, because I was confused. Now I understand.

It appears to me that people equate Tonearm cable = Phono cable (or sometimes turntable cable).
Tonearm cables come with RCA or DIN termination (or some other proprietary termination). However, when people use the term Phono cable, it appears referring to RCA Phono cable which has RCA termination on both sides. I should not call the cables for phono preamp-->preamp as RCA phono cable. As indicated, any regular ICs can be used for phono pre-->preamp. Good to know. (Somehow I've been using RCA phono cable for phono preamp-->preamp.)
 
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Yes, Cables that are used let's say from a CD Player, a Tape deck, a FM Tuner, or from PreAmplifier to Main Amplifier, or from a "Phono Stage PreAmp" to a PreAmp are more properly called and referred to as "Interconnects", or IC's for short.

"Phono Cable" should be a specific term and description of a specific Cable used from a Turntable.
There are some Turntables that require RCA-RCA Plugs at both ends of the Cable, VPI Turntables is one such brand which has a RCA Junction Box at the Tonearm.

And as well, many vintage Turntables-Phonographs (Pioneer-JVC-Kenwood-Marantz-Sansui-etc-etc) used RCA-RCA "Phono Cables", although there were some that were permanently hardwired from the Turntable as well.

As perhaps mentioned in a previous post by another Poster, very common that such Cables will have an associated Ground Wire incorporated as well with the Cable also.

Phono-Tonearm Cables are generally kept fairly short, at 1m to 1.5m length, many are usually 1.2m in length.
The signal coming from a Phono Cartridge is very low in voltage, usually maximum is about a .5V.

Thus for best performance quality, length, shielding, and has been mentioned capacitance are all important qualities of a good cable.

The Phono Cable is one crucial area in a audio system that can be prone to picking up some bad nasties, such as radio stations (RFI) which is Radio Frequency Interference, or (EMI), Electo-Magnetic Interference.

Again, hope this helps.
 
I can remember back in the day in Chicago (1973-1974), and bought a new Pioneer Turntable.
I hooked it up with the supplied cheapo Cord (RCA-RCA), this Cord must've cost an entire 25 cents to make, real junk.
About the equivalent of what you got with a cheapo $39 VCR from Walmart.

And yep, I'm picking up a local Mexican Radio Station, wonderful, "Bada Bing, Bada Bang, Bada Boom"! LOL

I think I went out at the time, and bought a $12 Phono Cable at Rat Shack, slightly better, and stopped that monkey crap! LOL
 
Of course there's another cable I believe, which is often referred to as a "Phone Cable", and that's a Cable that one uses to plug in an Electric Guitar, or Bass to an Amplifier or Board-Pedal.

Uses a 1/4" "Phone Plug", probably got the name cause it was similar if not the same as the old wires that a long past Telephone Switchboard Operator used.

Yeah, Radio Interference and picking up crud through the air is a real funny thing. My buddy Jay had that problem in his house once, and he could not get rid of it no matter what he tried, even bringing the equipment to techs and having them install Caps in the circuitry,

What he was getting wasn't radio stations though, but was doctor calls. And you could hear it as clear as day! He'd be transferring LPs to Reel to Reel Tape back in the day, and was almost impossible to avoid.

"Bee-Doo, Bee-Doo, Bee-Doo, Dr. Jones, call 385", two-three times, and similar stuff like that. Maybe it was Pagers he was picking up?

He got so pissed one day, caught a major "Bummer", and in a fit of temper, he picked up a very nice Sony Reel Deck with 7" Reels, and threw it right at his Bedroom Wall! LOL There was a square hole in the plaster wall the size of the Deck, like the Deck was "Built-In!" LOL
 
Agree with some of the above comments.
The phono cable (from the turntable to phono preamp), can be RCA-RCA or DIN-RCA, etc. It should be low capacitance, and shielded. This makes phono cables more expensive than regular RCA-RCA interconnects (which can be high or low capacitance, it doesn't really matter for their use).

And there is sometimes a ground cable from turntable to amplifier. This is sometimes grouped with the Phono cable, at other times it's another cable. If you have a hum (and if you do it will be very noticeable), sometimes using this lead will remove the hum. If you don't have the hum and use the ground cable, it will create the hum! This cable does not carry any audio signals, so it can be any cheap insulated wire - expensive wire or cheap wire will work exactly the same for this purpose, in any system.
 
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