Extending turntable connections

[mix4fix]

When extending turntable connections (rca's, ground wire) is there any tricks in doing so?

I am not altering the cabling. I am just using rca couplers and a terminal strip to extend the it due to the location of turntable and phono preamp.

[Roscoe Primrose]

No tricks, but this is the worst place in the entire system to make the cables longer…. If there’s any way you can put the phono preamp close to the table, and run the long cables from the preamp to the line stage, you’ll be a lot better off….

Last edited by Roscoe Primrose on April 4th, 2023, 12:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Typo...

[SoundMods]

No tricks, but this is the worst place in the entire system to make the cables longer…. If there’s any way you can put the phono preamp close to the table, and run the long cables from there preamp to the line stage, you’ll be a lot better off….

I strongly endorse Rosco's comment. Even with my vinyl playback system that is balanced line (XLR) -- the shorter the better.

Attachments

[mix4fix]

No tricks, but this is the worst place in the entire system to make the cables longer…. If there’s any way you can put the phono preamp close to the table, and run the long cables from the preamp to the line stage, you’ll be a lot better off….

Is it just a matter of not sounding as good, or sounding terrible? I am not expecting it to sound high end.

In order to have a turntable at the computer desk, it needs to sit on a side table. The phono preamp is a Furutech ADL GT40. It has also taken over computer headphone duty via USB. Most everything else sits on the computer desk top ledge. I need the top of the desk to have a laptop be setup when I need it.

[Grover Gardner]

No tricks, but this is the worst place in the entire system to make the cables longer…. If there’s any way you can put the phono preamp close to the table, and run the long cables from the preamp to the line stage, you’ll be a lot better off….

Is it just a matter of not sounding as good, or sounding terrible? I am not expecting it to sound high end.

In order to have a turntable at the computer desk, it needs to sit on a side table. The phono preamp is a Furutech ADL GT40. It has also taken over computer headphone duty via USB. Most everything else sits on the computer desk top ledge. I need the top of the desk to have a laptop be setup when I need it.

In this case the lossess will probably not be very noticeable. In a very high-end vinyl setup, long cables are a no-no.

[mix4fix]

Needle is broken. Anybody have a phono cartridge laying around?

[David McGown]

https://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGAT95C.html

[mix4fix]

https://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=OROM5E

How about this?

[David McGown]

I was just suggesting the cheapest cartridge that would get you back in business. I cannot advise if the Ortofon 5E is better (probably is), or if the spending a similar amount for an Audio Technica VM-95E would be better. The latter is often used as the premounted cartridge on low price audiophile turntable packages, is well regarded by reviewers as a value, and can be upgraded to higher performance styli.

https://www.lpgear.com/product/ATVM95E.html

[HAL]

An idea.
If you do extend the cable and can use two balanced mic cables like Mogami or other with a MM cartridge, also check the cable capacitance per foot to make sure the cartridge loading is not more than the recommended spec. Just as an example a Shure cartridge wanted a 47K Ohm with 250pF capacitance load for flattest response. Balanced mic cables usually has low capacitance per foot since some mics are dynamic style floating coils (i.e. Shure SM57) like a MM cartridge output. Just tie the shields separately to use as the chassis ground and leave the two other conductors to wire the cartridge 4 pins.