Why… there is an argument to say you should avoid interconnects with braided return because of potential capacitance compromises in some integrations… I would suggest try an assortment to test in your system… try each for a few hours, and give yourself an hours break between trying each.
In the limit I would start by matching metallurgy of speaker cable with interconnect.
For the record I prefer parallel strand copper interconnects with absolutely no coax or braided shielding for the most natural, non etched or non halo’d smear free detail… but I have a thing about smearing and find it particularly objectionable. others may have other pet hates, and prefer some fizz in their interconnects.
I have a Rega Isis and use the Rega interconnect and mains cable. Because I am a skinflint I haven’t considered other cables to my Naim amps. Presumably Rega designed the cd player using its own cables. Should the cables designed for the amps be more important than the cables designed for the source. I know Naim prefers din cables but would this necessarily improve a source designed with an RCA cable?
I believe so yes… the weakness in connections is the physical impact connection … at the very least DIN offers one less connection compared to a stereo phono pair… so that is a 25% improvement over the impact connection if nothing else.
Rega’s first Couple 1 interconnect were Klotz AC110 if memory serve.
Their mk2 and 3 seem more flexible, maybe a Mogami ?
I’ve tried many other interconnects with my Rega player into Naim amplication, I always come back to Couple.
I use Flashback interconnects into older Naim kit which haven’t RCA - I never use adapters.
To conclude above, expensive interconnects seem impressive at first, for me they are money wasted.
Because shielded cables are considerably better at rejecting common mode noise than unshielded ones. Cable dressing becomes less critical too. Also, when properly designed and executed, capacitance is not an issue.
They have no greater ability resist common mode currents, but they will transform interference into differential mode, which is more damaging, as the interference enters the signal where the return is the shield … common mode by definition is applied to all conductors and if hot and return it doesn’t enter the signal… Two parallel conductors will resist differential mode and tend to common mode such that the interference is not in the signal. A coax will tend always to be affected by differential mode interference on one of its conductors and not the other, if the return is the shield…
The attraction of coax is that’s it’s impedance is protected if closely bundled to other conductors or metal… the same is not true for twin conductors or twin line… so more care is required to route twin line than coax… other than that coax is often a step backwards and really beneficial only for convenience. If the parallel twin feed or twisted pair is surrounded by a separate shield that is not linked to the signal return, this can indeed be advantageous in electrically noisy environments, however you would need to use XLR, DIN or equivalent… RCA phono does not have enough connectors typically.
I always try and use twin feed where I can to maintain best signal integrity, and certain high end audio companies only produce twin feed interconnects or similar for this reason… but it is only practical over short distances, I use coax for long runs or where I need specific characteristic impedance for matching.
But to be fair in the limit we are talking extreme subtleties… but extreme subtleties can be the difference between hair tingling moments and not.
I am not referring to differential mode noise, you cannot have differential noise affecting cables unless conductors are apart from each other, which is virtually never the case in home audio. Differential mode noise normally comes from the equipment circuitry itself, meaning the shielding around the cable, whether coax or multiple feeds, is mostly irrelevant to it.
Nevertheless, the braided shielding on line level cables is effective in preventing airborne EMI/RFI (common mode noise) from reaching the main conductor(s). Cable dressing, which obsesses far too many audio enthusiasts, also becomes less critical when shileded cables are used. Impedance is not a factor in external noise rejection from a practical standpoint.
Apart from you can only have differential interference affect coaxial cables where the return is the shield by definition, which is why with coax balanced conductors with a separate ground are popular in high end… I think it’s quite common the misunderstanding of what coax cables do, possibly perpetuated by cheap sales marketing materials targeted at certain markets and unfortunately some more mass market hifi magazines …… to be fair it was probably my RF engineering training and studies that brought a lot of this to light for me many years back and later a fascinating set of discussions with Mr Morecroft that brought the context to domestic audio and hifi.
But at the end of the it’s the application of the science that gives my greatest benefit… natural, nuanced, smear free signals from my interconnects… but if I look at adverts of so called high end cables… they so often appear coaxial… as opposed to the high end cables without loads of marketing dollars which tend to be twin line or parallel conductors.
It’s ironic… watching Super Size Me right now… and it’s not too hard to see some similarities…
Yes, I use it sparingly, right now I have one connected to my phono stage with Linn Silver interconnects and the sound is virtually indistinguishable to my regular Witch Hat Morgana.
You might not hear it in your system, but it will be degrading the signal slightly compared to direct DIN to phono connections, as you are introducing 4 new contact connections. The contact connection is the Achilles heal in small signal interconnect connections. This is one of the main benefits of using DIN over phono for a stereo pair connection… there is a 25% increase in contact performance as you are moving from 8 to 6 contact connections.
An adapter is great to get you going, but not really a great substitute for a long term direct connection.
In audio there are compromises everywhere, if they cannot be heard then it simply doesn’t matter, at least for those of us who don’t live in a world of theory.
Totally agree, I don’t like theories that can’t be evidenced either … but of course just because you don’t notice it it doesn’t mean it is not the case -
