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RE: Why does RCA shield connection affect sound?

52.119.121.37

6bq5

In Reply to: RE: Why does RCA shield connection affect sound? posted by mcguirek on July 18, 2023 at 12:59:37

The point of the shield in the RCA / 75 Ohm format is to protect / isolate low level signals from RFI and spurious noise - such as a 60Hz hum from another device - such as a TT motor, or CD player

lifting the shield at one end can provide a different sound, but it leaves the ground signal discontinuous. (Music is AC, and really needs a 2 wire interconnect) I realize that you have a 'single wire for the return' so you do have both wires -
Yes, there can be capacitance between the center and return/shield, which can be increased but not terminating at both ends-

you are also living in an area where the ambient RFI is low - so it works
That type of wire would not work for me - I'm in line-o-sight to Sutro Tower - the propogation point for most of the FM in SF...(I added ferrite to my phono section 30 years ago to address the preamp issues...
Happy Listening

Follow Ups:

RE: Why does RCA shield connection affect sound? - mcguirek 04:16:00 07/19/23 (1)
Thank you for your reply. As you mention I am relatively free of RFI so less shielded cables are a possibility. Though perhaps I should not rejoice so soon as they've been building quite a few new cell towers in the area over the past couple of years.

What surprised me with this cable (versus others that I've used) was that there was a noticeable change in the sound when I switched them around. With the connected shield end plugged into the Step Up Transformer I thought the energy of the high frequencies (revealed as a small bit of sibilance) was slightly reduced. I know the signal levels at the SUT are tiny and my turntable is grounded to the SUT so I wondered if the cable shield might influence those signals (I am far from being an expert at physics, audio or the like).
- RE: Why does RCA shield connection affect sound? - 6bq5 20:57:06 07/19/23 (0)
  Given that the signal from a Phono source (before or after the SUT) is so low, it does not take much to affect the signal - especially after you add 55+ dB of gain ....
  Happy Listening

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