Help! Buzzing interconnects on a 1210GR

[MrRadish]

I've been experimenting with different interconnects on my 1210GR, which has standard phono sockets on the back. So far the default Technics cable that came with the turntable and some old Cardas Golden Reference work fine, but both are rather dry and uninspiring. The GR might need the plugs cleaning as its been used in a lot of different places and the Technics might need some more burn in time, but neither is quite long enough for where I want to put the turntable anyway. I've therefore tried some Audioquest cables taken from elsewhere in my system (Tower, Big Sur and Mackenzie) and all of them hum/buzz when used with the turntable, but are silent when used on other components. The Tower and Mackenzie are both the right length and sound better than the standard cable, but the buzzing means I just can't use them.

I have the AQ earthing cable installed too and when I disconnect that the buzzing gets louder, as expected. The right channel buzzes louder than the left, but the left buzzes slightly too. I've tried two different integrated amps and a Rega phono stage, with the same results every time.

Can anyone think why the Audioquest cables buzz but the others don't? If I try a different cable is there anything (construction, design) that I should be avoiding for use with the Technics?

[chris@panteg]

I had some Audioquest ruby and quartz many years ago without any problems, don't know what the problem is, maybe the earth has somehow worked loose.

Try a pair of Mark Grant HDX1's, quite superb, lively and bold sounding with plenty of sparkle, give em a try.

[Bigman80]

I had some Audioquest ruby and quartz many years ago without any problems, don't know what the problem is, maybe the earth has somehow worked loose.

Try a pair of Mark Grant HDX1's, quite superb, lively and bold sounding with plenty of sparkle, give em a try.

The Mark Grant cables are likely to be the same construction technique adopted in the troublesome cables so that recommendation is a bit superfluous considering they work fine on the other components.

I've experienced this issue and the problem could be something as simple as the ground isn't making good contact. Try swapping the L+R cables over on each RCA socket and see if the buzz swaps channel. If it does, then there's an issue with the cable, if it doesn't, then you need to start looking at the connection the RCA plug is making with socket.

Give the outer connection (return/ground) a gentle squeeze with some pliers and make sure it's a tight fit onto the socket.

What Audioquest cables are they?

[MrRadish]

The Tower are a year or two old, but the Big Sur and Mackenzie are relatively new. They all seem to make a good contact and have solid plugs that I won't be able to massage with pliers. I do have some older Mark Grant G1000 as it happens but they're not long enough to experiment with.

From further Googling it seems the AQ may only have the shield connected at one end, whereas the others may have it connected at both ends. I'll contact Mark Grant and ask him how his shields are connected. If its different to the AQ cables then it might be worth a try.

[Bigman80]

The Tower are a year or two old, but the Big Sur and Mackenzie are relatively new. They all seem to make a good contact and have solid plugs that I won't be able to massage with pliers. I do have some older Mark Grant G1000 as it happens but they're not long enough to experiment with.

From further Googling it seems the AQ may only have the shield connected at one end, whereas the others may have it connected at both ends. I'll contact Mark Grant and ask him how his shields are connected. If its different to the AQ cables then it might be worth a try.

My guess is at construction. Mark will likely be able to make them to suit you.

[Stryder5]

I would have thought you could check the construction visually, depending on the type of RCA connectors. You could also test this with a multimeter.

The screen (if fitted) should be connected to the return on the plug, at the source end.

I experienced this type of issue with no screen connected either end. Connecting the screen at the source end and the problem disappeared.

CD and other sources seem seem immune to any cable configuration.

[MrRadish]

The Big Sur and Tower both use a common jacket, but the Mackenzie is more conventional. I think the relevant paragraphs are the ones below, but I have no idea what they mean in practice:

Asymmetrical Double-Balanced Geometry (Big Sur and Tower)
Purpose designed for single-ended applications, Asymmetrical Double-Balanced Geometry offers a relatively lower impedance on the ground for a richer, and more dynamic experience. While many single-ended cable designs use a single path for both the ground and the shield, Double-Balanced designs separate the two for cleaner, quieter performance.

Triple-Balanced Geometry (Separate Ground-Reference Conductor) (Mackenzie)
Our Triple-Balanced Geometry uses a separate ground-reference conductor, so the cable's shield is never used as an inferior conductor. Whether prepared with RCA or XLR plugs, the cable's three conductors ensure that the positive and negative signals have equally superior, low-distortion conducting paths.


Metal-Layer Noise-Dissipation System (Tower and Big Sur)
It's easy to accomplish 100% shield coverage. Preventing captured Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) from modulating the equipment's ground reference requires AQ's Noise-Dissipation System (NDS). Traditional shield systems typically absorb and then drain noise/RF energy to component ground, modulating and distorting the critical "reference" ground plane, which in turn causes a distortion of the signal. NDS "shields the shield," absorbing and reflecting most of this noise/RF energy before it reaches the layer attached to ground.

Carbon-Based 3-Layer Noise-Dissipation System (NDS) (Mackenzie)
It's easy to accomplish 100% shield coverage. Preventing captured Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) from modulating the equipment's ground reference requires AQ's Noise-Dissipation System (NDS). Traditional shield systems typically absorb and then drain noise/RF energy to component ground, modulating and distorting the critical "reference" ground plane, which in turn causes a distortion of the signal. NDS's alternating layers of metal and carbon-loaded synthetics "shield the shield," absorbing and reflecting most of this noise/RF energy before it reaches the layer attached to ground.


The plugs are cold welded and I don't want to break that, so I can't tell what's connected to what. AQ seem to be saying all the right things (it sounds good to me), but something isn't right on the turntable. For reference I gave the Cardas plugs a thorough clean and put the GR back in again, which now sounds very nice. Turning the volume up with the GR in place produces no buzz or hum whatsoever, just a soft hiss from the phono stage at high volume. I can't afford a longer set of those though.

[MrRadish]

Yes, but how do I identify a conventional cable? And would that be one with shielding connected at both ends, one end or neither end? That's really what I'm trying to figure out, just to avoid sending stuff back unnecessarily.

[walpurgis]

It's 'normal' to employ coax signal cable for turntable/tonearm leads. It's core and screen, no extra outer shielding. Both ends of each conductor obviously are connected, the core being positive (usually). There should be no hum/buzz due to the cable, unless you have it near a power transformer or A/C motor. Noise could indicate an earthing issue.

The construction of the cable you may want to be using should look rather like this (but not necessarly exactly the same).



There is no reason why you can't experiment with additional earth wires from the turntable and/or arm to the phono stage or amp.

[Bigman80]

It's 'normal' to employ coax signal cable for turntable/tonearm leads. It's core and screen, no extra outer shielding. Both ends of each conductor obviously are connected, the core being positive (usually). There should be no hum/buzz due to the cable, unless you have it near a power transformer or A/C motor. Noise could indicate an earthing issue.

The construction of the cable you may want to be using should look rather like this (but not necessarly exactly the same).



There is no reason why you can't experiment with additional earth wires from the turntable and/or arm to the phono stage or amp.

Yes, simple high quality coaxial cable will be fine. Something like RG316 is a coaxial.

There won't be a way to know other than asking the manufacturer.