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Replace “Connect it E” cable from Project with something longer

yomexzo

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Feb 27, 2023
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I recently picked up the DC Carbon Esprit turntable made by Pro-ject Audio systems from Sonos. This turntable has a phono line / preamp switch.

Link here - https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/pro-ject-debut-carbon-esprit-turntable-walnut

The device comes with a RCA cable referred to as the "Connect it E" cable. It is described thus. "As the Connect it E cable is a parallel symmetrical cable the shield is only connected on one end. The yellow mark indicates this side. The marked side should always be connected to the receiving end (i.e. phono stage or amplifier)."

I have no idea what half of those words mean.

Link here - https://www.project-audio.com/en/product/connect-it-e/


I have an amplifier from Sonos that is about 40ft away from the turntable. As a result, the cable above does not work for me.

I am shopping for a replacement RCA cable and it is extremely overwhelming figuring out the right one. All I have figured out now is that the RCA definition refers only to the connection head/type. The wire/cable type can be different across tables. This is where things get confusing to me. Also, I don't understand why the ground wire exists and whether I'd be putting myself on the right path to damage my equipments if I purchase the wrong wires.

I found this RCA cable - https://www.primecables.ca/p-312834...lack-11-lengths-available-monoprice#sku312839

I guess the question is, is that RCA cable good / okay? Any educating information or reference on types of RCA cables, how ground wires work etc would be helpful as well.

I'm new to this world and would like to go 0 to 100 on this topic.
 

Zek

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Sonos that is about 40ft away from the turntable
That's a long length for a small-signal cable, and you can expect some interference problems.
I don't understand why the ground wire exists and whether I'd be putting
This is to avoid possible hum and is connected to the same terminal on the amplifier.

connectyourturntable-lowres.jpg
 

JeremyFife

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Some thoughts, possibly not all helpful;
1. Just try the long RCA cable, you never know. It's a long run though and you may get noise or interference.
2. Move the turntable close to the amp and use your pro-ject cable. Much better, but might not be possible for you. Really try to achieve this, it's the best option.
3. Use a Sonos Connect (or similar) near your turntable and link to the Amp wirelessly... it's what Sonos does. Might be tricky to ground, I'm not familiar with these. If you go for this option then get advice on that first.

Either way, you need your turntable set to 'line out'
 

dougi

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If you are going to use the long cable, it would likely be best to use the built-in preamp in the turntable and a regular lin-in (not the phono) on your amp. If not, the high capacitance of the long cable will likely strongly affect the treble performance of an mm cartridge used. As @JeremyFife implied, using line-out will also help with any hum or interference issues as well.
 

prateek

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Jan 7, 2021
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I recently picked up the DC Carbon Esprit turntable made by Pro-ject Audio systems from Sonos. This turntable has a phono line / preamp switch.

Link here - https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/pro-ject-debut-carbon-esprit-turntable-walnut

The device comes with a RCA cable referred to as the "Connect it E" cable. It is described thus. "As the Connect it E cable is a parallel symmetrical cable the shield is only connected on one end. The yellow mark indicates this side. The marked side should always be connected to the receiving end (i.e. phono stage or amplifier)."

I have no idea what half of those words mean.

Link here - https://www.project-audio.com/en/product/connect-it-e/


I have an amplifier from Sonos that is about 40ft away from the turntable. As a result, the cable above does not work for me.

I am shopping for a replacement RCA cable and it is extremely overwhelming figuring out the right one. All I have figured out now is that the RCA definition refers only to the connection head/type. The wire/cable type can be different across tables. This is where things get confusing to me. Also, I don't understand why the ground wire exists and whether I'd be putting myself on the right path to damage my equipments if I purchase the wrong wires.

I found this RCA cable - https://www.primecables.ca/p-312834...lack-11-lengths-available-monoprice#sku312839

I guess the question is, is that RCA cable good / okay? Any educating information or reference on types of RCA cables, how ground wires work etc would be helpful as well.

I'm new to this world and would like to go 0 to 100 on this topic.
Hello @yomexzo,

I have the exact same question. To what is the shield connected?
A wild guess, the shield and the -ve side of RCA are tied together at the yellow-marked end.
At the turntable side of cable, the shield is not connected to -ve side of RCA.

Basically, I'm trying to go from RCA to Balanced using this cable but I'm unsure what end to chop off and resolder the XLR male plugs.
My cartridge is balanced and the Technics 1200GR RCA socket and ground lug are not tied together. So a strong possibility of success.
If it's not a bother could you please find out with a basic multimeter the wiring scheme of this cable? Thank you.

Appreciate your time! :)
 

prateek

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Jan 7, 2021
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Hello @yomexzo,

I have the exact same question. To what is the shield connected?
A wild guess, the shield and the -ve side of RCA are tied together at the yellow-marked end.
At the turntable side of cable, the shield is not connected to -ve side of RCA.

Basically, I'm trying to go from RCA to Balanced using this cable but I'm unsure what end to chop off and resolder the XLR male plugs.
My cartridge is balanced and the Technics 1200GR RCA socket and ground lug are not tied together. So a strong possibility of success.
If it's not a bother could you please find out with a basic multimeter the wiring scheme of this cable? Thank you.

Appreciate your time! :)
Nevermind, I purchased it anyway. Thanks!
 
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