After addressing the tonearm issue, the next step was to use identical phono cables. My reference phono cable is the Luminous Audio Silver Reference DIN cable. I contacted Tim Stinson, the designer and owner of Luminous Audio Technology, to request a second Silver Reference DIN cable on loan. A week later, the second cable arrived. Thanks, Tim!
This phono cable has captivated me over the past year with its balance of dynamic expression and tonal evenhandedness. It has exceptionally low noise and a vanishing, grain-free top end. It also possesses an alluring "sweetness" in the upper frequencies, which is quite addicting. While $1299.00 is not cheap, its performance could easily jetson it into a higher price range. I am finding it difficult to knock off of my listening pedestal.
