You might have just swapped your phono cables. The table's aligned, the stylus clean, the cart familiar. Everything seems in place—but now the music feels a little closed in. Cymbals soften. The air's thinned. It’s not unpleasant—just… muted. The energy that once sparkled now hovers a bit lower.
You might be hearing what too much capacitance does to a moving magnet cartridge.
What to Do
Keep phono cable runs short—ideally under 1 meter. And make sure the cables are low-capacitance, under 100 pF per meter if you can swing it. Some brands list this. Many don’t. Be cautious with generic interconnects—just because it connects doesn’t mean it preserves. If your phono preamp has adjustable capacitance, don’t treat it as a set-it-and-forget-it spec. Use it as a tuning tool. Start with your cartridge’s published value, then adjust while listening. You’re not trying to boost the highs—you’re trying to open the window.
Here’s Why That Works
Moving magnet cartridges aren’t just signal sources—they’re part of an electrical circuit that resonates. The cartridge coil’s inductance interacts with the cable and input capacitance, forming a filter. Too much capacitance shifts the resonant peak down—often into the upper mids. You don’t lose detail—you lose balance. The shimmer softens. The transients dull. And if the numbers are too far off, the timing starts to blur too.
The right cable doesn’t brighten the top end—it lifts the veil from it.
When the capacitance is right, the music doesn’t sound sharper—it sounds freer. The highs extend. The cymbals shimmer. And the space breathes again.
