VPI Tonearm Cable Double Shielded

The VPI Double Shielded Tonearm Cable

VPI's tonearm cable, available in more than one length, terminated in gold-plated RCA connectors and supplied with a separate ground wire. It is double shielded, and on a phono cable that is the specification that counts.

Everything a tonearm cable picks up gets amplified along with the music — a phono stage applies something like 40 dB of gain to whatever arrives, noise included. Quiet is not a refinement here; it is the entire job.

Design and Materials

Double Shielding and Feedback Rejection

VPI credits the double shielding, together with the cable's feedback rejection, for how quiet the Series 2 runs. Two shields rather than one give a second barrier at a different layer of the construction, catching what the first lets through.

Feedback rejection matters because a tonearm cable hangs off a turntable in the same room as the loudspeakers. A cable is a mechanical object as well as an electrical one, and it can carry vibration into the arm as readily as it carries signal out.

The Sleeve and the Ground

A soft mesh sleeve keeps the cable pliable, which matters a great deal on a cable hanging from a turntable. A stiff cable pushes against the plinth continuously, and on a suspended or lightly built deck that force has somewhere to go.

It terminates in gold-plated RCA connectors and includes a separate ground wire. Attach that ground before drawing any conclusion about noise — it is the commonest reason a new cable seems to have made things worse.

Choosing Length and Termination

The cable is offered in more than one length, terminated in gold-plated RCA at both ends with a separate ground wire supplied. There is no termination choice to make — it is RCA, so your turntable needs to present RCA sockets.

Measure the actual run behind the rack, corners included, and take the longer option where you fall between two. Slack behind a turntable costs nothing; tension on the plinth is a real mechanical load on a lightly built deck.

Who Is It Best For?

• You own a VPI turntable — this is the cable VPI builds for its own decks
• Your system hums — double shielding and a proper ground connection are the two things that address it
• Your turntable is lightly built — a soft mesh sleeve puts less force into the plinth
• You are replacing a bundled cable — the phono run is the one place noise gets amplified 40 dB
• You need a DIN termination — this cable is RCA at both ends; DIN options are in tonearm cables

How Does It Connect?

System off. Connect the arm end, then the phono stage, then the separate ground wire to the phono stage's ground post. Then leave it for VPI's recommended burn-in before deciding what you think of it.

Pairs Well With

What most VPI owners fit alongside.

• Phono cartridges — the source of the signal this cable carries
• Phono preamplifiers — where the cable ends up
• Tonearms — the other end of the connection
• Cartridge alignment tools — worth a check whenever the arm is disturbed

Frequently Asked Questions

Which length should I choose?

Measure the route behind the rack rather than the straight line, then round up. Tension on a phono cable acts directly on the turntable.

Does it need burning in?

VPI recommends about 30 hours before judging it. That is their guidance rather than ours, and it costs nothing to follow.

Does it include a ground wire?

Yes, separately. Connect it to the phono stage's ground post — a floating ground is the usual explanation for hum after any cable change.

What does double shielded mean here?

Two shield layers rather than one, at different points in the construction, so what the first misses the second catches.

Will it fit a non-VPI turntable?

It terminates in RCA at both ends, so it suits any turntable presenting RCA sockets at the arm end, whatever the make.

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