new phono stage coming / plinius koru / interconnect ?

I have had a Plinius 9200 integrated amp for a few years. I've always been curious how much better a separate phono stage could be..... so, I found a decent deal on a Plinius Koru locally.

Interconnects: there isn't a special interconnect I should use, right? A good quality RCA cable will work, meaning there isn't ideal phono stage interconnects?

I have a short (.5m) Siltech set I will likely use initially.

And ideally, how much space do I keep between the integrated and the phono stage? Bad idea to stack them?

Thanks for any tips. Excited to hear it.

 

First, congrats on the upgrade. Hopefully, you'll find it surpasses your integrated amp's phono preamp section enough to satisfy the upgrade bug for a few years. Don't be afraid to resell it for something else if it doesn't knock your socks off. A dedicated phono preamp should sound head & shoulders above what you currently have for it to be worth it.

With that out of the way, yes, you do need a special RCA cable ; a phono cable. They usually are shielded and are tailor made to accommodate the attributes of a phono signal. A regular RCA might or might not do the job OK but if you use a dedicated phono cable from a reputable brand, you should hear a pronounced positive difference in the end result.

As for stacking, as long as there's enough space between them for appropriate airflow, it shouldn't be a problem on that front. However, be aware that some components might not be entirely properly shielded and might hum if they are close together, even when using a dedicated shielded phono cable. In such a case, separating the two will usually fix the problem. And in some cases, it can be a grounding problem. I had a phono preamp which hummed regardless of what I tried so in the end, I used a cheater plug (3-to-2 prong plug) to lift the ground which fixed the issue. Keep that in mind if you encounter this problem.

Happy listening!