Chord Company PhonoARAY turntable earthing system

The PhonoARAY is an advanced standalone filtering solution that allows turntable users to earth/ground their devices to the phono stage, or the phono input on amplifiers, providing maximum protection for the highly sensitive signal.

The PhonoARAY benefits from a hand-wound, ultra-high-current series filter joining both terminals, plus a complex proprietary ARAY system, connected in parallel, creating a double ‘virtual earth system’ for both the turntable and phono stage. This innovative combination shields the sensitive signals from external interference with great effectiveness, resulting in cleaner and more detailed sound reproduction.

The PhonoARAY connections are via two high-quality 4 mm speaker-style terminals, accepting 4 mm banana and spade connections. The PhonoARAY then connects the earth terminal of the turntable (or tonearm) to the earth terminal of the phono stage (or amplifier phono input) using a dedicated high-quality 50 cm screened earth cable (4 mm connector to spade connector).

It can be used in a variety of turntable configurations, including turntables with or without built-in phono stages. In systems with external phono stages, a second PhonoARAY can also be added, additionally connecting the phono stage earth to the amplifier earth.

The PhonoARAY benefits from a thick-walled enclosure machined from solid aluminium billet, providing excellent electrical and acoustic isolation. Additionally, resin filling within the enclosure further reduces microphony, while lightweight, decoupled isolation feet minimise vibrations.

With 40 years’ experience in minimising the impact of external interference in audio systems, Chord Company continues to lead the industry in signal protection, from its pioneering shielding technology in the late 1990s/early 2000s, to its proprietary GroundARAY and PowerARAY systems and PowerHAUS mains distribution blocks.

PhonoARAY key features

• Minimises electromagnetic interference affecting turntable performance
• Series and parallel operation maximises signal integrity
• Hand-wound, ultra-high-current series filter and proprietary ARAY system
• Double ‘virtual earth system’ for turntable and phono stage
• Supplied with a high-quality 50 cm screened earth cable
• Machined aluminium billet enclosure with resin filling
• Decoupled isolation feet