Benz Micro Glider Loading

You have a "Medium" output Glider at 0.9mV and 24 ohm coils. Folks running a Glider below 200 ohms typically have the "Low" output version, at 0.3 - 0.4mV depending on series (e.g. L2 versus current SL) and 12 ohm coils. Therefore there are different loading requirements between "Low" and "Medium" (and "High") versions. (Note: the L / M / H versions may have been introduced in later series succeeding the original Glider -- the Glider goes way back!)

I have a "Medium" Wood SM, which is basically the same as a medium Glider in a wood body, and in my system it seems to like ~ 470 ohms best. But it’s still excellent at 220 or 1K. Below 200 ohms, you will start sacrificing some of its performance (due to loading losses), though it’s subtle at first. BUT if you like 1K in your system with your ears, then it would be wise to choose a phono stage which can achieve that (or thereabouts).

Some MC phono stages will lock the loading at 100 ohms. Yeah, I find that extremely annoying and limiting. It will be fine for a Glider L but a bit suboptimal for a Glider M, and very bad for a Glider H! The Benz PP-1 phono stage (sadly discontinued) is locked on the other side, at 22,000 ohms, but works great with all Benz (except the Ebony TR) and in that case it’s easy to bring the loading down to whatever you like with a DB Systems loading kit (which I’ve done). However if a phono stage only offer 100 ohms, unfortunately you cannot bring it up from that without internally modifying the unit or getting a different phono stage.

I can suggest:
The Hagerman Trumpet MC is very flexible, easy to adjust in gain & loading with front knobs, sounds great, and doesn’t cost much. Its main limitation is lack of adjustable capacitive loading for MM. It has a warm sound that goes GREAT with Benz cartridges. Due to a bit of noise floor, it’s best with the 0.4mV and higher models.

The Benz PP-1 (discontinued but available used) has a fixed 22K input load that can be used with splitters and loading plugs (e.g. the DB Systems Loading Kit) to hit any target load without internal modification (this loading plug technique can be used with any non-SUT based MC phono stage with a sufficiently high input impedance). The PP-1 is not as warm as the Hagerman, but only just. And it’s a bit quieter. For a Solid State unit, it’s quite warm and sweet! Unfortunately, it’s MC only. It’s a PERFECT match for the 0.4mV models. It still works great with the medium output models like your Glider, but I find the Hagerman a bit more optimal at that level. I.e. I find the Benz Wood SM (0.9mV) better on the Trumpet MC, but the Wood L2 (0.4mV) is better on the PP-1.

The Rogue Ares Magnum and Herron VTPH-2A are also good options (Herron uses loading plugs, Ares uses DIP switches for loading), but I find them tonally brighter / leaner versus the above options. My preference is usually with the sweeter stages.

MC stages with a SUT front end are generally not going to be very flexible with loading (Rogue Ares being an exception to this), as their loading is usually dictated by 47K ohms divided by the square of the step-up ratio.