Calculating total capacitance

Dialing up the cap values to 550 pf , to my ears , so far as it is a cop out(half way from 0 to max)is OK.

What I have found is that adding more gives more body but you loose the upper high details.

Too little and you hear too much surface noise and the music lacks the body, so I settled for right in the middle.

I really like the Steel head, it replaced a Sutherland PHD, which was also a decent phono stage with it's own good points,but different from this phono stage.

I'm really just a set it and forget it type of person the older I get, the less patience I have, hence the Rega set up.

Setting it by ear is fine,but so far, each lp requires a different tweek of the dials , what works on some lps doesn't sound as good on others.

This is not finding a fault with the unit, in fact it is a real plus.

I am wondering if other steelhead owners have experienced the same thing.
In other words, do you dial in different settings for different lps?

Thanks for the link, I'll go back and do some more dial tuning in the low pf range, although I felt when I did this before that the sound had too much sizzle in the upper range which elevated the groove noise.

I agree about power cords, my steelhead has a Shunyata Annaconda Helix into a Hydra 8 power conditioner on a 10 guage dedicated line, 30 amp breaker.

Also no cap is just too bright,still fidlling with cap settings.

One other thing I tried was running my Audio Aero Capitole cd player into the MC 2 input and activating the Line button.

I was expecting a compromised sound, but I think it's better than straight into my amp using the Capitole volume control.

The capacitance loading options on the Steelhead are almost like EQ controls.
If an LP sounds thin, bump up the pF, too fat, drop it down.

To some folks, and I counted myself as one, who don't like to fuss, this cap option is really a great feature.

There are some new favourite lps now that I can dial them in properly.

I never knew how tied down you are when you are at the mercy of fixed cap settings on phono stages.

The steelhead experience is something else.

I know I should replace the 6922(I have some Seimans gold pins lying around)but it sounds so good now I don't want to push my luck.

Thanks very much Atma Sphere,I really believe that what I am talking about is indeed the cartridge ringing.
When I up the cap value, the sound is more silent, almost digital quiet, but some of the "air" is missing.

I'll start to experiment with the resistance, and back down on the cap.

I tried backing off from 47 K and went to 200, but the sound just got very dull and volume level dropped.
I've set things at 150pf and so far so good.

I think I"ll take a break and just listen for awhile, get a good fix on this setting and then try some more settings.
I know my cartridge isn't High end, but it is a nice fit on my Rega 1000 arm, and I like the way it sounds,so in all likelyhood I am not utilizing the steelheads full potential.

Yes it was with a MM, and the 200 is the selection just 1 click before 47K.
As I stated, I like the settings that I am using now,47K, 150pf, which is a default setting that seems to work for me.
Thanks for all the help.