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Can anybody define LOW OUTPUT...?

Hi. I'm currently pursuing the insanity of trying to decide on and purchase a really, really good used low output MC (only because it seems - in theory at least - that there's more detail to be had there). At any rate, my phono stage was designed for a Linn Troika cartridge (low output - 100µV - that was a MU - in case you don't have a mac also!) - yet I've been looking at some van den Hul low-output MCs that are something like 5-6 TIMES higher output than this - I'd imagine that would put the vdH at LEAST in the MEDIUM output camp. Am I missing something here? Can anyone APPROXIMATELY delimit (spell out for me) the boundaries of what is commonly considered low, medium and high output?

Thanks much.
Jonathan
letranger

Showing 1 response by metralla

metralla
945 posts
 
If that phono stage is really designed for the Linn Troika then it should be presenting a load of 560 Ohms and has maybe 70 dB of gain. You are right that this is more gain than many moving coils need, but it's hard to guess without knowing the component specifications a little better whether this will overload the complete chain (phono-line-amp-speakers-room) when driven by a cartridge with 5 times the output.

Even if not overloading the system, you may not be in a very sweet spot on the volume control - too much volume at very low settings.

There are a few moving coil cartridges that also have a very low output like the Troika, although I can't think of them off hand. What about a Troika?

Can you try the cartridge you are considering before you commit?

Regards,
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