Helikon LOADING

I am using a load of 100 ohms with excellent results. The tonal balance is rich and smooth without compromising the speed of transients and bass articulation.

The actual load is perference as well as system dependent. You should experiment with various load values.

Raul:

I think your point that the load recommend by the manufacture is a fixed value, which is independent of the “system”, is indeed an oversimplification of the intent of the recommendation and cannot be sustained by any reasonable technical analysis. I agree with Nsgarch that the recommended load is simply a “ball park” figure. Ultimately one needs to experiment to determine the optimal load value for the particular “system”.

The load is “system” dependent. The impedance of a MC cartridge is not purely resistive, it contains a reactive component. The system in which the cartridge is used will impact the transfer function of the cartridge (flat frequency response, etc). The “system” here includes tone arm, turntable, phono interconnect cable and the input characteristics of the phono preamp, etc. For example, the cartridge impedance may be impacted by stray impedances due to the presence of external interferences, the interconnect has nonzero impedance and the input impedance of the phono section is not infinite thus it impacts the value of the loading impedance. In summary, one needs to experiment, using the recommended load as a guide, to determine the load value that gives the best-perceived flat response.

If you wish I can go into more technical depth.

Raul:

Z = R + iX

I refer to the non resistive part as reactive (reactance)
You can have capacitive reactance and inductive reactance.

So what is your point?

Jeff Jones:

The complex impedance is given by:

Z = R +iX.

Your formula for the real impedance (amplitude, etc) is incorrect. The amplitude is given by the square root of the complex conjugate product, ie:

|Z|**2 = ZZ* = R**2 + X**2

** denotes exponent, and Z* is the complex conjugate of Z

Raul:

I was not trying to be dismissive of your opinions. My response was to demonstate that contrary to what you stated (as being definitive and the only correct position) the optimal loading value is indeed system dependent. The recommended manufacturer value is only a guide or baseline.