Helikon LOADING

Dear Neil: Thx for your approval about my post.

Btw, " should point out that cartridges are really current producing devices, but there are very few current amplifying phono preamps, " ,

well I don't know any out there. Our phonopreamp design is a CURRENT one.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear friends: The cartridge load impedadce is a subject of vital importance. It does not have to do nothing with what audio system we have, it is not matters what sound we like, it is not system dependent in any way and it is not a subjective choice.

The right cartridge load impedance is that where the cartridge frequency response is flat, period.
If you like it/or not that load impedance with the sound from the cartridge it is another subject that has nothing to do with the right/correct cartridge load impedance.
The load impedance is not an " equalizer ", the load impedance is an electrical characteristic inherent to cartridges, again, where its frequency responce is flat.
To say another thing/history/thinks/believes , is not valid.

I always ask directly to the manufacturer which is the right load impedance for their cartridges: I don't ask which one like them but which one is the correct impedance.

Examples, Van denhul told me that my Colibri must be running at 540 Ohms and Allaerts told me that my MC2 Finish at 845 Ohms, these impedance values are strictly the value where those cartridges perform flat.

If any one of you are running your cartridges way out of the correct manufacturer load impedance recomendation, then you really don't know how perform your cartridge: what you are hearing is only something near the real cartridge sound reproduction. Now, if with the right/correct cartridge load impedance you don't like the sound reproduction then you have to look around your system where could be a problem, where something is out of synergy but not change the cartridge load impedance hidding/cover with this the real problems all over your system. Be very carefull about.

Of course, you can use the load impedance that you want but that's does not means that is the right way.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Gmorris: This is only to clarify: when I speak about manufacturer load impedance recomennded I'm speaking not about the very wide impedance value range that usually comes on the manual I'm speaking that I ask directly to the manufacturer for his advice about, so that wide range scale it converts in a single value or a very short value range. Normally the load impedance that " see " the cartridge is: the one from the tonearm internal wires, the one from the tonearm interconnect cable and the input impedance of the phonopreamp that in a well phono stage design is the resistor at the input: the one that we can change it for modified the load impedance value.
These three impedance stages are the ones that we have to taje in count fo to have the right load impedance value where the frequency response is flat. There are others subjects about like what you say: " by stray impedances ", but those other subjects does not affect signify the frequency response. And yes we can go in deep about any time you want: welcomed!!!

" is not purely resistive, it contains a reactive component. ". Btw, is inductive and capacitive.

Regards and enjopy the music.
Raul.

Dear Sirspeedy: Before you can play the judge role we have to stay, all, on the same " road ".

One thing is what you like and other thing is what it be. I don't care what you like about ( this is another matter ), I care what it be and I'm talking what it be about.

Gmorris: pleare re-read my clarify post. Nothing more than that. My point of view is clear which yours? and remember this is not a contest it is only an opportunity to help to other people.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Jeff: You are right: the mechanical damping affect the frequency response too.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Gmorris: +++++ " the optimal loading value is indeed system dependent " +++++

Maybe there are something that I missed about because I still can't understand your statement.

For me, for a cartridge perform flat ( frequency response ), exist a precise load impedance that is not system dependent because we have to set it through a resistor change or through a variable resistor or through a impedance switch. What have we to take in count for we can have the right resistor value ( this one is the input impedance of the phonopreamp )?: the manufacturer load impedance value and the sum of the impedance of the tonearm internal wires with the impedance of the tonearm interconnect cable. These impedances sum has to be added to the resistor value for to find the precise resistor value for the cartridge can " see " the right load impedance value where it performs flat.
Sorry, I can't see your " system dependent ".

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.