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Is there an ideal (ish) cartridge output?

I just got done building the Pearl 2 and I went back and forth with gain and impedance. Using a cart that had .15mv and another at .3mv. I also have a Sony TA-5650 V-FET that has a vfet MM phono stage that I have been curious to try out. In that curiosity, I read the specs on the phono stage and its 70db SNR, which is meh. I then thought about SNR, THD, gain, and output of phono cartridges and stages. I looked at a lot of specs of cartridges and stages over the years, and as the gain of the stage goes up, the SNR goes down, which eventually leads me to this question:

Is the ideal cartridge output 1.5-2mv? Do you then get a medium output that is the best middle ground for SNR and THD? If that could be the case (or if not if you disagree) then why isn't there more cartridges with around that output available? 
enobenetto

Showing 4 responses by nandric

nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
The so called ''moving parts'' by an (MC) are cantilever/stylus
and coils. Those are fastened to the joint pipe in which also
''tension wire'' is fastened in order to connect moving parts
with the generator. It is obvious(?) that cantilever /stylus
combo weights ''nothing''. So the most weigth is in the
coils. The number of windings determine the output. So
the lower the output the lower number of windings and
the lighter the moving parts. Any attempt to reduce the
weight of the moving part means reduction of the wire jn
 the coils. One can increase the output by ''iron core''
in the coil former but this has other drawback. The ''coreless''
coils are the best but with the owest output. For those
one will need very good phono-pre or SUT.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Lew, Is your praise of ''your'' Ortofon MC 2000 not in
contradiction with your statement about ''output''? As far
as I know this cart has the lowest output ever(?) 0,05 mV.
Besides still one of the ''best ever'' despite its age. 
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear frogmn, You get support from those phono-pres producers 
who build phono-pres with 4 amplification stages. They then recommend the lowest possible amplification for the used cart.
The reason is ''the higher mplification the higher distortions''. I
own two of such pres: Basis Exclusive and Klyne 7PX3.5.
However for my Ortofon MC 2000 I use an SUT. 


nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
This question is ''other way round'': which phono-stage for which
output? 
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