Need help with finding a new phono stage.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preaphon&1128117671

Get an adjustable step up device will do.

Moving coil cartridges are relatively insensitive to capacitive loading, that is why nothing is specified and phono stages do not provide for variable capacitive loading. Conversely, moving magnet cartridges are sensitive to capacitive loading and should be unloaded (read very high value, like 47k) as far as impedance loading.

I've heard, but not had an opportunity to fiddle around with the Benz. But, the 200-47k loading recommendation suggests that the cartridge is mechanically well dampened and/or has a high source impedance and does not need to be loaded down (low value, like <100 ohms, equals higher loading) to prevent a high frequency peak. As a pure guess, I would predict that 47k loading would be fine. If the cartridge sounds too bright and sibilant, then the lower value could be tried. The difference between 200 and 47k is often quite subtle, so there is no reason not to try an even lower value if the sound is still too bright. I find that if you load the cartridge down too much (again, low value), it will sound muffled, leaden and lacking in upper frequency "air."

I have the ability to pick my loading option on the fly by remote control so experimentation is easy. If you end up with a stage with a fixed loading and can pick the value, I would look for something close to the 200 ohm value because it should work with most other cartridges as well. Two weeks ago, a friend of mine was having trouble mating a Temper V to the phono stage in the Hovland HP200. We could hear lots of noise that suggested RFI problems. It turns out that the factory default loading of the Hovland is 100k and the Temper has a very low source impedance, around 3 ohms, so the extremely wide bandwidth of this combination was probably passing a lot of RFI. When we changed the loading to 100 ohms, the problem went away.

Good luck.