Phono amps or stages for high-output cartridges?
There are some high-end phono stages designed for high-output MM cartridges like Ypsilon VPS100 and the super Kondo GE-1. There are a few others for a lower budget, but if you want the best....those two should have you covered...😎 |
Brian, Some can do both - Just for your and other interested parties information :-) no advertising intended Liberty B2B-1 Measurements from Stereophile review Above from its maker Good Listening Peter |
All of our preamps work fine with high output cartridges. Our UV-1 preamp can be ordered with a phono section for high output cartridges or low output (in which case a stepup transformer is added). I think there is a lot of life left in high output cartridges- I find that they really don't sound different from low output cartridges if the tone arm can track them correctly and if they are loaded correctly. |
Halcro's suggestions reminded me---I should have included price considerations. The Ypsilon is worth more than my entire modest system! But thanks guys, I'm now inspired to dig into this deeper myself. Phono amp design is one where the measurements really do tell you a lot about the resulting sound of that design. Atkinson's measurements of a lot of the current phono amps I was referring to in my question reveal that they are not appropriate for any but low-output cartridges, having severe overload and distortion characteristics at high and (especially) low frequencies when fed a 5mV signal. And that includes some otherwise very fine, and expensive, phono amps that are great for low-output cartridges. |
I hate to think of being without Fremer's coverage of all things phono, both in Stereophile and on Analog Planet. And as much as I like having his reviews, his phono section ones are of little value to a high-output cartridge user. Phono amps are all evaluated with low-output cartridges exclusively, and their performance with those cartridges may or may not carry over to their capability for use with a high-out device. What makes a high-gain amp better at amplifying the very small signal from a low-output cartridge, makes it WORSE for doing the same with a low-output one, is the point I'm trying to make. |
