Phono pre amp
So vdH is making the calculation for you in recommending a tonearm with 14g effective mass. That should not be taken as a firm directive. 12 to 16g would be fine. Note that effective mass should include the weight of the headshell, the cartridge itself, and the screws/nuts that hold the cartridge in the headshell. Most tonearm effective mass specs will include the mass of the OEM headshell. Since all those other items are out on the end of the lever, they can pretty much be added to the mfg spec by simple arithmetic. If you use an aftermarket headshell that differs in weight from that of stock, just add or subtract accordingly, in grams. I've got to disagree with MC on the idea that "any" phono stage would be adequately driven by 0.65mV output. Just off the top of my head, I would say you need at least 55-60db gain. My main point is that a typical MM phono stage will not do the trick. Those typically supply 40 to 50db, max. |
I’m very happy with my Tavish Design Classic phono preamp. Cheap by high end standards, dealing with the owner of the company is a pleasure. https://tavishdesign.com/products/classic-vacuum-tube-phono-stage |
I’ve been using a Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL phono stage for several years. I went through several stages before that, including the GCPH from PS Audio, but I have a hard time imagining how any stage at any price could "sound" (it has no apparent intrinsic "sound") or function better. It’s fully balanced with both balanced & unbalanced inputs AND outputs, easily adjustable and configurable for both MC & MM carts, and it’s built like an anvil. It can even be powered by a battery pack, although I could hear no difference. It may no longer be in production, but it retails for $1,000 new and in my (limited) experience it was/is a steal at the price. Worth looking for and a BIG step up from the Yamaha stage. |
