I suspect that the Sony's phono stage has inferior overload (headroom). That has been a problem with many phono circuits! The phono stage in my RGR 4 was designed with this factor in consideration - and can readily handle the "hot" combination of a LOMC + SUT!
VM540ML cartridge - what phono preamp is a good match
I recently upgraded to a Rega Planar 3 turntable, and put a Audio-Technica VM540ML cartridge on it, based on reviews and user comments here and on other sites. The problem is that loud passages with massed strings and/or brass seem to get strident, overly bright and distorted. That comes up frequently, since I listen to a lot of classical music.
Well, I found that this cartridge is spec'd for 47k Ohms resistance and 100-200 pF capacitance, which is nice to know, but Rega doesn't publish a capacitance spec on its tonearm wiring. My receiver (Sony STR-D515) shows 50k resistance but no info on the capacitance. So, I suspect the cartridge and the phono stage might be a poor match, producing the strident brightness I'm hearing in the upper range instruments, but can't verify in the absence of specs.
So, my question is, if you are using this cartridge (or a similar A-T VM line cart), what preamp are you using to get good results?
Thanks in advance!
Well, I found that this cartridge is spec'd for 47k Ohms resistance and 100-200 pF capacitance, which is nice to know, but Rega doesn't publish a capacitance spec on its tonearm wiring. My receiver (Sony STR-D515) shows 50k resistance but no info on the capacitance. So, I suspect the cartridge and the phono stage might be a poor match, producing the strident brightness I'm hearing in the upper range instruments, but can't verify in the absence of specs.
So, my question is, if you are using this cartridge (or a similar A-T VM line cart), what preamp are you using to get good results?
Thanks in advance!