Cartridge Loading for a phono pre amp

And did you choose 100 ohms, 47 kph, or something in between?

@holmz

Sorry for the late reply, finally get the tax return filed! 😌

For the Denon DL-103, I chose 1kΩ, because I don’t want to use a too low resistive load to load down the cartridge and at the same time don’t want to use a higher resistance to eliminate those unwanted RFI get into the phono input.

IMO, since RFI is not the music contents, why not apply a correct amount of resistive load to damp the unwanted RFI even though the phono stage can handle it.

http://www.hagtech.com/loading.html

@imhififan thanks mate!

On the subject of the tracking… the RIAA sort of works in our favour as the stylus does not have to move as far with the curve sloping down… maybe that lessens the cart getting stiffer for the high freqs? (It is but it hardly wriggles)

I found this thread searching for answers about load impedance on my new turntable and Parasound JC3+ preamp… and while 99% of the conversation/debate here is beyond my interest and understanding I can say that it was helpful in trying a few different things that have resulted in better sound to me.

I have a Pure Fidelity Stratos cart which has an impedance of 45 ohm and recommended loading of 400-500 ohm. I had experiemented with the variable loading on the JC3+ for the past several weeks but always felt like I was missing something. The lower settings (around 100 ohm) seemed smoother yet less dynamic, the higher settings (around 450-500 ohm) seemed more dynamic but harsher overall.

After reading this thread and others linked within I tried the 47K ohm MC setting last night just to see what would happen and lo and behold, it sounds arrestingly better than the recommended loading on my system. A much more wide, expansive soundstage and smoother presentation. Since it was late I didn’t give the bass a workout but I’ll be listening more this evening.

My JC3+ is connected to a Backert Labs Rhythm 1.3 preamp.

Just thought I’d put my .02 in the thread in case there are others like me searching for knowledge in this area. In that it’s not always necessary to follow the manufacturer’s recommendation to get the best sound for your specific system. 

@holmz  : Sorry my ignorance. Could you explain in specific what do you mean with:

" the RIAA sort of works in our favour as the stylus does not have to move as far with the curve.."

Thank's in advance,

R.

@rauliruegas What he is referring to is the constant velocity aspect of the cartridge, which is part of the RIAA curve. The faster the stylus moves, the more voltage it puts out. So the RIAA curve rolls off against this characteristic. In fact its often referred to as a 'characteristic curve'.