Matching the cartridge to the phono stage


Hey Everyone, I am new to this so please be gentle :) 

I am in the process of buying an amp that has the phono stage in it with the following specs with 3 options for the cartridge type MM/MC-Low/MC-High:

Moving Magnet: 2.5mV / 47kΩ

Moving Coil:

MC-High-Output: 0.3mV / 100Ω

MC-Low--Output: 0.1mV / 40Ω

LINE 180 mV / 47 kΩ

 

Now I am thinking of buying the Hana SL cartridge with the following specs:

Hana SL specifications:

  • Output Level @ 1kHz: 0.5mV

  • Output Balance @ 1kHz: Less Than 1.5dB

  • Impedance @ 1 kHz: 30 Ohms

  • Suggested Load: 400 Ohms

  • Cartridge Weight: 5 Grams

 

The preamp MC-Low says:  MC-Low--Output: 0.1mV / 40Ω

The Hana SL cartridge: Output Level @ 1kHz: 0.5mV, Impedance @ 1 kHz: 30 Ohms and Suggested Load: 400 Ohms. 

 

How do these values match ? As far as I can see I don't have the same voltage 0.5mv on the cartridge and 0.3mv on the phono preamp. I also see that 40ohm vs 30ohm. The 400ohms figure is only mentioned on the cartridge. 

Can this cartridge be used successfully with this phono stage ?

Do I need to match these numbers ? Can someone help explain this whole thing to me. 

Thanks!

ajones82

As the owner of a Rega Planar 6 I offer a piece of advice that is slightly off topic.  The tonearm is not adjustable for vertical tracking angle (VTA) unless you use spacers (washers), which Rega makes and which must be installed beneath the tonearm. The tonearm is designed for Rega cartridges, for which no spacer is needed. The Rega Ania or Ania Pro MC cartridges are factory installed as options. Both have 0.35 mV output and 10 ohm output impedance. Rega recommends a 100 ohm impedance setting on the phono stage. The Luxman’s setting for 0.3 mV should work, but 55 dBA of gain is low for a 0.3 mV output cartridge. You will likely find it necessary to turn up the volume more or you can try the High setting for 0.1 mV cartridges. FYI, Rega’s most economical phono stage for MC cartridges offers gain settings of 63.5 and 69.5 dBA. A Rega dealer should be able to help you find a cartridge that will work well with the Luxman unit and can install it and any needed spacers. I believe the Hana will also will require at least one spacer. 

The Hana SL has been on my table for the past two years, running into a Parasound JC3 Jr. (which allows me to adjust MC load using a variable pot that runs from 50-550 ohms). I can say that the differences in load between 100-400 are subtle, but there is a more pronounced treble "edge" and a more brittle sound on certain vinyl when running below 300 ohms. This is likely due to a drop out of the upper mids below that 300 ohm load. As for gain, I can choose 50db or 60db of gain, and either 55 or 65db on your amp would work fine with the Hana. 

YMMV, of course, and the Luxman phono circuit may handle the SL just fine. One other option if you are really hesitant is to return the Hana SL for the SH. It's specs are a much better match for your integrated. 

The Hana SL has been on my table for the past two years, running into a Parasound JC3 Jr. (which allows me to adjust MC load using a variable pot that runs from 50-550 ohms). I can say that the differences in load between 100-400 are subtle, but there is a more pronounced treble "edge" and a more brittle sound on certain vinyl when running below 300 ohms. This is likely due to a drop out of the upper mids below that 300 ohm load.

@mrmojo 

The loading has nothing to do with the cartridge sounding different and everything to do with the phono section making less distortion. Also, a lower resistance might load the cartridge so much that the cantilever becomes so stiff it might have difficulty responding to higher frequencies.

The reason this is so has to do with the inductance of the cartridge. Its quite low! In fact its so low that if you pass a 10KHz squarewave through it (put the cartridge in series with the squarewave) you'll see on an oscilloscope that the output looks just like the input- no rolloff at all!

So the change in tonality is something else. There are two things to affect that. One is that the inductance is in parallel with the tonearm cable and its capacitance. That sets up an electrical resonance that is probably at 1 or 2MHz. That resonant peak is likely about 25dB (based on the Q of the inductance of the cartridge); when energized by the cartridge tracking an LP the resulting RFI can easily overload many phono sections, resulting in distortion which is perceived as brightness.

The loading resistor detunes the resonance. Brightness is gone.

But a 100 Ohm loading resistor is going to force the cartridge to do 2 orders of magnitude more work as opposed to the stock industry standard of 47KOhms. So the cantilever will be stiffer just as an alternator shaft gets harder to turn when its loaded. A cartridge is a kind of alternator. The decreased compliance can result in less high frequency energy and may affect how the cartridge tracks in the tonearm.

If the preamp is designed to deal with the RFI generated, you'll find that the loading resistor makes far less difference! When the phono section has a loading resistor switch, its a pretty good sign that the designer did not take the implication of an inductance in parallel with a capacitance (electronics 101, 1st week) into account.

 

To be fair, don't you think that a load resistance switch is sometimes a response to the marketplace which tends to place a high value on fiddling with load resistance, because most audiophiles, who are also potential buyers, do not understand the problem as you state it?  Whew! That was a long question.  Thanks.