2. analog
  3. 153132-541

Cartridge loading

Presently I am using a ZU/Denon DL103 mc cartridge with ZU Audio's highest tolerances.  I had this cartridge mounted on my VPI Prime and after going through all the various loading combinations, I settled on 200 ohms.  I was always satisfied with my choice of setting.  I no longer have the Prime and now use the Technics SL1200G turntable.  After having the same cartridge mounted and aligned by the dealer, I inserted it into my system and enjoyed the sound immensely, never touching the 200 ohm setting.

Yesterday I was listening to vinyl most of the day and for some reason I found the sound to be better than ever, mostly in the treble area.  The highs had shimmer when needed and I had played the same records many times before on the Prime and they never sounded as good as they did yesterday.  Just for the heck of it, I checked the cartridge loading and found it was now set at 1000 ohms.  As I said, when I put the Technics into the system, I never bothered changing the loading which was at 200 ohms as it was the same cartridge, just a different turntable.

I believe I know what happened, when I last used the tone controls on my McIntosh preamp, (you have to shuffle through a menu) I must have inadvertently put the cartridge loading at 1000 ohms.  It truly sounds fantastic, better than I ever thought possible.  The Bass is still very deep and taut, midrange is the same but the treble, oh my, so much better.  Now the million dollar question is why should it now sound better at 1000 ohms, when it sounded great before at 200 ohms?  Can the tonearm on the Technics have an effect on cartridge loading?  I always thought it was all dependent on the preamp, amp and speakers.  What am I missing here?  I am very curious to know.  The specs for my cartridge say greater than 50 ohms for loading.

Thanks
128x128stereo5
Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
6,033 posts
 
rauliruegas
Of course you have nothing about. So what you still post is false and a lie. Period.
I think Ralph has been very patient with you and perhaps part of the problem here has been a language barrier. That's why I'm telling you this: Accusing someone of lying is an insult bigtime, and your accusation may reveal more about you than you intended.
bydlo
142 posts
 
A MC cartridge is inherently a current generator

Why? By the Faraday law of induction, changing in time magnetic flux generates voltage (EMF) across the coil not current. Current flows when you close the circuit with a load.
intactaudio
302 posts
 
A MC cartridge is inherently a current generator
I want to be clear that I was not stating this as my belief but to point out it is an argument made for using a current amplifier rather than a voltage amplifier.

My personal take on it is that the coil generates what you tell it to.  Leave it open it generates voltage, Load it down it generates current.

dave
bydlo
142 posts
 
I don't agree. Coil moving in a magnetic field can generate only one thing - voltage. This is the lesson of papa Faraday :)
larryi
4,119 posts
 
Of course, until the circuit is closed, there is no current.  The issue of whether a cartridge is high current/low voltage, or vice versa, is only meaningful in the context of what the downstream amplification needs.  In the case of a cartridge, the phonostage requires higher voltage than the cartridge delivers, so in that sense, the cartridge is low voltage/high current.  A step up transformer steps up the voltage delivered into the phonostage by converting current to voltage; an active MC first stage also jacks up the voltage.
More to discover