Questions about a new Ruby 2 cartridge

one strange thing: I just read the specs that came with my ruby 2h and it says: load from 1000 to 47k ohms. so in my case i'm halfing their (low) recommendation vs your doubling. awhile back Wayne at Pass Labs told me to completely forget any cart mfg suggestions as it is all so dependent on variables in each particular system. I believe he must be correct.

My Glider's documentation says "200 to 47K Ohms". Such a range is meaningless by definition.

I use a Cardas Heart which is a variation of the Ruby. Cardas(a serious vinyl fanatic) says: "A well seasoned cartridge will perform well at a very high impedance of 47-100k, if the system is quiet. A lower impedence of 1-5k works if the system tends to hum or the cartridge is not broken-in." He also recommends a higher tracking force initially. VTA is obviously very important. Trying to tone control each record, especially the likes of pop records like Abby Road(albeit a favorite) is possible but not of reference relevence. There may be other arm resonance issues contributing to harshness as well.

Hagerman has interesting things to say about loading, recommending 47k. Check it out at www.hagtech.com. He posted something before about this on another thread not long ago.

I'll check out those references, Piedpiper. Everyone's got an opinion, but just because those guys are audio pro's isn't going to change what I hear. To me, the correct tracking force is the one that centers the coil in the gap perpendicular to the magnet, something that I agree might change slightly as the cartridge suspension breaks in. But I can't understand George's point about loading down a new cartridge and unloading as it breaks in - when not yet broken in, the cart will sound uptight, and loading it down will only make it more so. I could see this better in reverse, where attempting to choose your loading value before break in is complete would tend to lead you toward too high a value, which might need to be lowered after more hours. And I can't see any connection between cart loading and how quiet the rest of one's system is. Oh well...