Dear @thuchan : This is what you can read in the Lyra cartridge site:
"""
Most users (and phono stages) will benefit from the regular Etna with much higher output and considerably more energy; resulting in a much better signal-to-noise ratio. If you are in doubt about which version of Etna that will work best in your system, please go with the regular Etna.
The Etna SL may provide extra pure and pristine sound from an audio system that is optimized for a low-impedance, low-output cartridge. However, this may be accompanied with a lesser level of energy and power. """
That is what J.Carr said for all his 3 " low output " models ( Atlas, Etna and Kleos. ) that in reality are not so low output: 0.25 mv. The reguklar versions: 0.5mv.
Look what he said:
""
may provide extra pure and pristine sound from an audio system that is optimized for a low-impedance, low-output cartridge. However, this may be accompanied with a lesser level of energy and power """
Could exist some exceptions depending of the PLP design but more gain in a PLP design makes " compromises " too and not only to deal with noise but other kind of distortions coming many times for the necessity to use additional gain stages in the PLP design as in its power suply design and some other factors.
Things are not so easy as you posted. Yes, a 0.20mv cartridge ( everything the same ) can performs ( in theory ) better as the same model with 0.50mv but JC noted that the system must be optimized for! I think that 95%+ systems did not even JC statement.
So, in my example about is better to buy a higher output cartridge or spend a lot of money for the right PLP that can handle with high quality level the low output cartridge.
In the other side, I posted to you several tiemes ( in this thread. ) that what we need to match is the rigth SUT gain with the PLP and not to the cartridge that is not sensitive to changes on impedances and capacitance because the LOMC cartridges has very low internal impedance and inductance so cartridge does not cares about the SUT in that regards.
A LOMC cartridge could be sensitive to impedance/capacitance changes when these values are extremely high/low but with the values usually happens in an audio systems the cartridge is " non-sensitive " to those changes and if not sensitive then where comes the quality level changes some of us can hear.
I already said it: comes from the internal interactions in the PLP design. I posted that for every single evaluation before/after the SPL must be evenly because our ears are really sensitive to minute SPL. Changes on impedance can drop/high SPL with the same cartridge and if the PLP is a good design what we listen as " changes " are not really a change in the cartridge quality level performance but only changes in the PLP SPLs.
Btw, I like almost any good LOMC cartridge design, vintage and today. With my PLP I don't need to use a SUT because it can handle any LOMC cartridge directly with no single trade offs I posted. I tested several SUTs and as a fact I own several ones because I just want it to try and compare against active designs.
Again, a very good active high gain PLP design always beats a PLP with a SUT in its design or using an external SUT.
Regards and enjoy tghe music,
R.