JC3+ With Kleos SL?

Have both the Lyra Helikon and the Lyra Helikon SL, the SL is quite a bit better than the higher output standard model and yes 64 db of gain with your J3 should be fine, go for it.

@robbob, since you had already made up your mind, I'm not understanding the point of your OP??


If the phono stage is working too hard to amplify the signal, you will get distortion...unless you are going to be happy with a very low output from your system. I know this as I went through exactly the same problem with a very low output MC and my phono stage. Output was 0.25mv and the phono stage was good for 64db of gain. 

I had not made up my mind at the time of the original post.

Interesting you got distortion.  The gain of the phono stage is fixed so I would expect noise but not distortion.  A low input will give a lower output.  One's preamp may distort trying to make up the difference.  That is unlikely with the CP-500, particularly at the reasonable levels at which I listen.  Will give that issue some more thought.

Thanks for the replies,
Robert

Sorry, to be clear, I heard a lot more noise through the system as the gain was turned up...in my books that equates to distortion. As the system was asked to amplify the signal, the noise increased tremendously as it began to max out on the gain. Running the preamp gain control at such a high level, meant an increase in noise/ distortion. Far greater loss than what I had gained by going with the lower output cartridge and its supposedly greater abilities due to lower windings of the coil. YMMV.

Davey, You cannot be sure that your "gain" problem centers around the gain of your phono stage (65db per your report) and the output of your cartridge (0.25mV).  The subjective impression of gain also depends upon the input sensitivity and gain of your linestage (if you drive a linestage via your phono stage) and the input sensitivity of your amplifier(s), assuming other evidence that the amplifier/speaker match is copacetic.  On paper, a cartridge with a real output of 0.25mV driving a phono stage with 65db of gain should be fine.  I am currently using an Audio Technica ART7 (less than 0.2mV output) into a Manley Steelhead set at 65db for gain.  The Manley output stage adds no further gain, and there is absolutely no sense of strain or noise due to stress.  (The Manley drives a pair of Beveridge direct drive amplifiers which have a solid state input stage; I do not know the input sensitivity, but obviously it's adequate.)

By the way, for the purposes of discussion, at least, it's best to separate "distortion" from "noise", I think.  Your lumping of noise and distortion is not wrong but maybe a little confusing.  Noise of the kind you describe is accounted for by the "signal to noise ratio" specification, which is usually stated separately from harmonic or IM distortion measurements.