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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
larryi
4,038 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.
tzh21y
1,654 posts
 
Interesting I read early on a list of preamps that were Not up to the task.  I want to mention the one, the XONO.  Michael reviewed this phonostage and said it was one of the best he ever heard.  How much could things have really changed since then....?  Just goes to show you we all hear differently.
intactaudio
301 posts
 
I don't agree. Coil moving in a magnetic field can generate only one thing - voltage. This is the lesson of papa Faraday :)
OK  you win :-)  

Ralph... If I can ask you a question which might clear up a lot of things here....

IOW when the cartridge is loaded (damped) its ability to trace high frequencies is reduced because the cantilever will be stiffer.

when you say "ability to trace" are you referring to the output generated by the cartridge or the physical ability for the stylus to remain in contact with the groove wall?

dave
lewm
13,118 posts
 
bydlo and larry, I wouldn't argue with what you both say, but I would point out that the capacity of a LOMC to make signal current into a very low resistance load (meaning a load that is equal to or much lower than its internal impedance) does not usually parallel its capacity to make voltage into a "high" resistance load (meaning any load that is about 10X the coil resistance). (I am not getting into the argument between Raul and Atma-sphere.)  For example, my MC2000 is rated for 0.05mV at the standard stylus velocity.  But its internal resistance is only 2 ohms. Thus it can generate 25uA of current into no load or probably anything much lower than 2 ohms.  For comparison, my Audio Technica ART7 has twice the voltage output of  the MC2000 (0.12mV) but also has an internal impedance of 12 ohms at 1kHz.  Thus the ART7 is less efficient at generating current (10uA), when forced to do so, than the MC2000.  Viewed this way, the MC2000 more than holds its own for current output, among very LOMC cartridges. So, I think the point of a "current-driven" phono stage is that it might be advantageous compared to stages that are voltage driven, only for certain very LOMC cartridges.  It certainly has been demonstrated in my system with the device made by Intact Audio. No one views the idea of current-drive for phono as a panacea for all LOMC cartridges, but the flexibility is there.
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rauliruegas
13,095 posts
 
Dear @cleeds  : "  I think Ralph has been very patient with you...""

Patience?, I have years wating for his numbers about and he only showed and shows : empty words even that Palmer proved that that " limit trace.." is false and he posted that way: false.

In the other side I was not who posted the " limit trace..." issue but he was and that's why I asked about.

Now and in good shape: which the word to name some one that spreads for years and continue spreading false information?

Btw, I think he choose the wrong words: " limit trace... " to explain his way of thinking. 
I don't care about any more because we are talking of false information.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
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