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Running LOMC with MM (47K) loading

This is the way I run my Zyx 4D and my Benz Ebony L before it. I have a JLTi phono preamp which allows me to do this. I have been satisfied with this pre since buying it new. Yet I may be in the market for a new (Different) one. However some I have seen may not offer this ability. One that has great reviews also  has the loading and gain all tied together. Not sure about Herron but it may be out of production. Not sure about others. 
 
The question comes  with @Atma-sphere comments on loading and circuit stability. He contends that the loading  damps (stops) the cartridge cantilever from moving as freely as it was designed (my words) And it is better IF you can run with no loading. But that requires a stable circuit which not all have. Apparently my JLTi has a stable circuit because I have been running LOMC's this way for a 10-15 yrs. 

That said, should I require this attribute to my next phono preamp? And might I be better off to send the JLTi to Joe Rasmussen  (Allen Wright's partner) for upgrade to Pre and new Power supply?. That will be the cheapest and that is likely to be the step I take. However the question still exists. If the damping is as per Ralph's assessment, it would seem that the stability of the  circuit is of greater importance than the ability to have a lot of loading options with unstable circuitry. Another question, Is loading a band aid for a  circuit which is not at an optimum? I am not an electronic tech so I am not  looking to stir the pot but  for my own  understanding  Thanks
128x128artemus_5
vinylvalet
899 posts
 
Keith sold his last VTPH-2A a couple weeks ago. There will be no new design.
larryi
3,997 posts
 
Quite a number of experts say that loading does NOT supply physical damping of the movement of the cantilever but it supplies electrical damping that reduces ringing of high frequencies.  Atmasphere and J. Carr of Lyra say that such damping is not required for most MC cartridges (because their resonant peaks are now well outside of the audible range) except if those peaks result in overloading of the phono stage.  

With the cartridges I have used with my phono stage (Viva Fono) I prefer no additional loading or very modest loading (meaning high value resistor) on the primary side of the step up transformer.  With the cartridge modestly loaded, the top end seems more open and airy and the decay of notes sound more natural.  
lewm
13,071 posts
 
audioguy, There is nothing sacred about 47K ohms; it's become the standard for MM cartridges by default.  In fact, many have found that at least some MM and MI cartridges sound best with even less of a load, like 100K ohms.  ("Less of a load" means higher load resistance, and vice-versa.) Likewise, there is no rule that says you cannot try loading an MC cartridge very lightly, with the 47K option if your preamplifier provides for it. (In many cases, the needed gain for LOMC in a phono stage is achieved by using a SUT.  With a SUT, it may not be possible to achieve a load resistance as high as 47K, if the SUT is connected to an MM input with a 47K resistance load a priori, because of the effect of the transformer on the load seen by the cartridge.)  You noted that the manufacturer of your Hana recommends "greater than 400 ohms".  That certainly allows for ANY load R above 400 ohms. Which means there is no penalty associated with much lighter loading.  What Artemis refers to is the concept that loads much below 47K on an MC, like 400 ohms on the Hana, are mostly for the benefit of the phono stage circuit. I will let Atma-sphere or anyone else explain that in better detail. 


Wow, that's big news, to learn that the VTPH2A is out of production and not to be replaced.
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cleeds
5,951 posts
 
larryi
Quite a number of experts say that loading does NOT supply physical damping of the movement of the cantilever but it supplies electrical damping that reduces ringing of high frequencies ...
That's interesting. Can you please identify some of these experts?
larryi
3,997 posts
 
Rothwell, a company that supplies step up transformers said this somewhere, perhaps in their "white paper" on their site.  Vandenhul says that in their FAQ section of their site.  I think Jonathan Carr (Lyra) has also said this, but, I cannot recall where.

I don't see any mechanism for the electrical loading somehow affecting the mechanical movement of the cantilever.  The loading acts as a voltage divider with some fraction of the signal diverted through  the resistor to be dissipated as heat.  I don't see any kind of feedback mechanism for an induced current in the coils causing a magnetic field that interacts with the magnets in the cartridge.
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