Looking For A Dialogue Around Using An Ortofon MC2000 In My Current System

The MC2000 is generally considered a difficult customer to satisfy, due to its unusual combination of extremily low output level and very high compliance. However, in my experience the output level is more problematic to deal with than the compliance. A total gain of 66dB is probably too low and you will likely experience some level of hum or hiss. You should aim for at least 70dB, so with a 30dB SUT you’ll be fine, provided the phono stage and SUT are both of very high quality. So there’s no need to hunt down the rare 35dB T-2000. I use the MC2000 with the 30dB T-3000 for a total of 70dB gain without the slightest noise. The ‘000’ SUT series are expensive because they are silver wired, but still bargains compared to what silver wired SUT’s cost new these days.

As for compliance, it works splendidly with a heavy gun like FR-64S, but equally fine with several medium effective mass tonearms I operate. No experience with the Dyna or the SME, but I suspect they will both work just fine with MC2000.
Good luck with your purchase, if you get it right you’re in for a real treat.

using the Graham as a head amp will give the Esoteric input a nominal 6mV which is high but not crazy high...Try it!

As for SUT Jensen or Lundahl for standard high gain ( ~32 db ) choices or call Slagle and get one custom wound that should surpass the Ortofon.

Can’t say the 505 arm is a great match but never tried it. seems like the SME is the choice...

I have already suggested that you contact Intact Audio. Another source for a proper transformer would be Jensen in California. They may be able to custom build you a SUT with a high enough turns ratio to accommodate your MC2000. (Or maybe they even make one already; check their website.) As I mentioned to you, I am using mine in a Dynavector DV505, with a lightweight CF headshell. Results are satisfactory, but I don’t know if they are optimal as I have not tried other lightweight tonearms. Gordon Holt in his original review back when pointed out that the weight of the cartridge itself, combined with its high compliance, meant that you optimally need a 5g tonearm for best resonant frequency. Not too many tonearms fulfill that strict criterion, maybe an Infinity Black Widow or one of the lightweight ADC tonearms. The theoretical problem with the DV505 is that although the vertical effective mass is at least in the right ballpark, with a light headshell, its horizontal effective mass is much higher, somewhat like a typical SL tonearm. Anyway, your MC2000 will certainly "work" in the DV505 for the time being at least.

By the way, the MC2000 is also a good candidate for a current-driven phono stage, which might not cost much more than a custom SUT.  Curent equals voltage divided by resistance.  .05mV/2 ohms = .025mA.  Some other LOMC cartridges commonly used with current drive don't make as much current as the MC2000. You still need lots of gain, though.

@mrwigglewm 

Yes there was a brief mention of Intact and that you do use a DV505 with the MC2000. I started this thread to have a bit more in depth conversation than we had and get different perspectives to see what is possible. 

With the Supex headshell the vertical mass of the DV505 will be fine. I wonder about the horizontal mass, and I do admit to being concerned about the long term effects and if a cantilever can end up being skewed because of the higher mass. 

The SME V at 10 grams should keep resonance within bounds, its going to be low but should be usable. Ideally a carbon fiber black widow would work, but most of these low mass arms are intended for high compliance cartridges...that do not have a body that weighs 11 grams. So how to get enough counterweight to balance it to 1 gram tracking weight is a challenge. 

Jensen does make a transformer that provides 30 dB of gain, its a custom order. The question becomes how well shielded it is. That I cannot find info out on. The vintage transformers seem to have become fetish items, and its hard to find a T X000 series transformer at this time. I do see a T5000 for somewhat sane money, and since the MC5000 is essentially a MC3000 with different cantilever the SUT should be the same. Of course in a perfect world I find a T2000 for this cartridge and a T3000 for my MC3000. 

The reading from the original review shows that active step ups like the Klyne were unable to achieve a low enough noise floor to work well with the MC2000. And there seems to be no modern active pre pre amps available at this time that can do 30dB of gain. So this does not seem to be an avenue that can be pursued. 

One last transformer that looks to be an option is the Hashimoto, as the H-3 can be configured for 30 dB of gain. 

standard Lundahl's are available with 32db...