Playing with Cartirdge loading on my phono stage

In general, higher ohms mean leaner sound and better tracking. My phono does 10R to 47K, and I usually run the Koetsu at about 1k. But there are times when I prefer it at 30R, or even 47K. Depends on source, mood, and how long the electronics have been warming up.

Tuning by ear is the way to go here, as others have said. 10x the internal resistance of the cartridge puts you on the edge of pinching the signal - that is decreasing the volume by resistance instead decreasing it by lowering the gain. Once you get down to 5x, this is noticeable. Downstream volume pots can be opened up if you pinch the signal at the phono pre, which may be preferable. I’ve always thought most systems have too much gain. Some carts I have (Miyajima Zero and Denon 103R) sound better to me when pinched at the phono pre. Some (Hana) are the opposite and sound better opened up.  The differences are subtle and in my system come down to bloom vs transients - or to say it another way - fullness of the instruments vs separation of the instruments. When the resistance is pinched, tones fill up with more bloom. When opened up, instruments have more space between them. I’ve tried recording A/B to DSD and then compared playback - that didn’t work. Best to work from a recording you are very familiar with. 

There are only two settings available that fall within the specified 100-200 Ohm range…100 and 170.  Try both and decide if you prefer one or the other…leave the capacitance at 470pF.  

Would it not depend on the frequency response of your speakers in your listening room with your tastes for sound in mind?

Would it not depend on the frequency response of your speakers in your listening room with your tastes for sound in mind?

No. The reason the sound changes is due to distortion- LOMC cartridges and the tonearm cable together form an electrical resonance that generates Radio Frequency Interference which is injected directly into the phono section and can cause distortion. The loading resistor detunes the electrical resonance, thus eliminating the RFI.

However if your preamp was designed by someone that knows about this phenomena, you'll find that the highest load impedance (47,000 Ohms) is the right one, with little or no effect at lower resistances other than the tracking ability is reduced.