Moving Magnet & Moving Coil Cartridges Question...

There are two issues that need to be viewed within your question.  If you have a low output MC you can purchase a stand alone phono preamp that does all the required amplification and has the RIAA equalization curve.  In this case you do not use the MM phono input on your proposed preamp at all, but any other line input will be fine.  

Your other option could be a step up transformer (SUT) that boosts the output voltage but does not have any RIAA equalization (There is also some powered “head amps” that do the same with no RIAA).  These units are designed to provide some of the required amplification and connect to a MM phono input on the preamp and use its RIAA and amplification function to provide the remainder of what is needed.

Shure never made a MC cartridge. If you are going to use that Shure it will work with any preamp that has a MM phono section without using any step up device!

Shure never made a moving coil cartridge. They are all moving magnet. Big difference! What is the model number of your Shure?

@yogiboy : You were posting while I was typing! 

RIAA Equalization of a phono cartridge’s signal (boost bass/cut highs) must occur somewhere, and a phono cartridge’s signal strength must also get boosted UP to Line Level strength, then thru a volume control then to the amp.

Unless specifically noted as MC, built-in Phono Stages provide RIAA EQ. They only accept ’sufficiently strong’ Phono signals of two types:

1. MM Moving Magnet typical signal strength

2. HIGH OUTPUT MC Moving Coil, signal strong enough that it does NOT need any pre-preamplification.

IF you ever get a LOW OUTPUT Moving Coil Cartridge, those signals need pre-preamplification, to get up to the strength of MM or High Output MC. After that, RIAA Equalization and normal preamplification up to Line Level must occur.

Step-Up-Transformers (SUT) are made to increase the strength of LOW OUTPUT Moving Coil up to the strength of MM or MC High Output. That pre-preamplified signal then needs to go thru the RIAA Equalizarion process (somewhere). The SUT can be a separate device, OR, it can be incorporated in a Preamp, always labeled Phono MC. Either a separate Phono MC input jack, or a single jack that can be ’switched’ to either MM or MC. The switch can be in the front or back of a unit.

Note: some preamps or receivers have a ’Phono/Aux’ input. They are not true MM Phono inputs providing the needed RIAA Equalization. They are simply NAMED Phono for convenience, they require external prior Phono processing elsewhere.