Matching the cartridge to the phono stage

Thanks guys. Interesting that setting on the preamp is MC High output but you are recommending to use it for this cartridge. Btw the phono stage is Luxman L-509Z (integrated amp). I'm in the process of purchasing some of this stuff still but before I do I wanted to figure out how to match things together. 

@jasonbourne71 this is what I found about the gain: 

PHONO (MM): 87 dB or more, PHONO (MC-H):: 70 dB or more, PHONO (MC-L):: 62 dB or more

@dogberry I have no idea about resistive loading. Just trying to setup my first turntable. Very new to this :) 

@ajones82 Welcome to being a New to Vinyl user.

There are lots of little nooks and crannies of formulas lurking, when it comes to a Vinyl Source and the Trilogy of Ancillaries.

What are the other ancillaries you are planning to use the Cart' with to make up the Trilogy, i.e, Turntable >Tonearm.

Thanks @pindac . 

I'm thinking of Rega Planar 6 with its standard tonearm with the Hana SL cart. 

That is not a very user-friendly spec sheet. This appears to be a full function integrated amplifier and so I’m assuming these mV numbers are sensitivity -- i.e. the required signal level to elicit full amplifier output with the volume control at MAX.

If we work backwards from the phono sensitivity and the stated line stage sensitivity, we can arrive at the gain levels:

• 0.1mV corresponds to a gain of 65dB at a load of 40 ohms ( @jasonbourne71 was right): 65 = 20 * log(180 / 0.1)
• 0.3mV to 55dB at 100 ohms
• 2.5mV to 37dB at 47K ohms

For a 0.5mV cartridge, 60dB is ideal so typically you could go to either 55dB or 65dB. However, the Hana’s 30 ohm DC coil impedance is not a good match for the 40 ohm load listed at the 0.1mV / 65dB setting. Therefore, I would use 0.3mV / 55dB, however even THAT is not ideal, as 100 ohms load is still low for a 30 ohm coil. It will work, it might even sound very good, but you will be throwing away 2.27dB of signal (meaning your effective gain is only 52.73 dB at this setting). Quite frankly their fixed loading selections for MC present a pretty tough load. The most common "rule of thumb" is that you want a phono stage load impedance which is greater than 10x the cartridge’s coil ohms, but I have gone as low as 6x on occasion. Below that, and you will start to face problems very quickly due to signal losses. 30 ohm coils into 100 ohms load is only 3x :(

This phono stage is probably not optimal for the Hana SL, without internal modification - maybe you can change the load resistor? Most MC cartridges would do fine on this amp. The Hana SL is atypical because its coil impedance of 30 ohms is very high for its output level of 0.5mV. You will typically see 0.5mV cartridges with coils that are 5 - 15 ohms. The Hana ML, at 0.4mV and 7 ohms coils, would be a much better match here.

Hi @mulveling wow...thanks for such a descriptive explanation.

Do you have any suggestions of MC cartridges that sound great kinda like Hana SL ( I actually chose it by recommendation and also google research). I have not opened the cartridge so I can always return and get something else. It just had such great reviews that I thought that I'm definitely getting this one.

But then I had to upgrade my amplification for my Dynaudio speakers and therefore I ended up deciding on the Luxman. So Luxman is what I will be getting but everything else I can adjust.

I don't even have a turntable yet but Rega Planar 6 with its standard tonearm is my thought so far.

Would be interesting to understand what matches exactly to my phono stage at the level and price as the Hana SL possibly.

Thanks!