Pass XP-17 and Hana ML loading question

Yes, circuits are diametrically different that is a fact, but loading the cartridge should have same effect on cartridge performance , sound of it at least on the dynamic level should be similar to the loads on 15 at least in the characteristic of the sound. what I’m getting on same load is half of bottom end. Does it make sense to you ??

@ssg308 Loading the cartridge causes the cartridge to have a stiffer cantilever as you are asking it to do more work. There really should be no need for this anyway since the main reason to use a ’loading resistor’ is, as @lewm pointed out, its really for the benefit of the phono section.

The cartridge is an inductor and the tonearm cable has capacitance. Since they are in parallel, an electrical resonance is created. With the Hana its quite high- 2-3MHz. That’s Radio Frequency territory and so when that resonance goes into ’excitation' (in radio parlance) its RFI being injected into the input of the phono section!

Some (most) phono preamps don’t like that and won’t sound right until the RFI is eliminated. You can do that by placing a resistance in parallel with the resonance, detuning it and thus preventing RFI. Hence the loading resistor.

Always try no loading and give the cartridge enough time to break in. Also make sure your setup in the arm is a good as it possibly can be.

If the phono section is properly designed (IOW the designer understands the implication of an inductor in parallel with a capacitance; electronics 101 FWIW...) then that will be the best you can do. Loading the cartridge will simply cause it to lose high frequency tracking ability as the cantilever gets stiffer and may cause the arm’s mechanical resonance to be outside the ideal 7-12Hz range, impairing tracking.

@atmasphere Wow you changed my perspective how I look at the problem ! great let me read it again so it can sync in  and I'll try to experiment a bit and try to load it with different resistance and see how it effect it. BTW I  tried 47k and it sounds terrible.

Have you tried a 47K ohm load with any other typical LOMC cartridge, ever, with either of the two Pass phono stages?  What was the result?  Thx.  Also, can you define "terrible"?  Do you mean that the treble was rolled off or missing, as you mentioned earlier?

No, unfortunately I own only one MC cartridge Hana ML , my other cartridge is MM Ortofon 2M Black   

And what I meant by saying "terrible" was, sporrans and mid got clipped about 30%  while bass got big but hollow and muddy no definition at al just slams of senseless sonic boom,  and on top of that when record ended and I raised arm I heard harmonics between speakers and cartridge. I went bac to 1k setting and now over 4th weekend I'll experiment with all settings I have between 500 ohms and 1k to see if there is anything else I can squeeze out of the system.

One remote possibility: when you set load at 47K, the two channels are out of phase with each other. That would have to be due to a glitch in the internal wiring of that resistor, since other loads are at least functional. I would consider sending the XP17 to Pass for inspection. If there’s some other problem, they’ll find that, too. Because believe me, there is a problem somewhere.