Hi Frogman, What cartridge are you using ? When I was loading the Koetsu at 515 ohms the sound was downright boring. I experimented with 250 ohms, 200 ohms, 150 ohms, 100 ohms. 50 ohms and finally 10 ohms. Each change brought an audible improvement. At 10 ohms everything just gelled. You may be surprised at how a small change in loading can make your cartridge sound a lot better. All the best, Mark |
Though this is a very old thread I want to share some info I've garnered recently that others may find useful: On Jun 26, 2010, at 1:22 PM, doak wrote: Greetings, I've owned and used my EAR 834P MM/MC version for several years. I am seeking a definitive answer as to the cartridge loading it presents when switched into MC mode. From Dan Meinwald of EAR USA: It's a transformer load, not a resistive load, as the numbers are usually given. Translated to a resistive load, it's about 125 ohms. Also, when in MC mode does the signal pass through the same 51K ohm loading resistors as does the MM signal. From Dan Meinwald of EAR USA: All that happens in MC mode is that the step-up transformers are switched in, which means the answer is yes. This is very important to my getting the best performance out of my unit with my MC cartridge. I've been information on the stating that the MC loading is anywhere from 50 to 500 ohms. From Dan Meinwald of EAR USA: Many people speak without the knowledge to to back up their statements. Dan Meinwald EAR USA |
I wonder where Dan came up with his MC values. Stereophile measured the 834P and found the following: Set to MM, the 834P's input impedance was 49.7k ohms in the left channel, 51k ohms in the right. The input impedances for the MC setting were 515 ohms and 516 ohms (L&R). The output impedance measured 524 ohms in the left channel, 538 ohms in the right. |
