I think Dopogue has it basically right, but since the M3A has only 28dB of phono section gain, I would raise the limit to 1.5mV or higher ;--)
The thing about the very high output MC carts. like the Blackbird and van den Hul TWO, is that they are designed to plug and play straight into the default 47Kohm load of MM phonostages. And so they sound great right out of the box.
Other HO MC carts are at somewhat of a disadvantage sonically unless their owner adjusts the phonostage input impedance to match them properly. As long as 25 times the cartridge's impedance (or internal resistance) equals 7500ohms or more, the default 47Kohms should be fine.
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The thing about the very high output MC carts. like the Blackbird and van den Hul TWO, is that they are designed to plug and play straight into the default 47Kohm load of MM phonostages. And so they sound great right out of the box.
Other HO MC carts are at somewhat of a disadvantage sonically unless their owner adjusts the phonostage input impedance to match them properly. As long as 25 times the cartridge's impedance (or internal resistance) equals 7500ohms or more, the default 47Kohms should be fine.
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