Cartridge Output

~ 0.5mV will do just fine.

I'm not sure about that, Axel. Note that he said phono stage + preamp = 60db. So a 0.5mv lomc would result in 0.5 volts into the power amp under the usual test conditions, with the volume control wide open. That strikes me as too low for typical power amp sensitivities, and I would suggest that his phono stage and preamp are better suited to a mm or high output mc (e.g., 3 to 6 mv or so).

Regards,
-- Al

Hi Al,
OK, you are then saying that he has really 40dB phono plus ~ 20dB line-stage fully open?

If so, then get an MM with ~ 3.5mV - 5mV and you are of to the races.

Fair comment I guess, just not the way I understood it. 60dB phono with unity gain (0dB) pre-amp and then 1/2 opened volume control is just fine with 0.5mV by me, it is where I'm coming from --- and might be wrong. If 60dB = 'ball to walls' why not say you got 40dB phono gain?
A.

Hi Axel,

I'd expect that typically a 60db phono stage with a unity gain (0db) line stage would do better with a lomc than a 40 + 20. The 60db stage would figure to have better signal-to-noise ratio than the 40db stage, since it is designed and intended for use with lower level inputs.

Also, perhaps your power amp has greater than average sensitivity.

Best regards,
-- Al

Hi Al,
not my enquiry as it is.
But I use right now 40dB (60dB is jumper option) on phono-boards with 18dB line-pre input gain of my ML326S.

This works very well with 5mV MM cart (Empire S1000, Shure V15, EEI 500, P77, etc.)

Otherwise I use 60dB phono with 18dB line-pre and any 0.3mV MC cart, which also works fine.

Lastly 60dB phono and 0dB line-pre is good with 5mV MM cart too.

ML326S has >90dB SN which is rather quiet, yes.

So, maybe some other gear is asking for different cart outputs. I did use 0.6mV LOMC, 1.5mV HIMC, etc.

Maybe my gear is not the right stuff to make a recommendation, too flexible?

Axel
PS: ML settings are 0, +6, +12, +18dB line-pre input gain before it gets to the volume control adding the usual ~ 20 dB (balls to the wall) but I never go much past 1/2 of that.