Cartridge Loading

Short:
47 kohm when you have a preamp which can do it without sounding thin, dead and analytical
1kohm when you have a normal preamp
below 200ohms when you have a very analytical and harsh sounding high end System and you want to soften it.
or
MM Phono and a matching high quality Step Up.

I loaded my loved Benz LP with 470 ohms inside Whest Audio PS30 RDT and it sounds wonderful

My cent!

Agree with Audiofeil. ;-)

Still, most MM/MI carts will perform satisfactorily (if not perfectly) into most MM phono stages at a standard 47k impedance, as Syntax said. You can't make that kind of blanket statement about MC's. That was really my only point.

Whether a certain cartridge with a certain load in a certain audio chain under certain conditions does sound wonderful or not to certain ears does not tell too much.
As cartridges too do suffer from the lack of real standardization of its electrical or mechanical parameters, we have to fine-tune each and any cartridge to meet its best performance in relation to its surrounding components and their very specific electrical/mechanical parameters.
This is true for MM, MI, MC and foremost LOMC.
Each is different - hey, - thats why we love analog don't we ?

Dertonarm is absolutely correct on this one. BTW I have yet to see a MM that actually loads correctly at 47K. Most are more like half that and I have seen Grados that are closer to 10K.