Cartridge Loading

I agree with Dertonarm.

I am currently experiencing my first go at loading with a lomc.
I have a Benz Gold on a VPI HMW 19/Audioquest-Jelco arm going to a NAD PP2.the rest of the system is:
Audio Alchemy DLC line stage
Hafler 220 power amp
Acoustat model 2 electrostatics
Morrow Audio MA1 interconnects
Anti Cable speaker cables

The NAD comes with a load of 100ohm.I did some research and found out that the load resistors are in R50 and R60 on the PCB. I replaced the 100ohm with 1kohm.The sound was immediately much better.So being the warm blooded American boy I am I tried 10kohms.
Now we are really talking good here. I know this gear is old and/or cheap, but my ears are not inexperienced and I think this is one of the best sounds I have heard EVER!
The inner details are as good as I have ever heard.
The dynamics are much more dynamic,there is so much more texture and refinement.Still smooth, still has bass heft and authority only more controlled and defined.
The sound stage is wider,taller, and much deeper.I believe that a big part of this is that the sound floor is significantly lower.
I call this, beginners luck.But never the less, if the charm of vinyl had not beckoned,I would never had done it, and had missed out on so much enjoyment.
This is why we do this hobby.

e

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.

This short guide defines my experience to a tee: Jasmine LP2.0SE > DV10x5 > Rega P3.

The Jasmine has 4 settings (30ohms; 100ohms; 250ohms; 1Kohms). At the suggested cart load for the DV10x5 (1K) it's way to bright, highs distort and bass is muddy - in my current system. Same but to a lesser degree at 250ohms. 100ohms works best in my system. Well below the recommended load impedance but with the best over all results.

Listen and learn.
I decided to try going back down on the loading.I went back to 1k after going all the way up to 47k.
While listening to choral music;I started noticing that every time a word ended with "s" it had a strident snake like sound.So I went down to 10k then 1k.The snakes went away and the mids jumped right out!

Next stop 450k.

e

Just changed my whole setup. I just finished building a SUT MC tranformer(I plan on starting a string on DIY SUT). The setting that I am using comes to 200 ohm.
This transformer just took my analog rig to another level.
Much better dynamics,lower sound floor,more extended frequency response.Individual instruments and voices are much more coherent.
Micro and macro details like I have never had.
This is fun.
It feels like I have a whole new library of music to listen to.
Sorry for going a little off topic,but analog is so much fun.

e

George,I forgot to answer your question. Of course there is no simple answer but I will say that the Lukashek phono stage by Benz comes loaded at 1000ohm.So that might be a good place to start.

e