Minimum Cart Output for 30db Gain Phonostage


So, I have a Benz M2 with .8mv of output. I'm looking at getting a phono stage with a headphone jack (which is the only way I will be using these two pieces of equipment together). It is the Bellari which is rated at 30db of gain. Am I pushing it? Will it be plausible sound quality to a reasonable listener?

thanx in advance, Joe
pawlowski6132
I don't know how the headphone portition of the Bellari works, but a .8mv cartridge with a 30db gain phono stage only has an output of 25mv, which is WAY too low for using a normal preamp in a typical system. Maybe the headphone stage uses a different set of values?
There is an article on the Absolute Sound website which gives the formula for required gain as NdB = 20 Log V1/V2, where NdB is the required gain, V1 is the voltage needed to drive your earphones, and V2 is the output voltage of the cartridge. You can play around with an Excel spreadsheet (or similar) to solve the equation for your values. The article, which is worth reading to understand how the formula works, is found here: required gain.
Why not use a linestage after the phono stage and plug your headphones into the linestage, assuming it will add enough additional gain to drive them?