MC loading at 47K


Hi All,

Just after some expert advice from your good selves if I may. My current system is as follows:

Musical Fidelity KW550 intergrated amp which has a MM and MC section, both loaded at 47K. The only difference between them is the step up voltage.

My turntable is the Rega P9 with Ortofon Kontrapunkt A.

Looking at changing my cartridge but honestly cant decide between MM or MC.

My music taste are as follows:

Reggae
Soul
Female Vocal
RNB

No classical or jazz.

So what should I choose based I'm only limited to a 47K loading. I was thinking either of the below:

1. Ortofon Jubilee (MC)
2. Ortofon 2M black (MM)
3. Clear Audio Maestro (MM)

Is there a down side to loading up a MC so much?

Thoughts please...thanks
che13
I have the Benz Glider SM and have experimented with the loading using a Phonomena. FIRST of all I should mention that you should set the arm level or slightly lower at the back end and the playing weight correctly BEFORE you play with the loading. If you do not you end up trying to correct a VTA related issue with the cartridge loading!!!

The Benz spec sheet has a huge window from 200 ohms to 47K so obviously that is not much use. The 47K gives a lot of width but it falls down in complex passages of an orchestra you lose a lot of the individual instruments in a hodge-podge of sound. I ended up at 680 ohms. Lowering it beyond that thinned out the sound too much.
>>03-20-11: Stops
I ended up at 680 ohms. Lowering it beyond that thinned out the sound too much<<

That's rather odd.

In most cases lowering the value makes the presentation more thick, muddy, or congested.

YMMV
>>03-20-11: Geoch
I think that he meant "lowering the loading" (not the value).<<

I don't.
Lowering the load thins out the sound in an MC cartridge. It also narrows the stage width but it adds more definition.