Ortofon Silver Meister SPU

Hi Fromunda,

Great cartridge for a TD-124 and SMG-212.

You will, however, need to think about a different method of amplification. The Meister Silver has an output of 0.2mV, which is too low for use with the MC section of the Tube Box (which only does 60dB gain and 100 ohm impedance).

A step up transformer would be a good option here, as you'll then be able to achieve the proper gain and loading parameters.

Some people may argue that active MC preamps are more convenient than transformers. This gets to be a matter of religion, but in short, SPU cartridges have a certain vintage appeal and many feel that using an active device would be going against the original methods. That said, a transformer is also going to have its own unique sound quality compared with an active unit.

The Ortofon Verto transformer offers 2 gain options, one of which is designed specifically for SPU use.

Hope this sheds some light on the topic for you!

Louis Dorio
Ortofon Inc (USA)

Thanks Luis. Great info. Will I get any semblance of decent sound with my current set up? I really do not want to have to invest in a step up unless its not utterly crucial.

Hi Fromunda,

I don't want to contradict Louis but if you're asking about the current Meister Silver GM MkII, it's listed on Ortofon's website as outputting .3mV with a DCR of 1.5 ohms and recommended loading of >10 ohms. If that's the case, you can probably get by fine with 60 db of gain and 100 ohm loading. I have an A90 that recommends >10 and 100 is just right for my system.

Silver Meister GM MkII

Perhaps Louis is giving specs for an earlier model Meister Silver with lower output and higher internal resistance. Or perhaps he's thinking of the current Royal GM II (which I own and love), which outputs .2mV with a DCR of 6 ohms, and loads >100 ohms. It sounds great with 64 db of gain in my phono stages but needs to be loaded at 150-175 ohms. Loading at 100 sounds closed in.

Oops, the link above is wrong. Here's the right one:

Meister Silver GMII

Apologies for the round trip.