Dear Jonathan,
I take your point on frequency response, and I am sorry I ever wrote it; it was really beside the point of my post.
On the matter of load resistance, I SAID at least twice, albeit perhaps badly, that load resistance CAN affect gain, but not perceptibly unless the load resistance gets down low enough in ohmic value such that it is less than a multiple of the cartridge's internal resistance. The case in point was 47K. Surely a 47K load is not going to have a perceptible effect on reducing the gain of any MC cartridge. The reason I left it vague as regards the critical minimal relationship between phono input resistance and cartridge internal resistance that seems to preserve gain, is because there does not seem to be much agreement among those "in the know" as to what relationship is acceptable vs what relationship WILL result in a perceptible loss of gain. Classically, if you read elementary texts aimed at audiophiles, the relationship between output and input resistance is often said to be at least 1:10, in order to avoid perceptible loss of gain. But with MC cartridges, I have read all sorts of claims; it seems to be a "muddy" area. Many claim to be able to go below a 1:10 ratio with no perceptible loss of gain. (For example, the legions of Denon DL103 users who select 100R and less to load that cartridge.) I personally have never tried going below 1:10, so I cannot comment up or down, let alone have I taken measurements. One manufacturer who is also a friend of mine suggests that one might progressively reduce load R until one does perceive loss of gain, then go back up to the next lowest value of load R as the optimal choice for that particular cartridge. I've never tried that either. I am guessing you would not approve.
So, back to the original bone of contention, all I meant to claim was that 47K ohms is not going to perceptibly reduce the gain of any MC cartridge. Thank you for correcting the part of my statement that was apparently erroneous, with regard to the effect of load on frequency response. If you say so, I accept that I was wrong. You certainly know more about this subject than I will ever know or need to know.
I take your point on frequency response, and I am sorry I ever wrote it; it was really beside the point of my post.
On the matter of load resistance, I SAID at least twice, albeit perhaps badly, that load resistance CAN affect gain, but not perceptibly unless the load resistance gets down low enough in ohmic value such that it is less than a multiple of the cartridge's internal resistance. The case in point was 47K. Surely a 47K load is not going to have a perceptible effect on reducing the gain of any MC cartridge. The reason I left it vague as regards the critical minimal relationship between phono input resistance and cartridge internal resistance that seems to preserve gain, is because there does not seem to be much agreement among those "in the know" as to what relationship is acceptable vs what relationship WILL result in a perceptible loss of gain. Classically, if you read elementary texts aimed at audiophiles, the relationship between output and input resistance is often said to be at least 1:10, in order to avoid perceptible loss of gain. But with MC cartridges, I have read all sorts of claims; it seems to be a "muddy" area. Many claim to be able to go below a 1:10 ratio with no perceptible loss of gain. (For example, the legions of Denon DL103 users who select 100R and less to load that cartridge.) I personally have never tried going below 1:10, so I cannot comment up or down, let alone have I taken measurements. One manufacturer who is also a friend of mine suggests that one might progressively reduce load R until one does perceive loss of gain, then go back up to the next lowest value of load R as the optimal choice for that particular cartridge. I've never tried that either. I am guessing you would not approve.
So, back to the original bone of contention, all I meant to claim was that 47K ohms is not going to perceptibly reduce the gain of any MC cartridge. Thank you for correcting the part of my statement that was apparently erroneous, with regard to the effect of load on frequency response. If you say so, I accept that I was wrong. You certainly know more about this subject than I will ever know or need to know.