 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
138.162.5.7
I am using a Benz Micro Ace low output cart on my Sota Sapphire with a Graham Robin tonearm. I am using a VTL TL 5.5 with a built in phono pre with a mc section with 68 dB gain with moving coil and a mm secton with 45 bB of gain. The rest of my system is a VTL ST150 amp and Vienna Acoustic Beethoven speakers. I listen to Rock and Blues almost exclusively.I love the sound I am getting out of my system now. I traded in a Sumiko Blue Point, which I hated, for the Ace and I have never looked back. The reason I wanted to try a moving magnet or moving iron cart are two fold.
First and foremost is the lady who lives in the apartment next to me. She complains about loud music sometimes and I feel like I probably bother her more than she lets me know. The problem is I have too much gain. I can't turn my pre amp down far enough without getting into a bad spot on the pot in my volume control. One channel drops out before the other. I didn't have this problem with the Blue Point as I ran it through the mm section and it only put out 2.5 mv. I want to be a good neighbor so I need to change something.
The other reason is I like to play with my stereo and I am just wanting to give a non mc cart a try and to have more than one cartridge.
Any suggestions for a moving magnet or moving iron cart that is around $500.00 or less that rocks and isn't too bright, i.e. like the Blue Point.
Cheers,
Jim
Follow Ups:
I would like to thank Garth Ray and Henry for the good ideas.I almost bought the Ortofon 540 before I got the Ace. I wanted to test out the mc section of my preamp. I didn't know it was only 3mV. This sounds like a good match and I will probably buy one shortly.
Garth, I am eagerly awaiting your advice on the SUT. This idea has piqued my interest greatly.
Ray, I think you are right about all pots sucking. I have been lusting after an Aesthetix Janus pre for a while now. I like the idea of using stepped attenuator volume control.
Cheers,
Jim
Most will be in the range of 4-5mV and frankly 45dB is a lot of gain for a MM section.Why not just try the Benz on the MM input? Perhaps a 1:10 or 1:5 transformer with the Benz on the MM input loaded so the load impedance is the same as the cartridge impedace? This may give you just the overall voltage you need to use the volume pot in the useable range. And probably sound better than the MC input to boot!
How do they work? I mean do they have adjustable impedances? Or is it a function of the step up? My mc has a 300 ohm fixed load and this works very well with the Ace. My mm is fixed at 47Kohms. I must admit that transformer loading always confuses me as they seem to have different values than resistor loading.Thanks for the tip.
Jim
I can tell you pretty much what you need and it will cost ALOT less than a new MM cartridge and sound WAY better, in fact WAY better than how it sounds now. My opinion.Cheers!
the supplier posts an internal ohms figure of 12 ohms. Is that the same as DC resistance?Cheers,
Jim
FG 70 stylus. $230 from William Thakker on eBay.
HenryA 12-gauge shotgun is the ultimate arbiter of disputes - G. Gordon Liddy
Amazingly enough I was just up on Thacker's site looking at the Denon 103 as a possible option for a turntable rebuild project (Sansui FR 4060) and ran across this cartridge. Can you provide more details?
Sim
Especially if you're otherwise happy with the Ace.cheers,
Close to the Edge, down by the river....
-Ray
Hey Ray,Thanks for the suggestion.
I don't think it is much of an issue with the pre amp. I kind of expect that a potentiometer will sound crappy at its extreams, and I mean extream here. If my volume knob had numbers from 1 to 10 it would be around 1 or below. I am just the victim of a high gain phono stage, high gain preamp, efficient speakers and a neighbor with sensitive hearing. Plus, if I got the preamp serviced I wouldn't have two cartridges to play with.
Cheers,
Jim
Hi Jim,
All potentiometers sound like crap once you hear a preamp that doesn't actually have one.I was thinking along the lines of getting the output trimmed so that the pot is useful throughout its range. Maybe installation of a switchable circuit?
Just a thought.
Cheers,
Ray
Close to the Edge, down by the river....
-Ray
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]