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Need some help. I'm considering the purchase of a phono stage with 45 db gain to use with a MC cartridge that has .35 mv output. My preamp has gain of 15 db. Speakers have sensitivity of 89 db and are pretty easy to drive. Amp is a Quad 303 rated at just 45 wpc, but capable of easily driving even fairly difficult loads. I don't listen to music at extremely loud levels.Any thoughts/comments on whether or not the phono stage should be able to handle the cartridge without a MC stepup? (I don't have the opportunity to audition the phono stage.)
Follow Ups:
This type of cartridge would require at 70db of gain to capture to capture the fullest and detail signal it is giving you, we are talking mocrovolts here. MC simply must have excellent gain to work and sound like it should.is sending out.
I own an MC but HO. The painful bit is that you don't have much room on pres in volume in this configuration. That said my system's SPL was limited in range because I have a notriously ridiculous high premp with was siad the gain is 80+ gain stage . Itis an ARC SP6B . I bought it from the original owner who made inumeranble mods. One of them was by the Two Jeffreys in Arizona now defunct, with big caps amongst other changes and The old hand written note of all the mods buy Two Jeffreys tells you to change the 12AX7 to a 12AU7 not in the gain stage bit each row has what ypically toing would be the driver or phase slpitter . So I followed this guys advice and because I am a compulsive tube rollier habit l tubes. I put in lower gain quiet tubes In the main gaoin stages I like the tone and depth of 5751s. Now I can turn vol pot. Still if at noon it is vwery loud I measure it going to 1 O'clock but with my amps only 78 hp and 92 db/M/W sensitive speakers you are pushing !00 on the meter,
The only issue is noise.I have run supposedly low-output Benz Ebony LP and Koetus RSP and Jade Platinum into MM stages, and I quite like the low gain. With your typical high-gain linestage, you can finally turn the preamp's volume control up.
With typical preamps, I never turn the volume past 8:00 on CD sources. But with low-output MCs into the CJ EV-1's 50-something dB gain, the preamp's volume control is at a sensible 10:00 to 11:00.
The only way to know is to try it in your own system/home. There has never been more to choose from than now. So if one particular phonostage doesn't work, try another. Don't get stuck with something that doesn't work or doesn't sound right.
Do you like to solder?Cheers
I think a step-up is in your future. I had a Hagerman Trumpet with 44db of gain and used it with a preamp with 12db of gain and a 50wpc amp. Speakers were 88db. My cartridge was .3mv and it clearly benefited from an additional 14 db of gain and probably could have done better with 20 db. The step up I used was one offered by K&K audio which has multiple configurations and is reasonably priced.
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