Mike Fremer thinks that low output moving coils sound best when "loaded", meaning a low impedance setting. I definitely agree. Generally, if your cartridge is high output, the best impedance will be over 1000 ohms, and usually around 50k ohms. I am using 384 ohms with my Benz Lo4 cartridge, and it's output is .85 millivolts (at 5 cm/sec, I believe). The Glider HO that I previously had, had an output of 2.8 millivolts, and sounded best with either the 50k ohm, or 100k ohm setting. My phono stage also has selectable capacitance loading (either 200 or 300 picofarads), and I've always used the 200, but need to try the 300. The amount of gain in the phono stage can also affect dynamic contrast. If there isn't enough gain, dynamics tend to sound soft, even though you may be able to play the music loud, if you turn the linestage's volume up far enough. Mine is set now, where I don't ever have to go above unity gain on the linestage, and is 55 dB of gain in the phono stage.....................Albert, it seems like the most pivotal area to replace with quality resistors would be in the section that determines gain, and not so much the impedance (since the gain is a pad circuit, where resistors are in both in series and parallel with the signal's path...and the impedance loading section is just different dip switches that select different resistors that are all in PARALLEL with the signal's path)...............ALSO, ALBERT, DOES YOUR AESTHETIX PHONO HAVE A SUBSONIC FILTER? I've decided that many records that have even slight warpage should use them....it'd be nice to be able to toggle between using a subsonic filter, or bypassing it, but I don't know of any phono stages that allow for that. Mine has no subsonic filter, and listening to speakers with cones allows one to see the subsonic noise....and also the load the power amp is being asked to drive...very close to direct current.