Cartridge loading question

@atmasphere thanks, how will one know when they've reached critical damping by ear without the help of a program or device when having to consider various phenomenas?

You can get pretty close by ear, but to do it you need a stereo potentiometer, wired as a stereo rheostat, loading the cartridge. I usually use a 100K device.

Turn down the control until the highs seem to go away and then back off. There should be no change in volume, just the highs, which should sound normal and extended but not bright.

You will be compensating for other factors in your system but without instrumentation this means works pretty good.

That’s the way Harvey Rosenberg taught me to tune Decca cartridges, also a moving iron (actually, variable reluctance) design; loading resistance and capacitance to critically damp the particular specimen of the cartridge one owned (back then every Decca was different!). I think he called it a tuned circuit. I miss Harvey.

@atmasphere thanks, can you please clarify the following:

"Turn down the control until the highs seem to go away and then back off." What control are you speaking of? I am using a Pass Labs XP-15 if that helps. Thanks.

If you reread my last post, you will see that you have to obtain the control- a stereo potentiometer and then wire it as a stereo rheostat.

Radio Shack used to sell just the thing for about $5.00; this one should do nicely:
 http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-ALPHA-C100K-100K-ohm-Dual-Stereo-Potentiometer-Log-Taper-pots-20mm-shaft-...