Help me improve Rega P2

Why go through these expensive contortions.....you may be satisfied with the increased definition, cleaner lows, and midrange improvements by just putting the table on Cardas blocks.

Jim Hagerman has an interesting discussion of capacitance as well as some models and even a calculator here that some of you may find (ahem) enlightening:

http://www.hagtech.com/loading.html

Interesting that he refers to Grado cartridges as moving magnet, but I guess that's as close as one can get to moving iron.

Thanks Marty (Viridian). I happen to be very familiar with that paper. While it can often be useful and informative, it also oversimplifies and overlooks a number of things.

Relevant to what is being discussed here, it conveys the impression that what will be optimal for a MM is reduction of load capacitance to negligible levels. The rationale being that minimization of load capacitance, in addition to maximizing bandwidth, will eliminate what might otherwise be a resonant peak in frequency response falling within or affecting the audible range of frequencies. What that doesn't take into account, however, are the effects on frequency response of the mechanical characteristics of the cartridge. Specifically, as I understand it, for MM's elimination of that resonant peak will typically result in significant frequency response rolloff in the upper treble region. While if some amount of resonant peaking is allowed that rolloff will be "filled in" by the resonant peak.

At the same time, though, as he indicates too much capacitance can also cause premature rolloff, while also causing the resonant peak to be excessively large and to occur at frequencies that are excessively low. Therefore both too little capacitance and too much capacitance will, for MM's, result in uneven frequency response and/or premature rolloff in the treble region. Which is why the cartridge manufacturers provide, or at least should provide, a recommended RANGE of load capacitance.

Best regards,
-- Al

Al, I intentionally linked the Hagerman article without interpreting it as I felt that most readers would be discerning enough to know that spice simulations are very rough approximations of what is happening in the real world. And that they would be able to get a sense of how capacitive loading broadly effects frequency response and the inevitable HF resonance.

But now I too feel compelled to forward my, very different, interpretation of the simulations. You see my take is that flat response and maximal bandwidth are neither desirable, nor sonically consonant with the fabric of the music.

I pretty much think that any of those curves could be the preferred one in a given system and more importantly, with given source material, since that is where the violence is oft times done to the signal. So my advice to the OP is to use capacitive loading as the tone control that it is, or ignore it completely, rather than worry about flat response and maximal bandwidth.

Funny enough, Graham Slee slogs through the maths as well and comes to the conclusion that the effects of capacitive loading are sonically inconsequential:

http://www.gspaudio.co.uk/blog/phono-cartridge-loading-capacitor_post78.html

Different perspectives all.

Thanks again for all of the thoughtful responses. At the risk of perpetuating a thread that seems to have taken on a life of it's own I'd like to be more specific about what's bothering me about my system. It's lack of solid bass. I don't have a test LP to give a precise frequency cut off but rather when compared to the same music on CD, Tidal or occaisonal high rez download. Also, my recall is that on my previous TT, an Ariston RD11s with Grace 707 and Shure cartridge, there was no shortage of low frequency info. Perhaps, looking back through rose colored glasses though. So in terms of improving bass performance, is one of the cartridges discussed above the way to go, or is this a more fundamental problem? I may end up getting a new phono stage in my Odyssey Tempest pre-amp in the next few months. I'm told this is the Symphonic Line stage with 150microfarad input capacitance.

Thanks, Jim