Allnic H-1201 Cartridge loading?


Hello all!
i am considering upgrading my phono pre to an Allnic H-1201.  However, I am concerned by the lack of loading with this unit.  Am I missing something?  If you select MC input, what is the loading?  Also, how about MM?  Do I understand correctly there is no loading capabilities with the H-1201?  Is that possible, a $3k phono preamp with no loading?
Thanks for any and all comments.
Louis

louisl
I've owned a H-1201 for a couple of years now. Great phono stage, IMHO.
I run my Transfiguration Phoenix S at the +26 setting, sounds great.
$3K seems to be a lot of money for you, but remember, the H1201 is Allnic Audio's entry level phono stage. Of the 5 phono stages in their lineup, the H1201, at $3K is the least expensive, the baby.
The Allnic's are famous for their transformers, not their loading resistors.

Obviously, if you're the type that loves tweaking, and playing around with VTA, Azimuth, VTF, loading, etc., then maybe this is not the phono stage for you. I do know guys who adjust the VTA for every LP they spin. If this is you, then the H1201 is not for you.

I have owned more expensive phono stages that were not user resistance loading friendly. I sent my Walker Audio phono stage back to Lloyd Walker if I wanted to change the loading/gain, as there was soldering involved, with allegedly very fragile nude resistors.
I've heard that Tom Evans phono stages also have to be sent to the factory to adjust the loading/gain.
Not every manufacturer thinks that those tiny dip switches are the best answer to loading, in a puritanical sense.

Everyone is different. If you want to play around with loading, get a phono stage that allows you to do that. If you want bass and treble controls, get a preamp that has those features.
I agree with Jmcgrogan2's post above. BTW; I also own the H-1201.
You can always direct questions to Albertporter (Audiogon member) that is a dealer for Allnic, and I'm sure he can answer any question you might have regarding the Allnic line. Albert is an all around good guy!
Louis, You’ve got the right idea, for MC, but the wrong correspondence between db of gain and resistance. The values are stated in reverse order in the review, gain vs resistance. I think it would be as follows:
62 db gain = 278 Ohms = 13X gain
66 db gain = 117 Ohms = 20X
68 db gain = 69 Ohms = 26X
72 db gain = 29 Ohms = 40X
In other words, as gain goes up, resistance goes down, because you are using transformers with increasingly higher turns ratios to get more gain.

For MM, I would guess the MM inputs bypass all of the 4 permalloy SUTs and end up with the 40db total gain that is inherent to the RIAA section (adequate for most MMs, perhaps a little low for some MI types). Also, since the impedance seen is equal to the value of the static load resistor divided by the square of the turns ratio, for MC, we can extrapolate back using any of the above set of data points to get the value of the load resistor seen by the MM cartridge (and also at the secondaries of each of the 4 SUTs), which would be 47K ohms, as predicted and as is typical.
(For 40X gain, that means the turns ratio is 1:40. The square of 40 is 1600. 47K divided by 1600 is 29 ohms, as shown above.)