Cartridge Loading- Low output M/C

Dear @catcher10: I for got:

""" I have my own fully proccess to make audio items evaluations in my system through listening sessions. """

Through my self " designed " evaluation proccess I don’t listen to the " woods/forest " because we just can be losted inside it.

Years ago I choosed very carefully the specific LP tracks ( different LPs. ) to use in that overall proccess and at each track 1-3 minutes that gives me/shows me specific characteristics of sounds ( mainly at both frequency range extremes that’s where music belongs in a home system/room. )

Always use same tracks for the same specific characteristics. In this way the proccess is repeatable and through the time with absolute control on it. I even know exactly the tone of a click in the track when exist on it.

One of the advantages to stay away from the " woods/forest " is that first I can’t be losted second that I test at an specific branch in an specific tree insided the forest and third is that with out doubt I know for sure what to look for for the evaluation validity/certainty. There is no " land " to mistakes no matter what.


I have to say that for me was and is a very useful tool that I can use with any system/room and always determine what is happening down there.

Btw, Allaerts is another example of what I posted and @amg56 is rigth. I own the MC2 Finish Gold and J.Allaerts is extremely precise not only in the specific loading but VTF too where in both the range to move is a minimum one.
Btw, was my Allaerts cartridge the sample used to the review in Stereophile, I borrowed to MF because the manufacturer " never " has cartridges for that, is always over-sold.

R.

@rauliruegas 
Maybe I misunderstood your previous message about you loading at 47K ohms.....all is good.
And yes room acoustics and many other issues we cannot really control come into play.

I have not had my ears cleaned by a professional in many year, I don't remember the last time this happened, should look into that :)

Cheers

I am using a humble Musical Surroundings Phonomena II. My daily driver is a Hana SL mounted on a Sumiko Premier MMT with continuous wiring to the RCAs; ergo shorter or lower capacitance cable is not an easy option. The integrated is a Primare I32 and for cartridge set-up I usually use Stax SRX MK 3 headphones, so only the I32's pre-amp is in the loop.

The internal impedance of the Hana is 30 Ohms. The Phonomena has a capacitive loading switch which I set to 200 pF, the lower option. Between 475 and 100,000 ohms I must confess that the differences I think I hear in the music are so small they may be imagined. Is this to be expected or should I run immediately to a good Otolarygologist?
What I do hear is that the hiss and ticks between tracks are less at 50 and 100 kOhms.  

@2channel8 The PII is a great phono stage, with huge adjustability. Performs well above price point. I have one in another system.....
The Hana is a .5mV output, what gain are you set at? Hana suggests >400 ohms loading, what are you at and do you know the capacitance of your phono cable?
If you are running gain at more than 56-57dB...that might be why you don't notice any differences. Too much gain can kill dynamics and resolution......

Between 475 and 100,000 ohms I must confess that the differences I think I hear in the music are so small they may be imagined. Is this to be expected or should I run immediately to a good Otolarygologist?

About 30 years ago I worked on developing a box that would allow a person to know what the right loading value for a LOMC cartridge actually was. To this end, I had to pass squarewaves through the cartridge, as the proper loading would be that which prevented 'ringing' a harmonic distortion caused by the fact that the cartridge is an inductor.
To my surprise, I discovered that any LOMC could pass a 20KHz squarewave regardless of loading. The only thing that changed was if the loading value was reduced too much, the output went down.
That was when I realized something else was afoot with loading. Its not the cartridge, its the preamp that is reacting, as described elsewhere in this thread (the loading box concept was thus abandoned).

Some takeaways (all previously covered):
1) If your phono section requires loading to sound right, it is due to an overload margin problem, inherent instability of the circuit, or both.
2) If the circuit is unstable, you will experience more ticks and pops that sound like the LP has a noisy surface.
3) the loading will decrease the compliance of the cartridge, which in turn will reduce its high frequency response. How much is hard to say, but some people (myself included) have heard loading act like a tone control, and this may be part of the reason why, since under normal circumstances, the RF peak that results is usually well outside the audio band unless a MM cartridge is used or the tone arm cable has crazy high capacitance.