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Cartridge Question

I'm new to all of this, so pardon me if I ask a stupid question. I recently changed the cartridge on my Music Hall MMF-7 from the stock 5mV Goldring Eroica (MC) to an 8mV Ortofon 2M Black (MM). The reason for this was because I was told by the manufacturer that my new Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum needed a higher output cartridge for the internal phono gain stage. While the clarity of the new cartridge has improved dramatically, the warmth of the tube amp basically went away. I decided to put on several different genres of vinyl in an effort to figure out what was ruining the entire reason I purchased the tube amp in the first place. As best I can tell, there is some distortion occurring at higher frequencies; thus what I suspect is drowning out the lower warmth I enjoyed so much when I first received my amp. Any suggestions?
brentwoodleafale

Showing 2 responses by rauliruegas

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rauliruegas
12,781 posts
 
Dear Brent: All the posts has very wise and mature advise on your thread subject, I only want to add some thoughts about:

first the Ortofon is a MM/MI cartridge that needs not only the right load impedance but the total capacitance value ( that the Eroica does not needs. ) too, changing these values help to tame the cartridge quality performance.

second, the Ortofon has almost the double output level and maybe the Rogue can't handle ( has no overload range ) the cartridge characteristics, this is very specific in transientes especialy on high frequencies and you heard/hear the overload of a phono stage like a distortion similar of what you have.

third, maybe the Eroica is a better match for your tonearm than the Ortofon but in this regard I really can't be sure, there is a posibility of that fact.

fourt, at 50% of the volume for your Eroica in the Rogue means that everything is ok. I agree that you re-check the Ortofon set up because that dealer/person seems to me is a little un-experienced.

All these thoughts does not mean that the Eroica is better than the Ortofon but that there are some problems with.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
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rauliruegas
12,781 posts
 
Dear Scott: Certainly that you today capacitance setting is around the cartridge specs because you have to add to those receiver spec of 150pf the cable capacitance.

In a MM/MI cartridges the capacitance makes a difference especially in the high frequency cartridge response, that's why is so important that the phono stage has capacitance value control/switch.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
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