Thank you so much for that detailed response - I really appreciate the lesson. Apparently there are some moving coil cartridges, such as the Sumiko Blue Point Special that a friend recommended to me, that do not require the pre-preamp. Does that mean they have more coil windings around the cantilever, and thus give up some of the advantages offered by the lower output ones?
moving coil vs. moving magnet question
As someone who is just getting back into the whole "audiophile" thing, I'm wondering what kind of cartridge to get. My Rega P3 with Grace 727 tonearm presently has an old Supex 900 low output moving coil cartridge that I'd like to replace. I use a PS audio step-up for it, but wonder whether I'd be disappointed if I went to a MM cartridge, e.g. a Shure V15v. What's the sonic difference between MC and MM?