Ohm Loads for cartridges


What difference does the ohm load make on a cartridge? I have the ability to change the cartridge load via my pre-amp, what changes will it make?
martnan

Showing 4 responses by gerardff

Okay everyone, I have been reading all the words regarding cartridge loading on this msg. board but I am still a bit confused. I keep getting conflicting information from different sources regarding "cartridge loading" so I hope someone can clear my misconceptions up. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought that a resistor with a higher value, ie. 10K ohms reduced more current than a 500 ohm resistor. If so, does it not follow that placing a 10K ohm resistor to "load" a cartridge would alter the signal from the cartridge, ie., reduce the bandwidth and lower the high frequency signals, etc., more so than a 500 ohm resistor. If this is so than how can a resistor with a lower value, say 500 ohms be said to offer more "loading" on a cartridge than a 10K ohm resistor? This is what Mr. Fremer suggests and yet I have dealers telling me this is wrong. I am confused.
Brian,
Thanks for the help. Unfortunatly answering one questions leads to more questions, so it is said. (Especially among people who know more about the biological world than the electronic world.)
Maybe you can address this problem as it relates to cartridge loading. I was fortunate, (or unfortunate as the case may be) in one swoop replace my table, arm and cartridge. The problem is is that I now have much more emphasis in the HF spectrum than before and the surface noise on LP's is accented quite a bit more than in the past.
Since the first cartridge failed after 6 months I hoped the second one would do better. Surface noise is still too prominent. Even on virgin LP's.
So, in talking to Benz I am told that my phon stage, which is permanently set at 560 ohms, is too low and should be at 10K-20K. And that this is a major cause for my problems. The 2 phono stages I have tried have allowed me to either agjust to a 10K or are set at 20K. In either case the HF emphasis was reduced with more emphasis placed in the med-low range and surface noise was improved a fair amount. So, was it the loading charecteristics of the phonostages or the phonosatges as a whole which made this improvement?
Also, sorry for asking what does "RLC" refer to as you mentioned?
Thanks!
Brian,
I am using a Benz Ruby2. Up until I bought one I had only heard the Benz LO.4. It sounded good so I thought I would try and do better. Hmmm! It has lots of good praise through out the audio bulletin boards.
I have a very strong feeling that the phono stage is just not compatable for some reason. It took me 2 years to get the RF problem solved with it now the sound semi-sucks. It worked so well with my Linn Klyde that I did not worry. The other issue is the the Michell Orbe is alot more revealing a deck than my LP12 was.
Can you expand a bit on the fact that a low resisive load on the cart. mechanically dampens the cantilever? I would have thought that, (let me try this), increasing the resistive load which leads to a decrease in signal strength (thus loading is reduced) would impeed the signal enough to slow or dampen the cantilever. But your saying that as the resistive load approaches zero the machanical dampening of the cart. increases? I was trying to use the water hose and faucet idea to try and convince myself that when you reduce the water flow by closing the faucet down (increasing resistive flow) you cause a pressure build up behind the faucet and a subsequent dampening effect.
Any more help would be great!
Bruce,
Hey thanks for the explanation and clarification! I can't tell you how long I have been asking, searching for a clearer precise answer to my questions. At least it now makes sense when people talk about resistive loading and seem to say one thing and mean another.
I now feel confident to at least begin to address my loading issues.
Thanks to all who answered!!!