@lewm , there is no doubt that high gain will magnify noise already present. My understanding, however, is that not all MC use a high permeability steel shell or other shielding to block or reduce rfi, and that therefore the cartridge can indeed be the culprit for the noise. As we (me and people who actually know this stuff, which I don't) ran different scenarios to rule out the etiology, it seemed the culprit was the MC itself.
As I have an extremely quiet electric system, with an independent breaker for audio, and no noise elsewhere at any volume levels, with speakers or headphones, it is hard for me to accept your diagnosis. That said, if you can explain your thesis more, I'd appreciate it, as I am always ready to discard my previous assumptions.
As I have an extremely quiet electric system, with an independent breaker for audio, and no noise elsewhere at any volume levels, with speakers or headphones, it is hard for me to accept your diagnosis. That said, if you can explain your thesis more, I'd appreciate it, as I am always ready to discard my previous assumptions.