I'm not trying to sound glib but have you reached out to the Hagerman company and asked the same question? They might give you a definitive answer.
Yet another transimpedance question
Having tried 3 LOMC cartridges (Hana Umami Red, Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue and Mutech Hayate) using the Hagerman Piccolo Zero into the mm settings on the Hagerman Trumpet mc…
Would it make any audible difference to switch to a Hagerman Trumpet mm phono stage?
The mc has a jfet front end that does not appear to be bypassed using the mm settings (minimal gain max loading), the mm has no front end like this and is “all tube”. Gain is 44 db at 47k ohm load.
Opinions please?
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Sounds like you’ve been doing it wrong but I’m not certain. However the Zero is most likely meant to drive an MM stage with gain in the range of 40-50db. Not a typical MC stage. Theophile gave you the right idea. Plus what is the input impedance setting on the MC section? If it’s not set at 47K ohms but is instead set at a typical LOMC value of less than 1000 ohms, the Zero may have trouble driving it. |
@theophile Yes, and Jim kindly confirmed that one can not bypass the jfet front end on the MC. He mentioned that is why he issued the MM with no jfet front end. He also said that the jfet head amp is very smooth and quiet. Reading between the lines a bit, it seemed like he was saying it would not make much difference. @lewm The loading is 47k ohm, gain is set to minimum (47 db). And, it is a beautiful thing for the most part. I have been playing with it comparing to using the MC without the Piccolo. Gain set to 60 or 64 db (seems right) and loading anywhere from 220 (IMHO dull) to 47k ohm, best seems to be about 470 to 1000 ohm. I prefer it with the Piccolo in with the Hayate, not so much difference with the Hana Red, and big difference with the Esturo Blue. Still there are some compromises, and others might prefer it the other way. My main question is if it might be "cleaner" audibly with the jfet out of the way... |
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