Phon Preamp/Phono Cartridge Selection

@rbschauman I checked on the Grado Aeon and it certainly has an impressive FR but it does use an elliptical stylus. I am pretty well sold on the micro, fine lines, line contact etc. They are physically able to get more from the record groove than ellipticals or conicals, and from what I've read, they should also be easier on your vinyl collection as their weight is much better distributed. That was the point of the Fine Line stylus used so many years ago by FR on my very first MC cartridge. At 2g tracking, the weight was less PPSI than elliptical or conical tracking at much lower tracking forces. I have ellipticals and conical stylii in other cartridges and they can perform well too but I still prefer the line contact or fine line types. 

I am currently using a LOMC cartridge with .3mv output. It's a different rig than I mentioned, this is on my LP12 with Ekos arm, just recently replaced a Linn Karma LOMC that needs a rebuild. The Karma is very old and the specs that I find show it to have .1mv output but I sometimes wonder if it is 1mv. Still not sure. Either way, all these LOMC cartridges have required me to use SUT in my system. All of them would compare with your own results of volume control being a touch higher when playing vinyl vs CD. I am closer now with the new cartridge and set up than I was with the old Linn or the old FR cartridges. I suspect that is due to the new cartridge having .3mv, around double to triple that of the old Linn or FR's. 

I tried a different phono preamp that I got recently to run an old Empire cartridge that has some odd parameters. This is an Atoll SS phono pre and I was just testing it and breaking it in so tried it with the new LOMC (AT33PTG/II). I am fairly impressed by this cartridge, especially for the money and it's still breaking in. At any rate, I tried the Atoll without SUT, thinking that it may have enough gain as it has 52db gain on MC setting. Definitely not enough. I had to bring in the SUT, which mine only provides 10db more but it's now about perfect and very near same volume for LP vs CD. 

I removed the Atoll from the system, now using the phono stage in the Cary SLP98P F1. I have not tried it without the SUT but so far so good with the SUT in. It is possible that I'd have enough without as I think the Cary provides 60db gain for MC. My SLP98 is a bit of an odd bird, was upgraded to MC by Cary. It would not be suitable for MM or HOMC. 

 I'm just trying to illustrate the amount of gain that I have needed or gotten by with for the last 25 years or so in my own systems and using LOMC cartridges. 52db proved not to be enough for .3mv but bumping it up by 10 made it about perfect. For .1 .14 or .2 LOMC's, I have needed 60 to 70db gain. Just passing along my own observations and hope it helps. Results are bound to vary from one system to the next but the basic principles of requirements should be similar. 

Whenever you review cartridge output specs, it is essential to note the recorded velocity reference point, which a number expressed in millivolts alone does not convey.  The good folks at Grado Labs provide this number (@ 5cm/sec) and a visit to Benz Micro shows they (using a different test record) reference to 3.54cm/sec...making their .7mV almost identical to Grado's 1.0mV.  A typical old school MM has about 5mV@5cm/sec, so these are one fifth of that.  A typical MM gain is around 42dB...so you have 10dB more.  I believe either the Ruby ZH or Aeon3 will match your preamp very well, and equally so.

Having enjoyed both a classic wood bodied Benz Micro MC and an Ortofon Quintet  Black.

I’ve now moved on to Optical and can never go back to coils and magnets. I’m using the DS Audio DS003 Cartridge and my own homebrew phono preamp for it. 
 

Just a thought depending on what your budget is.

@rajugsw 

I’ve now moved on to Optical

My thoughts exactly when I read the original post.  But DS Audio would make the original poster’s pre-amp redundant for vinyl playback.

A quick summary of the benefits of optical, done the DS Audio way:

1. powered cartridge delivers 70-mV giving far higher signal to noise ratio than low output anythings
2. very low effective mass at the stylus tip giving excellent groove tracing with an assortment of stylus shapes
3. no electromagnetic effects in the cartridge
4. very good suppression of surface noise

Downsides are

1. cost
2. the readout signal is position-dependent, not velocity dependent so a specialised equaliser is required

DS Audio will be my next upgrade, if I live long enough to raise the dough.  Very interested in your home brew equaliser ...

@rbschauman 

It's no wonder you were confused when posters start talking about SUT's for 40db phono stages when yours is 53db.

Its also unfortunate when folk do a 300 word diatribe on their own system that bears no similarities to yours.

The bottom line is :

Soundsmith for example for their 1.1mv output cartridge recommend a 53-54db phono.

The Grado at 1.omv should be about right for your 53db phono.

The gain difference you are experiencing as @lewm said with line is that many digital systems have quite a high output.

The suggestion that the 2.5mv Benz will provide more headroom is completely wrong. By putting a higher output into your phono you will have less headroom in the phono section.

I have a friend who had no trouble running the same medium output Benz into a 55db Conrad Johnson phono.

The difference comes down to noise floor, the lower the output the higher you have to turn the volume up then the higher the noise floor.

Cartridges around that 1.0mv include Grado, Soundsmith, EMT.

Also Van den Hul and Benz both do cartridges around 0.7 that should still work, given that your power amps are very sensitive and you have plenty of overall gain in your system. It just comes back to what is an acceptable noise floor with the VDH and Benz vs the slightly higher output other Grado, Soundsmith, EMT.

Either the Grado or Soundsmith medium output would be the simplest option because they are both optimum at 47k - which suits your phono. Both great cartridges.