Denon PMA-A110 Phono Upgrade!

@elliottbnewcombjr I am using the A33XMLB from Audio Technica. I find thatvI need to crank the volume almost all the way up to get a good 90DB Volume out of it. I am liking the Step Up Transformer you recommended. ? Or do I need a better Phono Preamp? 

note: guidance for loading a LOMC is coil impedance x 10. your coil is 12 ohms, thus guidance is 120 ohm. Your A110 MC has fixed 100 ohms which is close enough.

A. Your LOMC cartridge directly to your Denon A110’s Phono Input:

always turn the volume down before changing any settings

1. your front panel MC/MM Switch should be MC ON (white light ON, OFF is MM). Normally that should be enough signal strength for adequate volume, and 0.42mV from the cartridge is actually a lot from a LOMC.

2. Your A110 MM S/N 84db (signal to noise) is much higher than the MC S/N 72 db, which implies but does not specifically state how much gain each position provides, but less gain using MC is implied. 

note: IF your A110 MM Phono has more gain than it’s MC setting, then using a SUT combined with the A110’s MM setting would give you more volume than using it’s MC stage.

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B. Use an external SUT to pre-boost an MC signal, then use any MM Phono Input for RIAA EQ and signal boost, i.e. your A110’s MM Phono (light off), or any separate/alternate MM Phono Stage you may buy.

FRT-4, you could use either 10 ohm or 30 ohm impedance choices, either would give substantial signal boost without overloading the A110’s MM Phono Input. You pick what you prefer, you won’t hurt anything. 

PASS: bypasses the internal transformers, to simply PASS MM or HOMC High Output Moving Coil output, so you don’t need to change any wires when you change cartridges or tonearms

3 ohm setting = x factor 35.84 x 0.42mv = 15.05 mV  (too much gain); resultant impedance is 37 ohms (too low) (if into 47k)

10 ohm setting = x factor 20.68 x 0.42 mV = 8.68 mV; resultant impedance is 110 ohms

30 ohm setting = x factor 18.27 x 0.42 = 7.67 mV; resultant impedance is 141, perhaps the best for your A33xMLB.

100 ohm setting = x factor 10.55 x 0.42 = 4.43 mV; resultant impedance is 423 (too high)

Elliot wrote, "Your A110 MM S/N 84db (signal to noise) is much higher than the MC S/N 72 db, which implies but does not specifically state how much gain each position provides, but less gain using MC is implied." No. Obviously the MC inputs will have MORE gain than the MM inputs, else they are mislabeled. The S/N ratio simply says that the MC inputs will be a bit noisier than the MM inputs, probably along with higher gain.  But you need not guess how much gain you have on the MC inputs; most likely the information is available, if they provide the S/N information (S/N = signal to noise).  The value in decibels (db) is the ratio of the signal voltage to the noise voltage, for a given signal voltage output. Once you know the phono gain available on the MC inputs, you can actually calculate the signal voltage output from the phono stage, using the signal voltage output of the cartridge as a starting point (0.42mV).  db are a logarithmic quantity, so small differences in the numbers make a big difference in voltage output. For a rule of thumb, 60db gain means a 1000X increase in V.  There are tables on the internet for easy calculation.

@lewm 

I agree with you, except OP’s need to turn the volume up so high, and I cannot find any specs for MM and MC gain.

The difference of MC S/N 72db to MM S/N 84db is substantial.

Denon specifically mentions their DL-A110 cartridge with 0.3mV signal strength.

Perhaps OP errantly had his MC button in the MM position which skips pre-boost for weak MC signals, that would explain the need for max volume.

The difference between 72db SN and 84db SN is indeed substantial but not atypical for comparing MM to MC gain stages, because the MC gain stage needs to develop much more gain. If for example the MM stage provides 40 db gain and the MC stage provides 60db gain, and assuming the downstream pathway is common to both, then you would expect such a big difference in SN ratios.  And even 72db is below (less noisy) than the inherent noise of vinyl.  Most spec sheets don’t bother, but SN should really be quoted in negative numbers, like -72db, to indicate that noise level is 72db below the signal level at a given output and frequency (both also almost never specified). In practice one might not notice any difference in audible noise between the MM and MC stages of that phono. But in any case, my main point is that SN and gain are two different things that happen both to be measured in db and are inter-related because more gain usually costs in terms of (lower or reduced) SN ratio.