Cart Loading MC

[Wakefield Turntables]

Andy it would really need to be a re-box for yours to fit those ELMA switches in. RCA socket loading I could do for you no bother in your current cases, but based on what you say you want it visible.

Si, next year mate, DEFINITELY. I've just upgraded every component of my valve system. The XO, the paradise, the 301 and even a replacement amp. So, funds are a little low for a few months. Maybe first quater on 2018. I'll give you a shoult when I'm ready.

[sq225917]

No worries, no rush.

[6L6]

I've used this before, I think ergonomically it's close to perfect;

[Bigman80]

That's very pleasing to the eye.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Firebottle]

...but not the wallet, £12,000

[struth]

yes, lovely bit of kit

[martinjohn308]

Hi Simon,

As you know i’ve had my Paradise about 2 years now, a fabulous phono stage had the Whest 30R before which had dil switches for gains and loading. Yes very easy to switch loading but limited to about 5 or 6 settings.

Coming back to the Paradise gain was fine out of the box using a Kiseki Blue NS but played with loading for several weeks. Started with 330R then progressed to 120R but finally settled on 220R. Yes it’s fiddly unplugging swapping resistors but once settled on the value you told me to buy the Z foil resistors. It’s been playing beautifully ever since, I suppose if if I had several different cartridges it would be easier to have dil switches but for me it’s not an issue.

Regards,

Martin

[Marco]

Let's not forget folks, that the more wire and 'gubbins' that the [tiny and delicate] signal from a low-output MC cartridge has to negotiate, in order for all these different loading options to be facilitated, the less likely that signal is to retain its integrity, and with it, the less music you'll hear...

Therefore, with phono stages, the purist in me says 'Keep It Simple, Stupid', and prioritise quality over convenience, which means having a phono stage dedicated to optimising the sonics and electrical parameters of ONE specific cartridge [the one we like best, thus will end up using most often], all hard-wired into a circuit, with no knobs, dials or switches, all introducing noise into the signal path.

Don't get me wrong, I get the idea of having variable gain and loading options, so you can fiddle to your heart's content, and optimise the sound of cartridges (as far as possible within those restrictions), but once you've found the ideal settings, then the best sound will always be achieved by hardwiring those settings into position, which takes me to my point above, as in audio, there's *always* a sonic penalty to be paid for convenience!

Given what experience has taught me over the years, how I'd do it if I were starting again, would be to have a circuit designed by one of the many capable EEs here [needn't be too expensive] that would allow accurate testing of variable gain and loading options for my favourite cartridge (wouldn't need to be too expensive), which would simply allow me to ascertain the optimal electrical parameters for the cartridge, in terms of gain and loading - nothing else.

Once done, I'd then have a high-quality dedicated phono stage built, which would 'set' the cartridge at those parameters internally and also optimise its sonics, and in that respect it would most likely be a valve-based design, as for me, the best valve phono stages get the most (musically) out of vinyl.

That said, I've still not heard a standalone MC stage, valve or solid-state, that to my ears sounds as good as a high-quality, hardwired throughout, valve MM stage used in conjunction with a top-notch head amp (or in some cases SUT) - ones that truly bring out the best sonic and musical qualities of the partnering cartridge, which is the hard bit and ultimately what it's all about...

In terms of matching, getting the electrical parameters right is piss-easy; the hard bit, and where the real magic lies with vinyl replay, is in understanding how to get a particular cartridge to 'sing' [the concept of 'synergy'], and in turn make the most of the music contained on your records - and that's where science goes out the window, or a fixed adherence to technical considerations, and ears and experience come in!

Marco.

[YNWaN]

If one regularly changes cartridges then I can definitely see the attraction of front mounted controls, but otherwise they just add complexity, cost and extra switch contacts. As Alan wrote earlier, in series RCA loading is cheap, flexible and quick to swap over. The negative is that you have to make, or buy, the loading plugs (making them is very easy though) and extra contacts are introduced into the signal path (as with the switch option). The purist way, but also the most awkward, is to have components that plague in directly supported by a fixed soldered option.

I had all this internal debate when I boxed up my Paradise and, in the end, decided on push fit sockets fitted to the circuit board directly: High quality switches add significant cost whilst still limiting you to a set range of values. RCA loading sockets (or DIN, or other type) nearly one but I didn’t fancy the extra wiring and contacts at such a critical point in the circuit. So I went for board mounted sockets. Still an extra contact but zero extra signal path.

[Marco]

The purist way, but also the most awkward, is to have components that plague in directly supported by a fixed soldered option.

Plague... That bad, eh?

I had all this internal debate when I boxed up my Paradise and, in the end, decided on push fit sockets fitted to the circuit board directly: High quality switches add significant cost whilst still limiting you to a set range of values. RCA loading sockets (or DIN, or other type) nearly one but I didn’t fancy the extra wiring and contacts at such a critical point in the circuit. So I went for board mounted sockets. Still an extra contact but zero extra signal path.

Yup, ultimately the best compromise. Naim had it right with their plug-in 'K' boards, etc. It's just that what was used, component wise, wasn't the of the highest quality, or necessarily implemented optimally, but the principle was right!

Marco.