sonneteer sedley phono stage problems ...with denon 304

[sergiox]

Hi guys , i ve a sonneteer sedley phono stage and a denon dl 304 cart ,it's a moving coil, the sedley is configurable , ive tried several options but the sound is very low ,

the denon dl 304 has these specifications:

Output: 0.18 mV
Output Impedance: 40 ohms
Stylus: 0.07 x 0.1mm special elliptical tip
Frequency range: 20 Hz to 70 kHz
Tracking force: 1.0~1.4g
Compliance 14 x 10-6 cm/dyne
Weight: 7.0g


and the sedley can be configured with these options :

input impedance: 47k, 100R, 47R, 1k selectable

Input capacitance: 220pF, 100pF, 47pF, 10pF (allows for multiple combinations)

Gain: High (MC), Low (MM)




what do you think is the best combination in input impedance and capacitance to have an acceptable sound ?

thank you very much !
cheers
s.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Just so that we have the full information, what amp/s are you connecting this phono stage to Sergio?

[sergiox]

Just so that we have the full information, what amp/s are you connecting this phono stage to Sergio?


Hello Grand wazoo! The amps are :

A system: nva ap10

B system: nva monos a70 with a passive preamp (nva p50sa)


thank you,

cheers
s.

[Dominic Harper]

Hi. Gain is the issue here. The Denon has a very low out put, plus your using a passive pre.
The Sedley has an input sensitivity of 0.5mv on MC I believe. The Denon's out put is 0.18mv.
For most people just whacking up the volume usually does the trick, but in your system this may not work if the phono stage is on the noisy side.
I am not a big fan of passive pre's, they lack drive for me.
If turning up the volume doesn't work, you need to look at either-
changing the phono stage for one better suited to the denon,
changing the denon to a higher out put cartridge,
or maybe changing the pre?
Sorry for the glum reply.

[blake]

In theory, the problem should not be with the Sedley. If the specs I've seen are correct it offers 64 db of gain on the MC setting which is just about ideal (65 is pretty much dead on for an output of .18 mV, so 64 is pretty darn close).

Capacitance settings are meaningless with a MC cartridge.

Ideal setting should be High/MC for the gain and probably 100 or 220 ohms for the impedance on the phono stage. 1K ohms is a possibility as well but my bet would be on 100 or 220.

If there are still problems then I'd be looking at the passive preamp as the culprit.

If the sound is dull and anemic even when you really crank the volume pot that is indicative of a problem. If it is simply lower when compared to the output from your CD player that is another thing altogether and is quite normal. Not unusual at all to run much higher on the volume pot with vinyl than CD to achieve the same SPL's.

[sergiox]

thank you very much Blake , and thank you very much to all of you guys!
have a nice evening!
s.