Denon DL-110 output voltage

[hal55]

The Ortofon omega I'm using has 4mv output. I want to upgrade it and was thinking of the DL-110 but the low output voltage of 1.6mv has me concerned that it may not be a good match. I know it is a HOMC and supposedy will work int a standard MM stage but is this really the case? Having less than half the output of a typical moving magnet it seems like a bit of a risky move as I don't have an excess of gain with Ortofon as is, hence going to half that just doesn't sound as though it will work.
Anyone found the Denon too low output?

Hal55

[twotone]

I've been using one for acouple of years through various phono stages, mainly integrated amp ones, and have never really had a problem with loudness levels but with my current set up I've had to turn the volume up a bit more than I had previously.

My amp is an A&R A60 feeding a pair of JR149s.

[vacdac]

Both variants of t' Sumiko Bluepoint output 2.5mv & t' Evo in particular can be quite decent when well matched. T' Benz silver outputs 2mv which is also a tad more healthy. But I'd Imagine you'd have to import to manage sub £200 for one of these.

EDIT

I see you're in Oz, so importing may well be a good option, dependent on home market availability/pricing. 2juki who trades on ebay is based in HK & always has a wide selection of fine carts at good prices.

[Qwin]

It largely depends on what you are putting it through.

I recently bought a Denon DL-301 II which is a LOMC of 0.4mV
I didn’t have a MC phono stage at the time of purchase and ran it in on my Graham Slee GAIISE which is a MM Phono stage with quite high gain. I put this through my Sugden A21a class A amplifier of a mear 30W and got quite respectable listening levels at only 180 deg rotation of the volume (well before clipping).

You may well have enough overall gain in your system. It can also depend on the sensitivity of both your phono stage and amplifier. (what signal strength they expect to receive and how far the phono is from your cartridge output), there is only one sure way of knowing and that is to try it.

[Gromit]

I've used a DL110 into many different phonostages and never had a single problem with lack of gain. Presently using one into a Trichord Dino (set to high MM) and the difference in output between it and a Reson Reca (think Goldring 1042) is minimal. Nor is there an issue into the MM stage of my Sony 770ES.

[DSJR]

Most if not all modern MM stages will have enough signal/noise ratio to enable the 110 with no noise or gain issues. You'll just have to turn the volume up a tad higher, that's all. Unless I'm totally out on this (apologies if I am), half the output is 3db??????? so the 110 will worsen s/n by around 4db or so over a 5mv or so cartridge (same recorded velocity).

[Rare Bird]

I'm using a 'DL110' temporarily, I've had it through a whole host of amps with no gain issues at all.

[hal55]

All that is reassuring news, looks like I can put it back on the shopping list. I love strings and piano pieces and am hoping it can bring some of the MC virtues to the party and be a substantial upgrade to the humble but surprisingly capable Ortofon Omega I am currently using.

Hal55

[Packgrog]

I use an amp with many different loading and gain levels. I've found that the best results come from using the closest settings to standard MM inputs (in my case, 50k Ohms, 40db gain). The ideal loading is probably closer to something between 43k and 47k, but those are not options on my amp.

Originally I had the gain set for 44db, which more closely matches what the specs suggest to be appropriate. I found that this lead to a sound that was a bit too harsh, so I dropped it back down to 40db. I've read that the output of the DL-110 is a bit higher than what is stated in the specs, so this makes more sense.

Given that I'm still using the DL-110, and my other cartridge is a Stanton D680, I somewhat regret buying the more expensive Phonomena II instead of the Cambridge 640p that I'd originally planned on getting, as it may have been a better match for my current use. Given that my ultimate goal was to graduate to Low Output Moving Coils down the road, though, I jumped on a good deal for the Phonomena. Not quite ideal, but I'll get there some day.

So yeah, stick with MM inputs when using a DL-110. You'll need to turn up the volume a bit more than with an actual moving magnet cart, but it'll be worth it.