Ok, earlier on the thread I mentioned that I'd bought the above kit to experiment with and 'tune' the response of my Shure SC35C:



Instructions for use:



Strangely, I guess, in my decades of using turntables, cables and phono stages, I've never experimented with adding capacitance to a MM phono input, as I've never felt the need to, happily using any MM phono stage I've had 'as is', in terms of loading, with many different cartridges, and considered the sound as being great!

However, little did I know that although the sound was great, there was still much more to come... And I'd probably never have discovered that, if I hadn't read comments elsewhere discussing the merits of the SC35C, mentioning that it 'liked' to see more capacitance over and above what existed as standard, via the usual loading of 47k Ohms, provided by the MM phono stage in my Croft preamp.

Yes, in the past I'd experimented with loading values with moving-coils, but never with MM cartridges, so I was about to embark on a voyage of brand new discovery! A what a discovery it's been.... Therefore, after having tried all of the above loading plugs (the construction quality of which is excellent), and assessed them sonically, I settled for the 'Brown' ones rated at 150pF. See here, in situ (fitted as described in the instructions above):



Adding any more capacitance than that, by fitting the plugs with the higher values, tended to rob the sound of 'life', limiting high-frequency extension and vocal clarity, so the plugs with those values were fairly quickly rejected, but may well be used in other applications.

The goal it seems, of using these plugs is to 'tune' the optimal loading value for the cartridge, in order that the flattest frequency response is obtained, and when that's achieved, the subsequent benefits it brings, sonically, are very obvious: less 'grain', more openness/expansiveness throughout the frequency range, with sweeter highs and the removal of a slight 'spitty' quality and 'glare' to vocals [I suspect due to a more accurate treble response],plus a more textured and mellifluous sounding midrange, and cleaner more rhythmic bass.

In short, adding the loading plugs in question in my system has notably 'tidied up' the sound [and you simply won't realise that such may be necessary until you hear the effect for yourself], giving music more 'body', depth, poise and refinement, together with increased clarity and a greater sense 'effortlessness', such that there is now ZERO listener fatigue with any music played.

This results in the SC35C sailing through even the most demanding of material with consummate ease, thus promoting long listening sessions, exploring one's music collection, album after album!

In all honesty, loading plugs like these are absolutely essential, in terms of optimising the performance of any MM cartridge and really making it 'sing'... In that respect, I can say that they are vital in order to hear what any good MM can do, and also that the Shure SC35C benefits *SIGNIFICANTLY* from their use.

So if you've got one and think it sounds superb on its own, without the need for adding more capacitance, as indeed I mistakenly did, then *think again*...!

The truth is, you really haven't heard the SC35C at its best until the loading value has been optimally 'tuned', by adding, in my case, an extra 150pF of capacitance. It was good before, but my goodness, it's an even better cartridge than I thought it was, bouncing music along now with the most infectious joie de vivre and dynamic alacrity!

My advice? If you want to REALLY hear what the incredible (for the money) SC35C can do, or indeed any other high-quality MM cartridge, then I strongly recommend that your order a DBP-6 capacitor loading kit from Acoustic Sounds: https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/6...le_Accessories

Trust me, it'll be one of the best £30, or so, you'll spend on your vinyl set-up, and which will reward you tenfold, in terms of increasing the overall enjoyment of your favourite music on vinyl!

Marco.