analogsurviver
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Jul 2, 2012
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Quote:
No problem, you welcome. This question belongs in my post regarding phono cartridge loading - which I keep postponing, hopefully not into infinite future.
MC setting does, usually but not always, besides gain change mean also input impedance change. MCs require relatively low input impedance and MMs high, MCs are next to unaffected by the capacitive portion of impedance and MMs react violently to capacitance change. Grado is perhaps one of the if not THE fixed coil ( MM, MI, MF etc ) design least affected by capacitance variations - but certainly the most widespread.It tolerates far greater load impedance variations before sounding decidedly wrong than anything else that has coil fixed.
You are not hurting anything with your MC setting - nothing will go belly up because of it. But you are limitting your phono stage headroom ( use KAB calculator ) - check up the recordings you find "with better bass, warmer and more full bodied" with their CD counterparts - MC setting for MM cart may well result in dynamic compressor atop of a HEAVY tone control - if it sounds decidedly different than its CD version, it means you have created just that - you may like it, but accurate and correct it is most definitely not.
analogsurviver: thanks for your quick response. I ask because it sounds so much better on MC. The bass is better and the overall sound is warmer and more full bodied. Am I hurting anything using that setting?
No problem, you welcome. This question belongs in my post regarding phono cartridge loading - which I keep postponing, hopefully not into infinite future.
MC setting does, usually but not always, besides gain change mean also input impedance change. MCs require relatively low input impedance and MMs high, MCs are next to unaffected by the capacitive portion of impedance and MMs react violently to capacitance change. Grado is perhaps one of the if not THE fixed coil ( MM, MI, MF etc ) design least affected by capacitance variations - but certainly the most widespread.It tolerates far greater load impedance variations before sounding decidedly wrong than anything else that has coil fixed.
You are not hurting anything with your MC setting - nothing will go belly up because of it. But you are limitting your phono stage headroom ( use KAB calculator ) - check up the recordings you find "with better bass, warmer and more full bodied" with their CD counterparts - MC setting for MM cart may well result in dynamic compressor atop of a HEAVY tone control - if it sounds decidedly different than its CD version, it means you have created just that - you may like it, but accurate and correct it is most definitely not.