Seanm
pfm Member
Do we care? And if so how do we calculate it - the KAB way, or this way?
Sure, I also set my phono preamp s with gain adjustment to lower values than standard.Right, that’s 87dB to run a Audionote IO without a step up.
Then again my 0.2mV SPU needs 73dB by the “this way” calculation and it’s fine on a standard superline with 64dB.
A Decca by the same lines needs 45dB but I run one with a 35dB phonostage.
I maintain its the digital device’s output that’s too high, especially those things from Chord, vinyl was here first.
Welcome back Jez - Missed your posts Bro
That's interesting Andrew. Yes, it was the Art9 that set me off: according to the KAB calculator *both* the settings on my Rega Aria are too high: by the Absolute Sound one, one is too high and one too low. I think I prefer it through the *really* high setting. I'm having to do all sorts of tweaks to get the cart sounding right through the new speakers.I find the KAB calculator tends to suggest just a bit too little, but I think the other one you linked was suggesting 1V, which seems humungously high. I know KAB suggests 64dB for a 0.2mV cartridge, and in fact I have a 0.2mV cartridge which I use with a 64dB gain phono stage. However I did find that this was slightly limiting on very quiet classical recordings, so I had the designer tweak the circuit slightly to give a tiny bit more gain. I'm currently using a 0.4mV cartridge with the same phono stage and I have loads of headroom. I think 64dB does very well for 0.3 - 0.4mV. For a 0.5mV cart I think I might want a little bit less. Are you asking in relation to the ART9 Sean?
These are my findings. It's all relative to the general gain structure of the system, I suppose, and I'd like to understand more about the signal to noise ratio that Graham mentioned.