วีดีโอ

Best video on this topic

I am now wishing that I never got into this SUT rabbit hole. In the 90s I was using a Denon DL304 into EAR 834 P and everything was fine except for some hard piano notes on some tracks. An impedance or loading mismatch? Now , its a big headache and a heartache (they cost quite a bit😢) with an Audio Technica AT650( 34 years old), an ICON Audio MCTX, a Phasemation T300 and a Ned Clayton( eBay) built to order SUT. Not to mention an ICON Audio PS1 , an Icon Audio PS2 , a NOS EAR834P Deluxe. Plus 2 different models in the Pro Ject Phono stage lineup. All in the hope of getting my Koetsu Rosewood to sound warm. Help!

Unipivot vs fixed for micro line What are your thoughts as far as tracking and distortion n the grove?

How is the proper connection for the earth/ground? I’ve got an SL-1210 mk II hooked to a DBX BX-3/CX-3 combo all two prong plugs. Should all chassis be grounded directly to the wall socket screw or all to the pre-amp and a single wire to the wall?

Can you recommend a source for producing MC Cartridge parts? I will be making my own MC Cartridge.

Thank you for a helpful video

Dude- you nailed it. The cheater plug fixed the low hum noise. Good job.

Thanks 😊 George

Great video. How does the rpm of the pressing affect the loading? Seems like the faster the record is moving, the faster the cantilever must react when traveling as the groove progresses from the outer edge to the spindle. My guess is the higher load? Perhaps this makes no difference? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thank you

Ah George, you've just given a perfect analogy of the Laffer curve which is beyond dispute...Unless one is a marxist that buys modern monetary theory. Btw saving to buy your reference phono stage!

Hmm, I understand the physical reason for cutting the bass frequencies, but I'm not sure why the high frequencies have to be boosted during the record cutting process. Was it to make the high frequency grooves a little bigger in order for the stylus to track more easily?

Thanks for your info. Just to make certain, when the cartridge specs say [>10ohm; 470ohm nominal] which number are I using? This would be the number that I punch in the phono stage that reads load resistance. Thanks

Ok so George, is changing from 30 Ohms to 1000 Ohms a decrease or increase in resistance or "loading". Please be more clear about this. You seemed to contradict yourself. Resistance is an electrical notion. How this effects the mechanical elements of a cantilever needs justification. Is it possible you built one of these things without actually knowing how it works? Or are you being deliberately in-genuine. Resistance is for the phono stage, not the cartridge. I wish somebody would tell the plain truth about these things. There is no need for all these obtuse discussions about analogue.

Why are you leaving your ground switch off which to us means your not grounding the system? Wouldn’t you want it to always be grounded?

Cartridge loading has to do with controlling the electrical resonance not the physical resonance (like we do with a loud speaker and the damping factor of an amplifier.) The input impedance would have to be very very low for it to affect the physical movements of the cantilever and at that point there would be no signal output. Lets say the cartridge impedance is 5 ohms, a 5 ohm load would represent a damping factor of 1. A damping factor of 1 does very little to control the movement. To truly control the movements of the cantilever you would need it to be critically damped and that would require a load much lower than 5 ohms. Again, at that point there would be very little signal.

Great explanation. I finally found the answer to my question about my loading.

George, I could kiss you square on the lips! Your video helped me find that last bit of hum reduction I needed so I could use one of my LOMC carts. I did everything to reduce the hum, but at a higher volume I was still getting an annoying amount of hum that prevented me from enjoying albums with quieter pieces of music. It turns out by adding the ground-free (I forgot the technical name) plug on the PSU connected to my phono stage, I was able to eliminate the hum almost completely. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Cheers! 😁👍

Indeed, George is an expert on vinyl playback system. I read/watched so many articles/Videos about how to setting up the MC cartridge. This is the first time I heard that someone mentions the impedance loading has impact on MC cartridge tracking. Myself also spent a lots of time trying to understand and trying on my setup. But, it is hard without good understand of the cartridge playback system even coming from electrical engineering background. After saw this video, I think that I understand MC cartridge impedance loading much better now. Cheers!

hello my friend can you help me? I'm having problems with my vinyl playing record. the speaker keeps shifting back and forth at high volumes. the ground is correct. I replaced the cable with a new one. the right and left wires are correct. the device is far from the boxes. already reviewed the cables. I can't solve it. my setap devices are: amplifier pioneer elite a 20, and the vinyl record player is technics slq 2. voltage 120v.

Disconnect the grounds, you say. How come then the turntable ground and the phono amp ground are typically connected together with separate ground wire?

how to eliminate or reduce hiss or clicking sound during playback of vinyl records? thanks

Yes man, u have understood physics!

Hi George, I am in the middle of hooking up a tube amp and preamp and have a noticeable hum, will let you know if I can eliminate the dastardly hum. Thx Frank

Dear Sir, I have a Technics SL-1200 with its own grounding wire. I currently have that wire connected to the grounding post on the back of my preamp - as most people suggest. However, don’t I have to separately ground the preamp? Should I connect some speaker wire to the same preamp post used by the turntable and then connect the other end of the speaker wire to the ground post on the back of my receiver? Also, could I use your method of connecting the turntable’s two prong power to a three prong grounding adapter and not connect the turntable ground wire to the preamp, then connect the preamp to the receiver? Finally, and I really appreciate your patience, could I take the turntable ground wire and attach it to a metal dumbbell sitting on the floor, again freeing up the preamp post to connect to the receiver? Most grateful, Mike.

Fantastic.

Superb. You are the only person I have ever heard recognise that the loading resistance can have a minor effect on the cartridges tracking ability.

Very helpful video! Changing the plug did the trick!!!

Hey George, I found this video very helpful. I'm a motor mechanic and I found the analogy of the car shock absorber brilliant. I am putting a vintage Technics EPC-P310MC with a their own step up transformer, the SH-305MC, having this loading and absorbing concept at the forefront of my mind when listening will help me achieve the best sound. Thanks again.

I’ve had my turntable for about a week and I grounded my turntable and both speakers, I should mention that my turntable has a built in pre amp, but it was working fine for a few days and we got a thunderstorm which kinda messed with the power a bit, but I was at work at the time, and when I got back to play something that’s when the hum started, so I rewired everything plugged everything back in and still I get the hum, I’ve been seeing that I have to get a ground isolator and or a cheater plug, when I touch my ground station( little screw on the back of my turntable) when I hook up to the ground wire, the noise gets muffled and but I still kind of hear it, so what I’m saying is, can a thunderstorm that messes with your power a bit mess with how the grounding of your turntable?

trying to look up the plug on amazon.. What's the correct spelling of the mentioned plug?

Thanks for a great video. Now that i eliminated the hum, i still have a channel imbalance. I have meticulously checked my cartridge installation. Position, cleaned wire leads, tracking force and antiskating. I am ready to upgrade the built in RCA interconnects. Any ideas?

Very good video! 176 views is crazy!!!!

ZESTO AUDIO, what is the differences between an RIAA eq compared to a normal eq circuit?

how about low output MM?

great Video! Very imformative. Greeting from Bulgaria!