Grado Cartridges and Stylus - Questions and Advice.

HiFi Guy said:
Close. You can do the 5 DIP switches to get 47k ohms on MC but you’ll be at 60 dB gain. I like 50 dB gain with 1mV. You could put attenuators inline, 3 dB would work. That turns 1 mV into .5 mV. .5 mV is perfect for 60 dB gain.

Your MM setting gives you 45 dB, which will work. You’ll have to turn your volume up a bit more, that’s all.

Or just get a high output Opus.
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Thanks @HiFi Guy ! Right now my volume knob gets to maybe 8 o clock now, so plenty of room to turn it up if need be. Not planning on buying anything more at the moment, but I would like to move up the line after the Gold3/8mz is properly worn out. (I bookmark these helpful tips for a later date...)
 
Splunders said:
Thanks @HiFi Guy ! Right now my volume knob gets to maybe 8 o clock now, so plenty of room to turn it up if need be. Not planning on buying anything more at the moment, but I would like to move up the line after the Gold3/8mz is properly worn out. (I bookmark these helpful tips for a later date...)
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As a wise man said earlier in the thread it could just become a super capable back up...
 
So something has arrived...

I’m using the mono Magical Mystery Tour as my test and I’m halfway through. First impressions are that this sounds like nothing I’ve heard before! Outta the box it’s great, with the MC option chosen it seems to have more gain and be demanding less work off my PS Audio preamp, I’ve dropped it back by almost a third!

The detail on this thing is astounding though, better than I’ve heard before, I’m looking forward to it breaking in and finding out what it can really do after 20 or so hours!

For the record I’ve set the tracking force at 2g which I understand works well with this one (I know Grado say 1.5-1.9).

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Joe Mac said:
So something has arrived...

I’m using the mono Magical Mystery Tour as my test and I’m halfway through First impression are that this sounds like nothing I’ve heard before! Outta the box it’s great, with the MC option chosen it seems to have more gain and be demanding less work off my PS Audio preamp, I’ve dropped it back by almost a third!

The detail on this thing is astounding though, better than I’ve heard before, I’m looking forward to it breaking in and finding out what it can really do after 20 or so hours!

For the record I’ve set the tracking force at 2g which I understand works well with this one (I know Grado say 1.5-1.9).

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Click to expand...

Glad you like it!
 
Joe Mac said:
So something has arrived...

I’m using the mono Magical Mystery Tour as my test and I’m halfway through First impression are that this sounds like nothing I’ve heard before! Outta the box it’s great, with the MC option chosen it seems to have more gain and be demanding less work off my PS Audio preamp, I’ve dropped it back by almost a third!

The detail on this thing is astounding though, better than I’ve heard before, I’m looking forward to it breaking in and finding out what it can really do after 20 or so hours!

For the record I’ve set the tracking force at 2g which I understand works well with this one (I know Grado say 1.5-1.9).

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I'm so glad you're hearing what I heard, the discount with trade makes it well worth it at under $200 once a year in my opinion.
 
AnthonyI said:
I'm so glad you're hearing what I heard, the discount with trade makes it well worth it at under $200 once a year in my opinion.
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Yeah it is! I’ll have to check whether I can get that discount, the dealer mentions it on the higher woodies but there’s nothing about it yet on their blurb for this one. That said they’ve only just started stocking it and I’ve a year before I need to worry about that haha!
 
The one thing that’s impressing me, is the bass, so well defined, I’ve not heard recorded bass guitars sound so clear before! It nice and deep and powerful but it’s not at all boomy and not at the expense of the highs or mids, it’s exactly where it should be and how it should be!

I think I’m going to have to pull out my two favourite pressings next and give it a proper run!
 
Joe Mac said:
The one thing that’s impressing me, is the bass, so well defined, I’ve not heard recorded bass guitars sound so clear before! It nice and deep and powerful but it’s not at all boomy and not at the expense of the highs or mids, it’s exactly where it should be and how it should be!

I think I’m going to have to pull out my two favourite pressings next and give it a proper run!
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Right?! 😁
 
Joe Mac said:
So something has arrived...

I’m using the mono Magical Mystery Tour as my test and I’m halfway through. First impressions are that this sounds like nothing I’ve heard before! Outta the box it’s great, with the MC option chosen it seems to have more gain and be demanding less work off my PS Audio preamp, I’ve dropped it back by almost a third!

The detail on this thing is astounding though, better than I’ve heard before, I’m looking forward to it breaking in and finding out what it can really do after 20 or so hours!

For the record I’ve set the tracking force at 2g which I understand works well with this one (I know Grado say 1.5-1.9).

View attachment 50453View attachment 50454View attachment 50455View attachment 50456View attachment 50457View attachment 50458View attachment 50459View attachment 50460
Click to expand...

It sounds like your PS Audio preamp and/or your Quad amps are fairly sensitive on the input side.

Your preamp actually isn’t amplifying at all. It’s actually cutting the voltage sent yo your power amps. If you are getting the same volume as before at a substantially lower volume setting, I’d try setting your phono stage at MM/100 pF/47k ohms/+ 6dB

As long as you have sufficient volume, you have a couple of advantages:

Less amplification from the phono stage= lower noise.

When you turn the volume control up, you have less resistance in the circuit. Less resistance equals a purer signal.
 
HiFi Guy said:
It sounds like your PS Audio preamp and/or your Quad amps are fairly sensitive on the input side.

Your preamp actually isn’t amplifying at all. It’s actually cutting the voltage sent yo your power amps. If you are getting the same volume as before at a substantially lower volume setting, I’d try setting your phono stage at MM/100 pF/47k ohms/+ 6dB

As long as you have sufficient volume, you have a couple of advantages:

Less amplification from the phono stage= lower noise.

When you turn the volume control up, you have less resistance in the circuit. Less resistance equals a purer signal.
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So I had a play!

I get that about the preamp, I think 76 is line level and above that to 100 is gain. The numbers don’t mean anything per se I suppose but in was 47-54 and I was down to 34-39 with the MC settings. I’ve just gone back to the MM settings (but with +6db) and the sound quality difference from the MC settings is negligible but it does need the volume numbers to be roughy equivalent to where I used to have it on the gold without the +6.
 
HiFi Guy said:
It sounds like your PS Audio preamp and/or your Quad amps are fairly sensitive on the input side.

Your preamp actually isn’t amplifying at all. It’s actually cutting the voltage sent yo your power amps. If you are getting the same volume as before at a substantially lower volume setting, I’d try setting your phono stage at MM/100 pF/47k ohms/+ 6dB

As long as you have sufficient volume, you have a couple of advantages:

Less amplification from the phono stage= lower noise.

When you turn the volume control up, you have less resistance in the circuit. Less resistance equals a purer signal.
Click to expand...

Actually now that I think of it, would the fact that I’m using balanced XLR connections between the MF phono and the PS preamp make any difference?
 
Joe Mac said:
Actually now that I think of it, would the fact that I’m using balanced XLR connections between the MF phono and the PS preamp make any difference?
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Yes sir. You have twice the output from the phono stage with XLR vs RCA cables. I’d definitely leave it on the MM settings. XLR is a good move for lower noise.
 
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