[2gumby2]

I purchased a cartridge with a recommeded capacitance load of 0 pf. My current preamp has a fixed capacitance specification of 150 pf. For those with experience in such matters, would there be any audible deleterious effect? I'm not sure if this difference would be large enough to be audible.

[TheChairGuy]

That's a weird spec, gumby.

Even if your preamp did not add capacitance....the wiring from your cartridge to preamp would have to add some.  More typical of cartridge makers is specifying 150pf or more...as most wiring leading up to the preamp is at least 100pf.

I wouldn't worry about it.  If the cartridge sounds good to you, then it is good.  It's either a silly typo or that cartridge maker is probably loco

Which cartridge is it?

John

[2gumby2]

Cartridge is the KAB/Stanton Discmaster V3. Kevin at KAB gave me the cartridge loading specs for this cartridge. It seems to function just fine, but if I had a phono preamp with loading to the recommended cartridge spec it might be better. Not sure.

[TheChairGuy]

Gumby,

I'm not sure we're in harmony on this one yet.

What I meant was that even if you had 0 capacitance added at the preamp....your wiring leading up to the preamp would add some capacitance.  If it's an SL-1200 you have with stock arm...I think the capacitance added is somewhere around 100pf.

So, not matter what you do...until a cartridge output can be transmitted to your preamp via Bluetooth wirelessly (who knows, maybe it's coming ) you'll have wire adding some amount of capacitance to the overall picture.

So, Stanton or KAB's recommendation for 0 pf capacitance cannot exist in a real world scenario like all of us live in.

So live with it, enjoy it and love it as is.  The old Stanton/Pickerings by and large sounded very fine indeed 

John

[Wayner]

Perhaps they are recommending not to add anymore capacitance then what already exists in tonearm and interconnect cables? Usually capacitance is a bad thing as it starts acting like a frequency filter, displaying hi end roll off characteristics. That is why most people seek interconnect cables that have low uf.

Wayner

[2gumby2]

John,
    I understand where you're coming from. My SL-1200 has the KAB Cardas tonearm rewire mod which adds RCA jacks and gives me the ability to use the cables of my choice. I've chosen Blue Jeans LS-1 cables as they had just about the lowest capaciatance I could find. In late December, I'm hoping to begin assembly of a Colin Electronics Groove Master phono preamp which will provide more adjustability including 0 pf capacitance at the preamp. I'll be able to compare when complete if the project turns out O.K.