[drphoto]

Ok, since I've come back to vinyl, I've seen mention of 'load' matching. I'd never heard of this 30 years ago, when I had my first Thorens.

 My pre list an input impedance of 47kOhm, which is same as the Ortofon 2M Blue.

I'm really leaning toward the Denon DL-160 as everyone says it has a huge soundstage 
but I've seen no specs on impedance.  Anyone know? Does it matter that much?

Thanks again.

[ricmon]

If I may, I respectfully suggest that  you try one of Wayners Longhorn's.  And it will perfectly match the impedance of you pre.

[drphoto]

ric, not sure what the Longhorn has to do w/ impedence. It's a purely mechanical device. I made one for my Grado.

Speaking of which, is the Longhorn a good idea for any cart? The discussion seemed to center around the Grados, but the idea of increasing the polar moment of inertia for any cart makes sense to me.

But, it precludes use of clamps.

so which is the bettter upgrade?

cheers to all,

joe

[Ericus Rex]

Changing the loading usually effects low-output moving coil cartridges much more than MM carts.  I've got a Benz M2 which is a moderate output MC and I keep my pre at 47K.  The Ray Samuels Nighthawk has front panel loading so I can easily change it but I prefer the standard 47K.  My honest advice is don't worry about loading unless you get into high dollar carts or get a pre like the Nighthawk that makes it really simple to experiment.  Otherwise, don't bother.

[neobop]

Ok, since I've come back to vinyl, I've seen mention of 'load' matching. I'd never heard of this 30 years ago, when I had my first Thorens.

 My pre list an input impedance of 47kOhm, which is same as the Ortofon 2M Blue.

I'm really leaning toward the Denon DL-160 as everyone says it has a huge soundstage 
but I've seen no specs on impedance.  Anyone know? Does it matter that much?

Thanks again.

Hi Drphoto,
I believe Denon recommends loading > 1K for the 160. Many like it at 47K, but I prefer it at around 9K. Some like it at 1K, so you'll just have to try it.

Check out this web site. You can download scads of cart samples to hear, including the DL-160.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/daveyw/cartridges/

[jrtrent]

My pre list an input impedance of 47kOhm, which is same as the Ortofon 2M Blue.

I'm really leaning toward the Denon DL-160 as everyone says it has a huge soundstage, but I've seen no specs on impedance.  Anyone know? Does it matter that much

I think in another thread you said the DL-160 is already on its way, but you can see an owner's guide for it at the Vinyl Engine.  Under specifications, it says "load impedance:  more than 47 kohms."  Of course, they may have changed their specifications, but the unit is designed to plug right into a typical moving magnet phono stage, so even if you don't have variable loading options, you should be fine.

[95Dyna]

Changing the loading usually effects low-output moving coil cartridges much more than MM carts.  I've got a Benz M2 which is a moderate output MC and I keep my pre at 47K.  The Ray Samuels Nighthawk has front panel loading so I can easily change it but I prefer the standard 47K.  My honest advice is don't worry about loading unless you get into high dollar carts or get a pre like the Nighthawk that makes it really simple to experiment.  Otherwise, don't bother.

I just installed the Ray Samuels Nighthawk along with the VPI Classic/Benz Wood SL (.4 mV).  I'm still experimenting with the variable load and gain settings on the front panel dials.  If you don't have a phono pre the Nighthawk is a killer value first and foremost from a sonic perspective with the side benefit of not having to worry so much about the load setting.

BTW, preliminarily I'm finding I like a setting for one recording and a different setting for another recording.  I guess you could drive yourself nuts with all the variables.

[neobop]

Sorry, Denon does specify 47K for the load. I was thinking of a Dynavector. Never the less, I had a DL-160 and around 9K sounds best to me. A bunch of us on VE had this cart, and the consensus was load between 1K and 47K.  Not much help, I know. A HOMC seems to be tough to nail down sometimes, in this respect. Optimal load is very system dependent.

That web site I gave a link for has samples of a 160 at 1K and 47K. It will give you an idea of the difference, on his system at least.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/daveyw/cartridges/mc-cartridges/

[mjosef]

I currently have my Denon 160 loaded at 23.7K . I first tried it at 47K, then 1.1K...and like it better at 23.7K. At 1.1K it sounded a little light...at 47K, it was a bit too heavy...I plan to check the +5K/-10K range from current...

[drphoto]

I figure as a newbie, I'm gonna have my hands full just trying to get the alignments correct, and probably shouldn't worry about super tweaky stuff for now.

I suppose I'm not really a newbie, as the first piece of hi-fi gear I ever bought was a Thorens TD-165 w/ a Shure V-15 in 1975. But I never knew anything about proper setup beyond setting tracking force....by the dial weight of course. I'm mean I just took it home from the dealer and plugged it in.