How do you know if your phono preamp is set right? I go nuts changing
cartridge gain and load to try to get best performance.
Rega II
Magnepan Unitrack I
Adcom Crosscoil XC Line Trace (high output mc)
Soundcraftsmen SP-4002 preamp (has both mc and mm phono stage
flexibility)
Soundcraftsmen MA-5002A (one for each speaker)
Carver AL III-plus (Chan. A high freq., Chan. B low freq.)
I know my system is not considered "high end", just wondered if
someone might help.
Dan

"Dan" wrote in message
...
How do you know if your phono preamp is set right? I go nuts changing
cartridge gain and load to try to get best performance.
Rega II
Magnepan Unitrack I
Adcom Crosscoil XC Line Trace (high output mc)
Soundcraftsmen SP-4002 preamp (has both mc and mm phono stage
flexibility)
Soundcraftsmen MA-5002A (one for each speaker)
Carver AL III-plus (Chan. A high freq., Chan. B low freq.)
I know my system is not considered "high end", just wondered if
someone might help.
Dan

Nothing wrong with your system. You might be having load problems. You
might be having VTA problems because a Line Trace cartridge has a stylus
that is very sensitive to VTA.

I'm not first-hand familiar enough with the Unitrack 1 arm to know whether
or not it has a vertical VTA adjustment or not. If you can loosen a
setscrew and move the arm up and down in its locking base collar, then
experiment, starting with the cartridge bottom level with a record when
playing. Then raise and lower the arm in the collar by very small amounts
(the smallest you can manage). Listen carefully. If the arm is too high,
the sound will be "thin" and two-dimensional. If the sound is too low, the
sound may sound bloated, or it may sound very three-dimensional but dull.
You need to find the place in-between where it sounds dynamic and three
dimensional, but has just enough top end to sound lifelike. Female soprano
voice is a very good test "instrument" for this adjustment. Once you think
you've found it, try several other records to make sure it sounds good on
all/most of them.

For cartridge capacitance, you need to know what is recommended for the
cartridge and what the capacitance of the provided cable is. Then use the
closest preamp setting that adds enough capacitance to bring the total close
to the recommended value. Check your manuals. If not there, then you may
have to contact the manufacturers or importers directly. Or if a recent
purchase, the dealer you bought it from.

As for load, you must use your preamps mc gain stage. Usually with an
active gain stage preamp such as yours, 100 ohms is a good safe starting
point. But individual cartridges may need even less. I for example, I have
an Accuphase AC-2 where the manufacturers recommended setting with a
Counterpoint SA-2 pre-preamp is 57 ohms. Increasing it even to 69ohms
changes the sound and it thins out at 100ohms. So it is definitely worth
talking to the Adcom technical staff about their recommendations for use
with the Soundcraftsman.

As for procedure...I would get the capacitance and resistance loading
approximately right per the manufacturer....and then proceed to play with
the VTA. It's a reasonably good table, arm, and cartridge. You should be
able to get it to sound quite good.

"Dan" wrote in message
...
How do you know if your phono preamp is set right? I go nuts changing
cartridge gain and load to try to get best performance.
Rega II
Magnepan Unitrack I
Adcom Crosscoil XC Line Trace (high output mc)
Soundcraftsmen SP-4002 preamp (has both mc and mm phono stage
flexibility)
Soundcraftsmen MA-5002A (one for each speaker)
Carver AL III-plus (Chan. A high freq., Chan. B low freq.)
I know my system is not considered "high end", just wondered if
someone might help.
Dan

Before "going nuts" I suggest you compare what you are able to hear
when you pick a digitally recorded LP and its commercially released
CD counterpart for comparison. If they sound similar or you can make
the necessary set-up changes to get them to sound the same, (IMO) you
have done the job!

Why don't you ask the manufacturers how to set your Phono stage up, are they
difficult or unavailable to contact?

Regards
Igor

The Magnepan Unitrac I has VTA adjustment that can actually be done on the
fly. I had one and sold it to a Japanese gentleman on ebay to get a modded
RB250. I really miss that VTA adjustment as I could dial in the right
setting without having to do it from memory. A very fine and very adjustable
tonearm.

"Harry Lavo" wrote in message
news:lOgUb.226444$na.363981@attbi_s04...
"Dan" wrote in message
...
How do you know if your phono preamp is set right? I go nuts changing
cartridge gain and load to try to get best performance.
Rega II
Magnepan Unitrack I
Adcom Crosscoil XC Line Trace (high output mc)
Soundcraftsmen SP-4002 preamp (has both mc and mm phono stage
flexibility)
Soundcraftsmen MA-5002A (one for each speaker)
Carver AL III-plus (Chan. A high freq., Chan. B low freq.)
I know my system is not considered "high end", just wondered if
someone might help.
Dan

Nothing wrong with your system. You might be having load problems. You
might be having VTA problems because a Line Trace cartridge has a stylus
that is very sensitive to VTA.

I'm not first-hand familiar enough with the Unitrack 1 arm to know whether
or not it has a vertical VTA adjustment or not. If you can loosen a
setscrew and move the arm up and down in its locking base collar, then
experiment, starting with the cartridge bottom level with a record when
playing. Then raise and lower the arm in the collar by very small amounts
(the smallest you can manage). Listen carefully. If the arm is too high,
the sound will be "thin" and two-dimensional. If the sound is too low,
the
sound may sound bloated, or it may sound very three-dimensional but dull.
You need to find the place in-between where it sounds dynamic and three
dimensional, but has just enough top end to sound lifelike. Female
soprano
voice is a very good test "instrument" for this adjustment. Once you
think
you've found it, try several other records to make sure it sounds good on
all/most of them.

For cartridge capacitance, you need to know what is recommended for the
cartridge and what the capacitance of the provided cable is. Then use the
closest preamp setting that adds enough capacitance to bring the total
close
to the recommended value. Check your manuals. If not there, then you may
have to contact the manufacturers or importers directly. Or if a recent
purchase, the dealer you bought it from.

As for load, you must use your preamps mc gain stage. Usually with an
active gain stage preamp such as yours, 100 ohms is a good safe starting
point. But individual cartridges may need even less. I for example, I
have
an Accuphase AC-2 where the manufacturers recommended setting with a
Counterpoint SA-2 pre-preamp is 57 ohms. Increasing it even to 69ohms
changes the sound and it thins out at 100ohms. So it is definitely worth
talking to the Adcom technical staff about their recommendations for use
with the Soundcraftsman.

As for procedure...I would get the capacitance and resistance loading
approximately right per the manufacturer....and then proceed to play with
the VTA. It's a reasonably good table, arm, and cartridge. You should
be
able to get it to sound quite good.