Phono stage for AT MONO3LP question.

[dmac]

I ordered the AT MONO3/LP MC today. I am thining of getting a seperate phone stage as an upgrade to my Sony ES900GX receiver that I am currently using and I noticed that the Ohm load recomendation is 40-47 on the AT. Most of the phono stages that I am seeing have a MC load of 100 ohms like the Cambridge 640p. Does this matter? Will getting a MC stage improve anything over my current 47 ohm MM stage in the Sony for this cart? Phono stage suggestions would be appreciated. under $300 is the budget. Thanks Again.
Dmac

 

[neobop]

Hi,
The MONO3 is a high output MC. It's designed to work into a MM stage. BTW, that's 47K ohms. Most people seem to find that after a few hours playing time it sounds nice without changing the load resistance. Output is a little low for MM section so you'll have to turn it up a bit. It's a nice cart, especially for the money.
neo

 

[dmac]

Thanks,

I am setting this up as a mono only table and will need a second phono stage to do so without fooling around with wires. I plan on having two table hooked up to the same AVR for this setup. I see a inexpensive stage from Emotiva - XPS1 that has an impedeance adjustmet for MC carts and figured that I will get this, since I need one and would have the option of adjustment if needed. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated.

 

[neobop]

You won't need the MC section for the MONO3, but you might want it for future/other low output carts? The output of the AT might overload a MC phono stage. A regular MM stage is recommended, maybe one with a healthy amount of gain.

Phono preamps start around $50. If you go to Amazon you'll see a nice selection. I haven't heard the XPS1, but it has some good user reviews. It might be hard to beat for the money. I know of a couple which are pretty nice, but they're in the $300 range.
neo