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EQUIPMENT FORUMS >> ZP3 / ZMC1,2,3 >> Pros & Cons mc or mm
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Message started by Syd on 10/22/15 at 11:06:15

Title: Pros & Cons mc or mm
Post by Syd on 10/22/15 at 11:06:15

Mark58 asked what are the gains of an mc over an mm cartridge.
It`s all subjective of course and tastes count more than anything.

More expense, yes. Another box in the signal chain, yes. Hum, possibly, choice of cables and siting for the SUT, yes. PITA, is it worth it,...?
You`ll never know until you take the plunge.

There is a difference in sound presentation.
The only way I can describe it is esoterics.
An analogy would be like my old Rega p3 fixed pivot and, my now deck, a uni-pivot.
The music lifts up and becomes more floaty as opposed to the Regas solid, anchored presentation.
It`s all still solid but there is an extra dimension of space, and beauty.

We use the ZP3 which is a fantastic phono amp with typical industry figures for gain and resistance (47kohms). I use the ZMC1 and now dont have any hum issues, and I use plenty of gain to fire up 89db`s through a pair of Rachaels. I would guess that more powerful amps and less gain from the CSP would result in v/low hum if any.
Hum is a beast that is tameable through siting and earths. I actually use Decware DSR cables which may be unshielded from the ZMC1 and what was once a quiet hum which never interfered with playback is now virtually gone. It`s like time and fussing and just an earth from phono to SUT has sorted it.
I read on one site that the reviewers start putting earths on SUT screws and scratch bits of paint off. Thats when I realised that SUT`s are very fussy.

That said I still hanker after a good mm just for the choice sometimes, to see what I might be missing. It`s been a long time since I had a mm cart.