Cartridge Loading and Gain Calculator
A cartridge only sounds the way it was designed to when the phono stage meets it correctly. Two settings decide that: the electrical load the cartridge sees, and the gain that lifts its small signal up to line level.
This calculator checks both from the figures on the spec sheets. Choose your cartridge type, enter the numbers, and it grades loading and gain together, showing what to change when either falls short.
How to read the verdicts
The calculator grades what you entered and points at the side that needs attention. Each verdict has a practical lever.
Loading flagged. Most MC-capable phono stages offer several input-impedance settings. Move to the next setting at or above the cartridge’s stated minimum; values around ten times the internal impedance reach the marked optimum.
Capacitance flagged. For a moving magnet, the total the cartridge sees is the cable plus the stage input. A shorter or lower-capacitance phono cable is the practical lever, and some stages offer switchable input capacitance.
Gain flagged. Phono stages usually offer gain in steps, and one step is often the whole correction. If no setting reaches a healthy output, the answer is a different phono stage or a step-up transformer.
FAQ – Cartridge loading and gain
- Does loading change the frequency response of an MC cartridge?
- How much gain do I need for a 0.4 mV cartridge?
- My phono stage only has an MM input. Can I run a moving coil cartridge?
- When is a step-up transformer the better route?
Within the audio band, barely; the electrical resonance of a low-inductance MC sits far above audibility. What loading changes is how that ultrasonic behavior is damped, which some phono stages translate into audible differences in perceived brightness and texture. This is why the stated minimum matters more than any single magic number.
As a working rule, about 60 dB of total phono gain puts 0.4 mV into a healthy line-level range. The calculator computes this exactly from your cartridge’s output and your stage’s specification.
A high-output moving coil is designed for exactly that case and connects to an MM input directly. A low-output MC needs either an MC-capable stage or a step-up transformer ahead of the MM input. Our moving magnet vs moving coil guide covers the broader choice between the two designs.
When your MM stage is good and your cartridge output is low. Our step-up transformer calculator suggests a turns ratio and checks the load your cartridge will see, and the step-up transformer guide explains the fundamentals.
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About this tool
What it does. Checks whether your phono stage suits your cartridge on two points: the electrical load the cartridge sees, and the gain that brings its signal to line level. For moving magnet cartridges it also checks the capacitance of the cable and the phono input.
How it works. For a moving coil, the load is graded against the cartridge’s recommended minimum and against ten times its internal impedance, and the signal lost at that load is shown. For a moving magnet, the coil’s inductance and resistance, the cable and the input capacitance form a standard resonant circuit, and the calculator shows where its peak falls and how flat the treble stays. Gain is judged at the phono stage output, where 0.25 to 0.70 V is a normal line level.
Limits. Electrical matching is one part of the sound. Makers voice their cartridges around a stated capacitance range, and that range comes before any single computed figure.
Example. A moving coil cartridge with 0.4 mV output and 6.8 Ω internal impedance, into a 100 Ω input with 60 dB of gain: the load is optimal, the signal loss is 0.6 dB, and the phono stage delivers 0.40 V.
Made by. Le Son, Shanghai. Built in July 2026, updated in August 2026.
How to cite. Le Son, Cartridge Loading and Gain Calculator, leson.org/cartridge-loading-calculator/