Cartridge Loading & Gain Calculator

Cartridge

This tool checks two things: whether your phono stage’s gain suits the cartridge’s output, and whether the load the cartridge sees is right, resistive for a low-output moving coil, capacitive for a moving magnet. It is a physics-checked starting point, not a substitute for listening.

Phono input type Presets

Phono stage

MC stage gain (dB) Input impedance (Ω)

Overload headroom (optional)

If the stage’s spec sheet gives a maximum input level at 1 kHz, enter it to see the margin above the cartridge’s nominal output. About 20 dB or more is generous; under 14 dB leaves little room for hot pressings.

Stage maximum input (mV at 1 kHz)

Gain & output

Loading

Load comparison

Common MC input-impedance settings, graded with the same rule as the main result: Too low (under the cartridge’s minimum recommended load), Acceptable (above the minimum but under ten times its internal impedance), or Optimal (at or above ten times internal impedance). Level loss is the small insertion loss from the load resistor against the cartridge’s internal impedance. The highlighted row is nearest your entered value.

The same coil driving different total load capacitances. f0 is the electrical resonance; the peak column shows how large the response rise is and where it lands; the −3 dB column is where the electrical response has fallen by 3 dB. More capacitance moves the peak down into the audible range and makes it taller. The highlighted row is nearest your entered total.