Phono Stages

A cartridge delivers a tiny signal – a few millivolts from an MM design, only a fraction of that from an MC. Before an amplifier can do anything with it, that signal has to be raised many times over and equalised to the RIAA characteristic, because the bass was cut back and the treble lifted when the record was made. That is precisely the job of a phono stage.

Two questions decide the choice: how much gain does your cartridge need, and does the loading suit it? MM cartridges work with virtually any phono input. MC cartridges need considerably more gain – and the quieter the cartridge, the more it matters that the stage itself does not hiss.