Fill me in a little. Was the "redhead" a ceramic or magnetic cartridge?
And the cartridge you're using now, is it ceramic or magnetic?
Configuration :: Load seen by each coil Normal stereo :: 47kΩ Hard-tied mono :: 23.5kΩ Resistor summed ~47kΩ (proper)
On 02/14/2026 3:29 PM EST Steve Swaine steveswaine100@gmail.com wrote:
Thanks! Yeah I saw that the redheads amps/preamps expect 47k, so was thinking for the stereo wired in parallel it should be half that. But I guess it’s just whatever sounds good? I did read that it’s important not to go too low (or let it drop to no load) or the cart can be damaged. Not sure if this is true. I’ll probably put it back to the 39K then. I recall it sounded fine - I just changed it because it was suggested that I restore it to what was in the schematic not appreciating that the stereo mod might make that not the best advice. Thanks, -steve.
On Feb 14, 2026, at 1:31 PM, js--- via Jukebox-list jukebox-list@lists.netlojix.com wrote:
It's not a hypercritical value. Normally, you would get an idea of the value from the manufacture's suggestions in the little pamphlet that would accompany the cartridge (or the jukebox).
Far more critical are the tone shaping circuits in the amp itself... which compensate for not only cartridge characteristics, but also record characteristics (with RIAA being one of them, after a certain date) and room characteristics (if the amp offers controls for that).