12-Dec-2021, 18:09
I debated the same question when I replaced my cartridge recently. There's no easy answer because one's tolerance of noise is very individual, and of course there is no magic output level at which it suddenly disappears.
If you have a cartridge already why not wait until your 120 arrives, connect it up and see how annoying you find the so-called hiss - it's actually weighted to the bass so it sounds to me more like a rumble. You can then play around with the phono stage sensitivity in real time using the remote control which might help you to judge at what point the hiss is no longer a problem for you. For me, it was becoming pretty bearable at 0.5 mV sensitivity and not a worry at anything over 1 mV.
For what it's worth, I opted for a Hana high-output model on the basis that the differences in sound quality between the low- and high-output versions of a given cartridge were probably less significant than the potential for being annoyed by noise (whether or not it was "real" or perceived).
If you have a cartridge already why not wait until your 120 arrives, connect it up and see how annoying you find the so-called hiss - it's actually weighted to the bass so it sounds to me more like a rumble. You can then play around with the phono stage sensitivity in real time using the remote control which might help you to judge at what point the hiss is no longer a problem for you. For me, it was becoming pretty bearable at 0.5 mV sensitivity and not a worry at anything over 1 mV.
For what it's worth, I opted for a Hana high-output model on the basis that the differences in sound quality between the low- and high-output versions of a given cartridge were probably less significant than the potential for being annoyed by noise (whether or not it was "real" or perceived).
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
