JaideepGiridhar
Active Member
I’d neglected my TT setup for a few months for various reasons. When I got around to playing vinyl again, I discovered that the cartridge (a Dynavector 20X2 low output) had been damaged; likely while moving houses. My budget for a replacement was limited; the few things that were essential: moving coil, low output, preferably of Japanese origin.
I got a good deal on the Dynavector 10X5 Low. It was installed and I thought I was good to go till it became apparent that the budget phono stage I had - a ProJect Phono Box, wasn’t really performing at peak when set to higher impedance and gain levels. I’d already breached my budget, so I asked the dealer if I could get a relatively inexpensive phono preamp. Being a generous soul, he sent me two preamps to try out: one expensive (Rega Aria) and the other not so (Clearaudio Nano). He’d warned me that any comparisons between the two would be entirely unfair, and that he’d sent me the Rega just so I’d get a sense of what an upper-mid level preamp could do.
I hooked it up and all the music I was familiar with sounded familiarly beautiful. I then swapped it for the Clearaudio (note: I own a TT by the same manufacturer). The thing is the size of a soap-bar and is quite quirky; it has a headphone amplifier built in, and contains a small, serrated wheel on its top surface that functions as a variable gain control interface. It has another quirk: MC loading happens by means of resistors that have to be physically inserted into two tiny holes at the bottom of the device - Clearaudio supplies 4 of these; 51, 200, 402 (!) and 1000 Ω. I chose the 402 Ω resistors because those are the ones Clearaudio says work best with their own MC cartridges (which mostly output .4 and .5 mV at 5 cm/s). The Dynavector outputs .5 mV.
The results were astounding. I expected to hear sound that was diminished in all aspects as compared to the Rega. On the contrary, almost everything about the music I heard far outpaced the Aria. Tracks were lively, their timbre lucid, bass deep, notes airy and, more than anything else, deeply moving. I couldn’t explain this, so
I inputted a rather large prompt into ChatGPT and this is what it came back with:
When you switched from the Rega Aria to the Clearaudio Nano, three critical variables changed simultaneously:
1. Input load (from ~100 Ω on the Aria to 402 Ω on the Nano)
2. Circuit topology (different gain stages, grounding, power supply design)
3. Mechanical and electrical synergy (Clearaudio table + Nano preamp share grounding and impedance philosophies)
Each of these can significantly alter how your Dynavector cartridge behaves — and the combination just happens to have landed in the sweet spot for your system.
1. You’re right: 402 Ω is unusual, but that’s precisely why it may sound right.
Here’s why:
• Your Dynavector 10x5 Low Output has an internal impedance of ~32 Ω.
• Most MCs sound best when loaded at about 10× their internal impedance, i.e. 300–400 Ω.
• That’s where frequency response flattens and transient damping is optimal — not too dull (over-damped at 100 Ω), not too edgy (under-damped at 1 kΩ+).
So the 402 Ω resistor places your cartridge exactly where it breathes freely.
At 100 Ω, the Aria was slightly overdamping the cartridge’s generator, making it sound heavier and duller.
At 402 Ω, the coil resonance opens up — more air, tighter bass, better micro-dynamics.
In short: the 402 Ω load suits your Dynavector’s internal impedance almost perfectly.
2. Different gain architecture and feedback design
The Clearaudio Nano uses a single-ended Class A input stage with minimal feedback and short signal paths.
The Rega Aria uses fully discrete, differential input stages with more complex feedback networks and DC servos.
• The Aria’s design aims for very low distortion and noise — extremely linear, but sometimes perceived as “polite.”
• The Nano, being simpler, can sound more immediate, dynamic, and harmonically vivid— especially if your cartridge output matches its gain sweet spot (which, at 0.5 mV, it does).
In other words, the Nano’s harmonic profile may simply align better with what you find “musical.”
3. System synergy — not imagination
You also mentioned your turntable is a Clearaudio. That’s not trivial.
Manufacturers often voice their components together — matching grounding schemes, shielding, and gain to reduce hum and optimize dynamics.
For instance:
• Clearaudio’s ground topology expects a certain reference potential at the RCA shield.
• Their preamp input stage impedance is tuned to the capacitance and resistance of their tonearm cables.
So pairing the Nano with a Clearaudio table can minimize micro-ground loops and impedance mismatches that other preamps might not suppress perfectly.
That contributes to the quieter background and greater low-level detail you’re hearing
4. The psychoacoustic factor: clarity ≠ brightness
You’re describing being astounded — often that comes from hearing subtle low-level detail and spatial cues that were previously blurred by micro-distortion or grounding noise.
The Nano’s simplicity and higher load (402 Ω) preserve those transients, so:
• Bass sounds faster and cleaner, not thicker.
• Highs sound airier, not harsh.
• Midrange textures (vocals, acoustic instruments) feel more alive.
That’s not snake oil — it’s a combination of electrical damping, phase response, and noise floor characteristics changing just enough to unlock what your cartridge was already capable of.
You’ve likely stumbled upon a true electrical and voicing match between your Dynavector 10x5 LOMC, Clearaudio turntable, and Nano phono stage.
The 402 Ω resistor isn’t magic — it just happens to sit right where your cartridge performs at its best.
I got a good deal on the Dynavector 10X5 Low. It was installed and I thought I was good to go till it became apparent that the budget phono stage I had - a ProJect Phono Box, wasn’t really performing at peak when set to higher impedance and gain levels. I’d already breached my budget, so I asked the dealer if I could get a relatively inexpensive phono preamp. Being a generous soul, he sent me two preamps to try out: one expensive (Rega Aria) and the other not so (Clearaudio Nano). He’d warned me that any comparisons between the two would be entirely unfair, and that he’d sent me the Rega just so I’d get a sense of what an upper-mid level preamp could do.
I hooked it up and all the music I was familiar with sounded familiarly beautiful. I then swapped it for the Clearaudio (note: I own a TT by the same manufacturer). The thing is the size of a soap-bar and is quite quirky; it has a headphone amplifier built in, and contains a small, serrated wheel on its top surface that functions as a variable gain control interface. It has another quirk: MC loading happens by means of resistors that have to be physically inserted into two tiny holes at the bottom of the device - Clearaudio supplies 4 of these; 51, 200, 402 (!) and 1000 Ω. I chose the 402 Ω resistors because those are the ones Clearaudio says work best with their own MC cartridges (which mostly output .4 and .5 mV at 5 cm/s). The Dynavector outputs .5 mV.
The results were astounding. I expected to hear sound that was diminished in all aspects as compared to the Rega. On the contrary, almost everything about the music I heard far outpaced the Aria. Tracks were lively, their timbre lucid, bass deep, notes airy and, more than anything else, deeply moving. I couldn’t explain this, so
I inputted a rather large prompt into ChatGPT and this is what it came back with:
When you switched from the Rega Aria to the Clearaudio Nano, three critical variables changed simultaneously:
1. Input load (from ~100 Ω on the Aria to 402 Ω on the Nano)
2. Circuit topology (different gain stages, grounding, power supply design)
3. Mechanical and electrical synergy (Clearaudio table + Nano preamp share grounding and impedance philosophies)
Each of these can significantly alter how your Dynavector cartridge behaves — and the combination just happens to have landed in the sweet spot for your system.
1. You’re right: 402 Ω is unusual, but that’s precisely why it may sound right.
Here’s why:
• Your Dynavector 10x5 Low Output has an internal impedance of ~32 Ω.
• Most MCs sound best when loaded at about 10× their internal impedance, i.e. 300–400 Ω.
• That’s where frequency response flattens and transient damping is optimal — not too dull (over-damped at 100 Ω), not too edgy (under-damped at 1 kΩ+).
So the 402 Ω resistor places your cartridge exactly where it breathes freely.
At 100 Ω, the Aria was slightly overdamping the cartridge’s generator, making it sound heavier and duller.
At 402 Ω, the coil resonance opens up — more air, tighter bass, better micro-dynamics.
In short: the 402 Ω load suits your Dynavector’s internal impedance almost perfectly.
2. Different gain architecture and feedback design
The Clearaudio Nano uses a single-ended Class A input stage with minimal feedback and short signal paths.
The Rega Aria uses fully discrete, differential input stages with more complex feedback networks and DC servos.
• The Aria’s design aims for very low distortion and noise — extremely linear, but sometimes perceived as “polite.”
• The Nano, being simpler, can sound more immediate, dynamic, and harmonically vivid— especially if your cartridge output matches its gain sweet spot (which, at 0.5 mV, it does).
In other words, the Nano’s harmonic profile may simply align better with what you find “musical.”
3. System synergy — not imagination
You also mentioned your turntable is a Clearaudio. That’s not trivial.
Manufacturers often voice their components together — matching grounding schemes, shielding, and gain to reduce hum and optimize dynamics.
For instance:
• Clearaudio’s ground topology expects a certain reference potential at the RCA shield.
• Their preamp input stage impedance is tuned to the capacitance and resistance of their tonearm cables.
So pairing the Nano with a Clearaudio table can minimize micro-ground loops and impedance mismatches that other preamps might not suppress perfectly.
That contributes to the quieter background and greater low-level detail you’re hearing
4. The psychoacoustic factor: clarity ≠ brightness
You’re describing being astounded — often that comes from hearing subtle low-level detail and spatial cues that were previously blurred by micro-distortion or grounding noise.
The Nano’s simplicity and higher load (402 Ω) preserve those transients, so:
• Bass sounds faster and cleaner, not thicker.
• Highs sound airier, not harsh.
• Midrange textures (vocals, acoustic instruments) feel more alive.
That’s not snake oil — it’s a combination of electrical damping, phase response, and noise floor characteristics changing just enough to unlock what your cartridge was already capable of.
You’ve likely stumbled upon a true electrical and voicing match between your Dynavector 10x5 LOMC, Clearaudio turntable, and Nano phono stage.
The 402 Ω resistor isn’t magic — it just happens to sit right where your cartridge performs at its best.
