Is 2 mV at 3.54 cm/s considered a "high output" moving coil cartridge??

I just installed a new phono stage in my Arcam Alpha 9. There is an internal switch for MM or MC. My cartridge is a moving coil cartridge so I set the switch to MC. I put on a Badfinger record and it sounded like GARBAGE. Shrill, tinny, piercing, and horrible sound was coming from my speakers. I busted out the owners manual of the Alpha 9 and noticed it says that the MM is for moving magnet or high output moving coil cartridges and the MC is for low output moving coil cartridges. Should I put the internal switch on MM? If so, could I have damaged anything blasting the speakers with the switch on MC?

 

2 mV is high output for an MC. You may really want to try it with the amp's phono board switch in the MM position.

 

I just changed it. It doesn't seem to change the sound much. It just makes it so that I have to turn the volume up higher to get a decent signal. Maybe this is just a really bad pressing of this album or something. This is the first time I've played it. Also, it could be that the phono board for the Alpha 9 is simply a pile of junk. Funny how upgrading sometimes opens up a whole new can of worms.

 

All of the above are possible - it is just too many variables there; could be a bad pressing or groove damage, or could be that the cartridge is not entirely compatible with the amp's phono stage.

 

prix,

the phono stages for Arcam amps are more than respectable. Perhaps if you tell us which cartrisge you're using it may be of some help.

 

It's a Benz Micro MC-20E. I just switched out from the Arcam Alpha 7 w/ integrated phono stage and installed a board in the Alpha 9 and hooked it up. In comparison, the new phono stage sounds overly bright and a bit thin. I don't understand it. Maybe I am hearing more detail and my turntable doesn't sound as good as I thought it did. Who knows? I'm thinking that it's just a crap phono stage.