8
a couple minutes to settle in and listen to the same musical selections as before. If
your test selections sound better with the new 50-ohm loading you can be assured
that the loading change was in the correct (lower resistance in this example)
direction.
If this second load selection resulted in an even more pleasant presentation of your
chosen musical selections, select the next lower resistive value, 30 ohms, and listen to
the same selections once again.
At some point you will fi nd a value where the perceived sound deteriorates, move
back to the last value that sounded excellent. Once this has been done, you have
reached the apparent optimal resistive loading.
If going below 100 ohms resulted in degraded sound, then obviously the correct
change would have been to have gone upward to 160 ohms, where you would
repeat the listening test. I am sure you get the idea, it is not complicated, but it can
be time consuming.
Capacitive loading follows the same rigor and affects the fi ner points of resistive
loading. The fi nal and optimal setting will require alternating between resistive and
reactive loading elements, peaking each element in turn until no further gains are
achieved.
Capacitive loading will not affect moving coil cartridges to the same extent that
capacitive loading affects moving magnet cartridges but the effect may be worth
considering and optimizing this parameter once resistive loading is optimal.
Again I would like to stress that you are listening for a musical balance in the selections
that you play. Some loading selections will offer better bass but suffer from poor
high-end resolution, some will have spectacular high-end defi nition but have a fl at
sound stage. You are seeking an optimal condition with correct spectral balance in
conjunction with correct spatial information. The XP-27 equips you with the tools for
the task. Finding the best compromise will however take time.
Do not make the mistake of setting the XP-27 such that it enhances one recording
only, listen to a variety of well-recorded material and adjust accordingly. Avoid the
folly of only auditioning and adjusting to your favorite LP.Once you have found the
optimal settings, take the time to record those settings, so that should the need ever
arrive, you can replicate your personal best settings quickly and with minimal effort.
Of course whenever your change cartridges or wiring between the phono cartridge
and XP-27 it would be wise to revisit your selected settings and make the requisite
addition to your notes. Space is provided at the end of this manual to record those
settings.
PRODUCT PHILOSPHY and DESIGN:
For a very long time there has been faith in the technical community that eventually
some objective analysis would reconcile critical listeners subjective experience with
a repeatable laboratory measurement protocol. Perhaps this will ultimately occur,