This calculator evaluates the relationship between phono cartridge output and phono preamp input headroom to help identify potential overload or clipping conditions. By comparing cartridge output levels with preamp input limits and gain, it provides a practical way to assess system compatibility.
Overload and clipping issues are not always obvious from specifications alone, particularly when combining high-output cartridges with high-gain preamps. This tool translates those specifications into a usable calculation, allowing users to determine whether a given combination is likely to operate within safe limits.
The calculator is intended for practical system setup and troubleshooting, providing immediate feedback based on user inputs or reference values, and helping to avoid distortion caused by excessive signal levels at the preamp input stage.
Pick a cartridge and a phono preamp below, or switch either side to Manual to enter your own numbers. The tool estimates headroom using published or manually entered output voltage and max input / input sensitivity values.
Cartridge
Enter the published cartridge output at the rated test velocity.
Select a cartridge or switch to Manual.
Phono preamp
Enter max input if known. Otherwise enter sensitivity and let the tool estimate overload from the assumed margin below.
Select a preamp or switch to Manual.
Select database items or switch either side to Manual to calculate headroom.
Advanced: manual inputs & assumptions
Published "output voltage" is typically measured at 1 kHz with a standardized groove velocity (often 5 cm/s). Real records can have peaks above that, so this tool includes an optional peak factor to stress-test headroom.
Manual workflow: switch either side to Manual above and enter your own cartridge / preamp numbers. You can also mix database data on one side with manual data on the other.
Data sources & reference links
Links to the public product pages/manuals used to compile the reference database. If a model has no link, I couldnât find a stable primary source at the time.
Cartridges
Phono preamps
How phono stage overload happens (and how to avoid it)
"Overload" (or input clipping) is the moment a phono preamp's first gain stage runs out of room. When that happens, peaks get flattened and you'll hear it as harshness, grain, splashy cymbals, or a kind of "strained" sound that shows up most on loud cuts and hotly mastered records. Unlike mistracking, overload can still sound clean-ish at low levels-then suddenly ugly on peaks.
Why it surprises people: cartridge output specs are usually quoted at a standardized 1kHz test tone and a specific groove velocity. Real music isn't a steady test tone, and real records can have short bursts that are meaningfully higher than the published number. That's why two setups that look "fine on paper" can behave very differently with the same phono stage.
This calculator estimates headroom by comparing your cartridge's published output voltage to your phono preamp's published max input or input sensitivity (when available), and it reports an overload margin. More margin generally means more freedom from clipping on transients. Less margin means you're closer to the red line-especially if your records include hot cuts, loud orchestral peaks, or modern high-level pressings.
If you're troubleshooting distortion, a quick check is: does the distortion change when you reduce the input gain (or switch the phono stage to a lower gain setting)? If yes, overload is a strong candidate. If distortion remains the same, look next at cartridge alignment, tracking force, worn stylus, or a loading mismatch. Overload can also be "selective" where one record might be fine while another (with higher peak velocity) triggers clipping.
Practical targets: as a rule of thumb, many listeners aim for roughly 10-20 dB of overload margin for comfort. That's not a hard law-some phono stages have generous internal headroom and some cartridges have conservative published output- but it's a useful way to think about risk. If you're consistently under that, consider using a lower-gain setting, a phono stage with a higher max input spec, or (for MC) adjusting step-up ratio/active gain so the first stage isn't being hammered.
About the built-in cartridge & preamp database
The dropdowns are powered by an embedded reference database of cartridges and phono preamps compiled from public sources (product pages, manuals, and spec sheets). Each entry stores the brand/model and any published values related to output, sensitivity, gain, and overload. When a preamp doesn't publish a direct max input value, the tool may derive a rough sensitivity from gain using a nominal output assumption, and it labels that basis in the UI.
Browse the full database (searchable table)
| Cartridge brand | Model | Type | Rated output | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open the panel to load the cartridge list⦠| ||||
| Preamp brand | Model | Supports | Sensitivity (MM / MC) | Max input (MM / MC) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open the panel to load the preamp list⦠| |||||