MIT S3 impedance setting

tcrossma

I have a new set of S3 Pro IC's (thanks Solidsqual!) and I have a question about the impedance setting for those that know these cables. I'm using them between my CD player and preamp.

The settings on the cable are Low (5-50kohms), Mid (40-100kohms), and High (90kohms and up).

My preamp has an input sensitivity of 94kohms.

So, should I use the Mid or High setting on the cables?

kawizx9r

I was reading about that when I borrowed Mark's S3's and it just stated go with what works best for you. In my case, it was set on high.

madmax

Flip between the extremes and see what the difference is. For me it was additional extension (both bass and treble) vs soundstage so try listening for those things. In the end I would change them around every few weeks and finally was able to select what I wanted for keeps.

tcrossma

Thanks guys, I'll experiment.

madmax

It gets really complicated when you add a bunch of IC's through multiple stages. It will drive you nuts if you think too much about it. Really though, give it some time on each setting, even if you hear something go away. It is a good balance you are looking for, not an obvious difference in sound.

hearingimpared

madmax wrote: »

Flip between the extremes and see what the difference is. For me it was additional extension (both bass and treble) vs soundstage so try listening for those things. In the end I would change them around every few weeks and finally was able to select what I wanted for keeps.

Same for me. However, I found the higher setting range that the target piece of gear's impedence fell into works and sounds the best.

NJPOLKER

My MIT S3 IC shotguns are are as follows and I hope they are set correctly.

to the Anthem pre-amp input impedance 40k ohms set to mid setting

to the Belles 350a amp input impedance 50k ohms set to low setting

Any suggestions??

hearingimpared

How's it sound Drew. Did you try switching to the overlap range if there is one?

rubin

Maybe a dumb question, are you suppose to change the settings while listening to best hear what is best for you?

hearingimpared

rubin wrote: »

Maybe a dumb question, are you suppose to change the settings while listening to best hear what is best for you?

I would have someone do the switching for you while you are listening.

NJPOLKER

hearingimpared wrote: »

How's it sound Drew. Did you try switching to the overlap range if there is one?

I am sure they sound awesome. The problem is that I need to get some good listening time in and that may not be for a few days I have let my system run for maybe 80 hours of burn-in so thats a good thing to accomplish.

Overlap range??

tcrossma

rubin wrote: »

Maybe a dumb question, are you suppose to change the settings while listening to best hear what is best for you?

Not a dumb question at all. I was shutting off power to my pre before making the switch -- didn't want to risk it Glad to know it can be done on the fly.

tcrossma

hearingimpared wrote: »

Same for me. However, I found the higher setting range that the target piece of gear's impedence fell into works and sounds the best.

On my system it sounds best with the High setting, which seems to concur with your findings as well.

hearingimpared

NJPOLKER wrote: »

I am sure they sound awesome. The problem is that I need to get some good listening time in and that may not be for a few days I have let my system run for maybe 80 hours of burn-in so thats a good thing to accomplish.

Overlap range??

I don't remember the exact ranges and am too lazy to go look so here's an example;

Low - 10 ohms to 50k ohms

Medium- 40K ohms to 100,000K ohms

If the impedence of your target piece of gear is 45K ohms there is an overlap. You could use either the low or the med setting. I've found that the higher setting sounds best.

hearingimpared

tcrossma wrote: »

Not a dumb question at all. I was shutting off power to my pre before making the switch -- didn't want to risk it Glad to know it can be done on the fly.

To give you an example, Jesse had a pair of S1s connected to a Consonance CDP and a Conrad Johnson Tube pre. He kept switching between the three settings on the fly and WOW the difference was dramatic. At the time I didn't know anything about MIT ICs and had no idea what he was doing I just know I heard a big difference between the settings.

F1nut

NJPOLKER wrote: »

My MIT S3 IC shotguns are are as follows and I hope they are set correctly.

to the Anthem pre-amp input impedance 40k ohms set to mid setting

to the Belles 350a amp input impedance 50k ohms set to low setting

Any suggestions??

Drew, I would set the pre amp cable to low and the amp cable to mid.

NJPOLKER

Thanks guys.
I will try those settings tomorrow, thanks.