2. analog
  3. 135010-74046

Any Members Tried the Audio Interface CST-80 SUT?

My curiosity got the better of me and I just bought this SUT from Japan and wondered if anyone else had any experience with it. The very little I could find seemed to indicate it is a respectable unit and has even been likened to the highly acclaimed Cotter SUT.

It was made in the US around 1982 and came in two varieties. There was a 3 Ohm version with 30dB of gain and a 40 Ohm version with 20dB of gain.

I currently use a Fidelity Research FRT-4 which is excellent and has 4 different taps 100 Ohms, 30 Ohms, 10 Ohms and 3 Ohms + Pass Through for MM.  It will be interesting to see how it compares the FRT-4.

I will use it with my 1.0 mV / 60 Ohms Shinon Boron Red which currently uses the 100 Ohm tap on my FRT-4.

 

ateal

Showing 1 response by mirolab

mirolab
208 posts
 
Adding to this old thread......
I've owned the CST-80 since 1988... got it used for I think $160.  It's the only SUT I've ever owned and always wondered where it ranked in overall quality of SUTs.  Based on what i'm reading here, it's in the 500-1000 category of new SUT's.  
I'm using an Ortofon MC-30 Super-II... and I've often switched between using the MC gain stage of the phono pre and using the SUT.  I do get more raw detail and LF extension without the SUT, but WITH the CST-80, the noise floor is lower, and there is a mid bass fullness that makes the music bloom more.  It simply sounds more punchy & musical..... at the slight expense of HF transparency.   Overall, I find myself preferring the sound using the SUT.   My current phono pre is the Parasound JC3.

Someday I'd like to hear an SUT in my system based on Cinemag or Lundahl transformers, just to see where my CST stands.
Jensen is currently producing a version of the CST-80 for $550, and Hafler's current SUT for $999 uses the same Jensen transformers!   I'd say the new Jensen is a safe buy, as I've been happy with mine for over 30 years.  
More to discover