Arm and MC transformer to match ZYX Air3 cartridge

Back to clear up one thing. The entire MC stage in my Alaap is SS using a FET-based circuit. (Nick made me write this 100 times!)

There are many, Plinko. But to get right to the heart of what Nsgarch is talking about, I would say to look for phono stages with FET high gain stages instead of transformers or tubes. Transformers are going to filter out dynamics and tubes can do the same but mostly they are just plain noisy in high gain circuits. That's not to say that tube phono stages in general are bad. There is just so much better resolution with a properly designed SS gain circuit for LO MCs.

Almost, Neal. I do prefer a SS gain stage for MC over a tube or tranny. My Alaap phono (by Nick Doshi)has just such a circuit, but the rest of the unit is tubes as is the Alaap preamp.

I'm going on what I've heard and what I can remember from cmos design back in college. Point is that these IC chips, especially true these days, are much better at amplifying all of the micro details in the LO MC circuits. Even the very best of transformers cannot faithfully induce the entire signal from the input coil to the output coil. That is why I believe I hear so much more from my LP's even with the same Benz Glider I've been using for some time now.

I did not hear these micro-dynamics and nuances with the same arm/cart/table back when I was using the Aesthetix Calypso and Rhea, which has all tube gain stages. Although Aesthetix makes very good tube components. I've not heard an IO so I can't say if the gain stages in that model are closer to what I'm getting now.

In any case, I believe that K&K as well as Hagerman are now offering phono stages with SS input gain stages. But as with everything audio, folks should decide on the whole presentation and not just the tech specs.

Ah, but it is not just a coil of wire. It is 2 coils that don't touch. The current in the input coil induces a current on the second coil. The ratio of the windings on coil 1 to coil 2 determine how much of a "step-up" the signal sees across the transformer.

But herein lies the issue. The signal from the cartridge is very small with minute chages and harmonics. It is not possible for all of those tiny signal components to be induced on the second coil. So you end up with a kind of filtering effect. I'm sure it is quiet, but it also lacks some of the original signal coming from the cartridge.

Transformers are a great, cost effective way to step up the low level signals. But an IC circuit is much, much better.