I'm not sure I want to do this either. I had no intention of trying it until I read some very positive reviews of a few SUTs and talked to a few people who use them even though they too have sufficient gain in their phonostages.
I realize that the Io, MP-1, and many, many other phonostages have enough gain to work with low-output MC cartridges. I'm not concerned with what is technically possible or with what should sound better in theory; I'd like to know what people have found to sound best in practice. The Manley Steelhead, for instance, can amplify low-output MC cartridges through its MC input but many users prefer to use an SUT and the MM input of the Steelhead.
What you're saying is that in rare instances, when perfectly matched with a particular cartridge, an SUT offers more benefits than just the reduction of noise. This is what intrigues me. Have you heard any of the offerings from Auditorium 23?
My experience is that while you can get the overall setup to be quieter, ultimately you find that the phono is not as interesting as before- brighter, less bass impact, less transparent
These traits are what I would expect to hear from an SUT and, as such, I was surprised to hear people taking about the 'magic' that some of them provide.
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