FIDELITY RESEARCH STEP-UP TRANSFORMERS

Dear @lohanimal  :  At the end seems to me that you don't need any SUT.

Look Through 3 TTs I have mounted 10 tonearms/cartridges and I always use it only one phonolinepreamp and at each time that I want to listening another diferent of the mounted LOMC cartridges I only disconnet the tonearm cable and connect the cable of the other cartridge. This task takes me 1 minute to do it.

Now, I use ( time to time ) SUT's because I owned from several years now but normally I listen the LOMC cartridges with out SUT and directly in my active high gain phonolinepreamp that comes with two totally separated duaL MONO FULLY BALANCED MM and MC stages.

Repeat, I don't need a SUT and seems to me that you neither.

R.

Dear @lohanimal  : The stand alone Luxman unit came from the integrated phonolinepreamp Luxman C 5000A design.

I owned that unit and I know that those transformers ar not really top devices. Are small transformers with a limited frequency response band.

You can't go wrong with Audio Technica, Entré or Denon and its characteristics are rigth on what you are looking for and with very high quality level performances not like Luxman or even FR.

Btw, I still own the 103 because any one in analog has to owns it but it's not up to the today task standards of quality. Of course that for its price you can't ask for more.
Remember that that cartridge was designed in exclsive for radio stations and not for audiophiles. Yes, its cartridge motor function very well and that's why several last years buyers took it and with some modifications they sale to us as the 8th " world´s wonder " for big big dollars when they invested only a few coins on it: big bu$$ine$$ coming from  ignorant buyers

R.. 

Dear @lohanimal  : I posted that I owned that Transfiguration model and orther ones too, I love Transfiguration designs.

Even today still exist a cult in some Japanese gentlemans for the " venerable " 103 " that is a true mediocre/average design and that that tube electronic and Japanese designer use it means only his mediocrity levels or his very personal idiosyncrancy and nothing more.

""  In my various experiments I find that a great phono sectionis more important than the cartridge. ""

I almost agree with that statement. Yes the phono stage quality level design and quality level excecution to that design makes a paramount differences and extremely important to honor the cartridge signal but we have to remember that with out a cartridge there is no signal to pass through that phono stage. It's not easy for me to say with absolute certainty the grade of importance in between because we have to think too in that matching tonearm.

But you are rigth in the critical importance of that phono stage where I prefer the active high gain against the use of external SUT's. I own those SUT's and use SUT's because is a good alternative and I like it.

Btw, I will let you know about just email me here:

rauliruegas hotmail dot com .

R.

Dear @lohanimal  : All my SUT's were modified and the 340 outperforms almost any vintage or today SUT but the AU-1000 ( the weigth of this SUT: 12kg. and frequency response range : 5hz to 200khz . ) and others that I never experienced.

Audio Technica SUT's as the 1000T or 700T are really good too and its today  model seems to me as something to own and probably extremely hard to beat:

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/accessories/1211e0cd29d5d0aa/index.html

As you I own an active phonolinestage device. Your Vendetta is a good one.

Even that I don't know your other cartridges you own I think that you need better carrtridges than your Transfiguration or Denon entry level 103 that I owned/own. You can stay with Transfiguration that are excellent quality performers like the Proteus one.

The SUT's you ask for are in the mediocrity/average range and could work with mediocre/average LOMC cartridges like your 103 but not for top performers.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @edgewear : "  you get none of the alignment or set up problems "

Really, please let us where are the foundations for your " common sense " statement?

How can you change the azymuth cartridge set up that always you need to make changes on it, let us know how?

Let us how you can set up the overhang and offset angle through Löfgren A or B. Not with the STUPID Stevenson alignment?

Your statement unfortunatelly only shows you really low knowledge levels on these specific and critical subjects to achieve the best quality performance levels for any cartridge/tonearm/TT combination.

Waiting for your answers for we can have new ligth in those regards, please don't dead silence and let us to learn because each day is a learning day.

And please tell me where and why I'm totally wrong with my advises.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @lohanimal  : "   commended it's unique design. "

Yes, unique design means cartridge motor/inside the cartridge but  he told the same for the Sony XL88 internal motor design and these has nothing to do with " stupiod " monolitic cartridge headshell where exist no way to make the rigth low distortion track and tracking error because as the Glanz integrated no one just can't do it.

Who cares what other audiophiles posted about when this is only COMMON SENSE and knowledge level of what any cartridge needs for can shows it at its best ! ! ! 

At least Audio Technica in its integrated headshell models not only you can modified the azymuth or overhang as the cartridge set up ask with the best geometry alignment for but even they use in the headshell a self damped magnesium material and  ( if I remember ) with damping rubber too. AT knows the cartridge needs when FR just dis not or does not want it to do it, this is a FR problem that they gives to us " ignorant/stupid " people that " do not know nothing of the cartridge/ tonearm best set up ", go figure ! ! ! 
Like many other audiophiles I bougth at least 3 diferent models of those terrible FR cartridges and I bougth it because in those times my ignorance/stupidity levels were really high, differences with other gentlemans is that I learned in the whole cartridge/tonearm set up at its best.

As I told you it's your money and that could be the level of distortions you deserve. Is up to you, I don't care. I'm only given you a common sense and knowledge opinion and nothing more than an opinion. Go a head.

R.

Dear @lohanimal  : "   I hope to get an FR7 cartridge... "

IMHO the qworst decision you can take speaking on cartridges because all the disadvantages that has cartridges with integrated headshells and especially the vintage ones you name it:

first than all the with the 7's you can't set up correctly any cartridge due that you can't have azimuth mechanism to do it and can't change the overhang and offset angle to take advantage of one of the Löfgren tonearm/cartridge kind of alignments.
In the other side the internal cartridge/headshell wires/connectors that are so important because is where the cartridge signalmust pass through are just that: vintage and with low quality.

At least AT cartridge integrated models as Technics headshell integrated ones came with azymuth and overhang adjustments not like the monolitic 7 type.

Of course is up to you because is your money and you decide what to do with.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @lohanimal : Ste up transformers are not " rocket science " and does not changed in the last 40+ years. What changed was if are silver coiled or cooper or what ever but the functions stays the same.

I owned FR, AT, Denon, Entré and several other SUT's and with out doubt I can recomend to you the Denon AU-340 that I still own along the Denon AU-1000 ( both modified by me. ).

You can't go wrong with the 340 that works really good with any vintage or today cartridges:

https://audio-heritage.jp/DENON/etc/au-340.html

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/denon/au-340.shtml

Please take a look to the Denon frequency range against the top FR or any FR SUT, Denon outperforms any of them and this spec tell us a lot about the quality of those transformer designed by Denon.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.