Is a SUT needed?

Well if your phono-pre is not adequate and you want to keep your

LOMC then either an SUT or some other phono-pre with sufficient

amplification can solve your problem. ''either or'' does not allow

some third possibility (grin).

Curious? The tube lovers change the question about ''superiority''

into ''tube kinds''. So, obviously, there are mediocre , better and

superior kinds. Which is which is , alas, not clear.

The Dutch are collective convinced that the Germans have

no sense for humor. However I deed find some ''contrary''

evidence. I don't mean their ''Wein, Weiber und Gesang'' 

(drinks,women and music) but propositions like: ''the thoughts

are tax free'' and more in particular: ''If theory and practice

coincide then probably both are false''.

I am not sure about SUT's theory or the theories about SUT's

but  my experience is in ''correspondence'' (aka ''correspondence 

 theory of truth'') with @bobsdevices , say, assumptions.

Anyway for outputs bellow 0,2 mV. Both my phono-pres (Basis

Exclusive and Klyne 3,5) have 4 amplification stages. But in

the user manual the lowest possible is recommended for

the given cart because higher amplifications mean higher

distortions.

@czarivey , ''cartridges with sufficient output....are plenty-plenty''.

The moving parts by MC carts are stylus, cantilever and coils.

Reducing the moving mass by styli and cantilevers (tubed- boron,

sapphire or beryllium) would make not much sense if the coils

use so much wire that the mentioned reduction is undone.

Designs by which iron core is used to increase the output have

their own problems so coreless coils deliver those small outputs.

Ortofon, for example, uses just one layer of wire with about 0,2

mV output. But Ortofon also produces matching SUT's .

''Old'' and new Ikeda's have also < 0,2 mV. You can at least

assume that those designers which prefer low output have

good reasons to do so.

@czarivey , My ''headache'' was matching impedance and

inductance between my + 40 MC carts and SUT's. However

my Denon AU-S1 covers 2-40 Ohms so I don't need to buy,

say, 10 SUT's. However my post about moving parts and their

mass is more easy to grasp then your ''silicon-versus -tubes''

enigma.