Luxman E-250 or Sutherland 20/20, or something else?


Moving on from my C48 preamp which had a very capable MC/MM phono section. In the $2,500 +- category narrowed it down to the Luxman and Sutherland 20/20. Didn’t know anything about either till I started researching. The Luxman has some cool design features and more flexibility than the Sutherland, IMO. I’m intrigued by their step up transformer for LO MC carts, which I have (Cadenza Black). Filter switches could be nice to have. The mono function seems intriguing but do I need it if I use a mono cart? However, very little user feedback online about this product. 

The Sutherland obviously has a solid reputation with Stereophile and Absolute Sound recommendations. Also, lots of user feedback that generally provide favorable reviews. Not too fond of having two wall warts for the base model so would probably have to spend the extra for the line power supply, so that puts the 20/20 about $400 more than the Luxman. Is the extra money worth it for the 20/20 over the Lux? Has any one tried either of these? Any other recommendations in this price range? Thanks in advance for your comments/questions. 
bfoura

Showing 3 responses by three_easy_payments

@bfoura

Congrats on the Herron. Are you planning to continue using the Cadenza Ortofon Black? I have a VTPH-2A and wouldn’t recommend going any lower in output than the 0.3mV your cart is spec’d at. Let us know how it sounds!
Unless you’re looking at LOMC carts with output below 0.3mV, I’d be leaning towards the tubed phono pre’s in that price range but that’s simply the sound I prefer. In this range I’d be looking at Modwright, Allnic, EAR, Manley, and Herron (although Herron has the least tubey sound of this bunch but is still great).

If you're going really low output MC then I'd go SS and look for a Whest in your price range.
Using a tubed linestage isn’t a sonic substitute for using a phono preamp with tubed gain stages. I think Upscale Audio offers 60-day returns.