Phono Preamp. With transformer or fully active

Jensen named the parts of the Zobel Rdamp and Cdamp which clearly tells its purpose. I do not know of any phono stage inputs with those parts intentionally in place

I do, it retails for $3500 and has had stellar reviews.

It would be interesting to see the response without the Zobel in place to see what it is hiding.

It supposedly minimises internal ringing in the transformer.
If you simulate the load of the cartridge and run a square wave through the scope you can adjust the zobel to suit. In the afroementioned phono stage I have personally exerimented with altering the zobel to match the internal imedance of the cartridge, it is clearly audible.

The reality is that transformers are non linear in both amplitude and more importantly phase. It is the phase anomalies that kill the music - musical timing and natural harmonics are destroyed by phase anomalies.

In my experience, with an array of moving coil stepup devices to hand including both tube and solid state active, and many much vaunted transformers, is that active devices, for all their faults are more musically compelling.

Play any jazz record where there are changes in tempo within the track and a comparison between a competent active stage and a competent transformer will highlight the transformers destruction of phase and timing. Look at the bottom end in your graphs - its there for all to see.

Which phono stage is this?  

Zesto 1.2 uses Jensen transformers with zobel network in place.

If one choses to use a loading network and likes the sonic results, that is fine. I have always found that sonically, loading is the worst thing you can do to a transformer and using anything more than the absolute minimum required is relying on a band-aid for a preventable injury.

I said I could hear a difference altering the zobel network, I did not say I liked the sound. I tend to agree with you on loading - either primary or secondary.

I am in the Jonathan Carr camp where I dont believe loading modern moving coil cartridges impacts the cartridge behaviour. Loading a cartridge impacts the following phono stage behaviour - for example poorly designed solid state phono stages with low overload margins at ultra high frequencies.

In selecting transformers for MC’s in my experience it is better to focus on getting the gain into the optimum position for the ensuing phono stage rather than worry about what load the cartridge sees.

I have still sitting in the cupboard - Altec 4629’s, 4722’s, Jensens, FR’s ( ugh ) and an Ortofon. Have previously heard many others. None of them are neutral, they all have their own idiosyncratic sound.

Even optimising the gain structure, moving coils and step up transformers are like a pot luck dinner - you never know what you are going to get until you try it. And they still have the aforementioned phase anomalies across the audio band.

I heard a Zesto vs a NVO phono and the NVO

Yes I’ve heard both. The Zesto is good value for money, the NVO ( all tube, no transformers ) is very good. My only reservation with the NVO is the use of 20+ tubes in it. If 1 goes noisy what a drama finding it. This would drive me nuts ( and I’m a tube guy ).