Seperate phono stage v.s. step up transformer


Fellow analog lovers help me with this dilemma. I have a Teres 265 turntable with a Graham 2.2 arm and a Lyra Helikon cartirdge. I just purchased a new preamp that has a terrific phono stage but, its' sensitivity is 2mV @47Kohms and the Lyra cartridge is only 0.22mV.
So I have 3 choices, get a new cartridge, get a seperate phono stage, or a step up transformer.
What would those of you with more experience in these things do? If it is change cartridge, which one? If seperate phono stage, which one? If a step up transformer can be used without sacrificing any detail, dynamics, etc. which one?
Thanks ahead of time to any of you that answer these questions.
agaffer

Showing 1 response by ozzy62

I have the same phono stage as 4yanx with only a couple of exceptions. It is MC only and has a fixed load of 300 ohms as per my request. I can only reiterate what Bombaywalla and 4yanx have said about this phono stage and the Lundahl transformers in general. This is an excellent design that sound great. I am using the TX-102 as a volume control, but have not heard the TX-103 SU device, so I can't compare it to the Lundahls. But as Bombaywalla points out, the Lundahls are much less expensive and perform nicely indeed.

I am glad you are finding the Granite preamp's phono section to your liking. I would like to hear how it compares to the full blown K&K Audio phono stage, which as 4yanx already pointed out, is a hard one to beat.

Oz