Great discussion above my pay grade since I'll likely keep using MM carts most of my life now that I stream music about 80% of the time, but I wanted to mention that in May, Steve Gutenberg went down the rabbit hole of getting out some of his vintage SUTs and comparing them to his "reference" Parasound phono stage. The results were interesting to say the least, mirroring some of your experiences.
HOW TO get the BEST SOUND from MC CARTRIDGES! - YouTube
Step Up Transformers….Are they Worth the Trouble?
Some of you may aware of my Garrard 301 project, it’s now very close to completion. The plinth finally shipped from Hungry after 3 months of long wait.
Given my last experience with Hana Umami Red, I would like to take things to the next level. Which brings me to mating low output cart with a SUT. Every review I’ve read so far suggests when the SUT-MC match is right, the end result is heavenly. The bass is right, the midrange is clear, and most importantly, the highs are relaxed and extended—not rolled off.
I am not saying you can’t get great sound without a SUT but it appears with a properly matched SUT, sound can be quite magical.
Thought this would be the right time to get input from experienced users here since I am still contemplating my cartridge and outboard phonostage options.
My preference would be to go with a tube phono…I kinda miss tinkering with tubes :-)
My system, Garrard 301 (fully refurbished), Reed 3P tonearm, Accuphase E-650 with built-in AD50 analog board ➡️ Tannoy Canterbury’s.
Cart and phono under consideration through my dealer,
Fuuga - Output : 0.35 mVrms | Impedance : 2.5 Ω (1kHz)
Phonostage - Tron Convergence and Konus Audio Phono Series 1000
The cart - MC combination, I am lusting after is Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC with their Etsuro Transformer.
https://www.etsurojapan.com/product/bordeaux
The other transformer is EMIA, cooper or silver version.
Your input is appreciated!
Showing 3 responses by moonwatcher
@lewm "reference" means only that. That he uses it as a reference for comparison. It doesn't mean it is the most expensive, nor the "best", just a price/performance point comparison to other gear. Steve will change devices and speakers in his "reference" system slowly over time, for instance he switched from Klipsch Cornwalls to dipole speakers a few months ago. |
For yet more food for thought, Steve Gutenberg recently reviewed a new Zesto Tube Phone Preamp, but he intentionally chose the MM one not the more expensive MM/MC one, but instead used, you guessed it, SUTs with it. |