Step Up Transformers….Are they Worth the Trouble?

@lewm @mijostyn 

A strong choice or preference for a component in a system is only an indicator that component works well with rest of the components and to user liking.

A manufacturer design their components to be universally acceptable in an application it is intended for, yet we pick brand a, b or c driven by our preferences for certain sound characteristics and affordability.

When someone makes a recommendation, I always try to find out what kind of sound they gravitate towards and rest of the components. This approach has helped me tremendously with a my current setup..and i absolutely love the way my audio system connects me to music. 

@lewm The Lino C 3.0is a much better phono stage than the JC3+ it is also 3 times as expensive if you load it up with all the same features. I do not have a Lino C. I have a Seta L Plus. It has a much wider bandwidth and costs three times as much as a similarly equipped Lino C 3.0. 

@lalitk That connection is a moving target and depends more on your mood just as much as the actual performance of the system. Many if not most systems overcompensate for some characteristics at the expense, even absence of others. That overcompensation usually depends on which characteristic the user cherishes most. A common example is too much midbass. The person likes bass but his system does not go all that low so he manages to adjust his system or select components that over cook the midbass as a compensation. 

What do I prefer? Accuracy. Accuracy in tonal balance, timbre, detail and imaging along with the lack of distortion, accurate transient response and dynamic capability. Go to a small jazz club like the Blue Note or Birdland in NYC. You want your system to sound like that. Go to a Hall like the Boston Symphony Hall and listen to Beethoven's 9th. You want your system to sound like that. Tall order. How close can you get? Close enough depending on how much money and expertise you can throw at it. If your system connects you to the music in a way you like I suppose you are all set. My problem is I never look for what is right, only what is wrong. The problem of creating an incredible system is a challenge to be conquered. 

Mijo, Sorry, based on your phrasing I thought you might be saying you preferred JC3+ over whatever Channel D you own, which didn’t make sense.

Note here that I refrained from making the obvious joke about turntables needing to be “well hung” (per Mijostyn).

“What do I prefer? Accuracy” Accuracy in tonal balance, timbre, detail and imaging along with the lack of distortion, accurate transient response and dynamic capability. 

@mijostyn 

I think most people would agree with this. I don’t want to misconstrue your statement but I firmly believe, it’s upto to a person to decide what degree of accuracy they want to hear or prefer. I have heard components that measured perfectly but sound like crap or should I say unable to connect end user to music. 

Of course we want to replicate small jazz club like experience..it’s very intimate, emotional and connects your soul to the music and artist. Couple of recordings comes to mind, Norah Jones’s Live at Ronnie Scott's, Scott Hamilton & Andrea Pozza- I Could Write A Book and Fausto Mesolella - Live at Ad Alcatraz. All different venues but you’re transported to each of these venues every time I cue up these recordings. Read up on I Could Write A Book recording background..quite an interesting story, I know I would love to be in one of those place. 

I completely agree with your statement below, I think that’s what makes our pursuit so much fun!

“That connection is a moving target and depends more on your mood just as much as the actual performance of the system”. 

@mijostyn, thanks for your thoughts/advice! I do love the sonics of my rig as it currently stands. I've tube rolled with my previous preamp and power amp. To my ears the VTPH-2a sounds best with the factory tubes.

My buddy who suggested that I get an SUT also has Magico speakers, S7's. He runs VAC 450i Statement IQ power amps, the matching preamp, a Ypsilon phono pre, AMG Viella TT. All of his cables, cartridges, SUT are in the same caliber as the rest of his gear. He has a solid state phono preamp that he wants me to try so I'm more inclined to do so now.