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SUT shootout

Over the past six weeks I have had the chance to finish a SUT "shootout". I thought I would post my impressions.

My system config for the shoot-out consisted of the following:

TT: Nottingham 294
Tonearm: SME 312S
Cartridge: Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum & Benz Ebony
Preamp: Shindo Masetto
Amp: Atma-sphere S30 and Tube Audio Lab 300B
Speaker: Hawthorne Trio (Biamped Open Baffle Speaker)

Music listened to covered multiple genres (rock, jazz, classical) in both 33 and 45 rpm formats. Because of the different turn ratios of the products I used a SPL meter and tried to listen with volume at roughly 80-85db.

My subjective ranking is as follows:

1. Hashimoto HM-7
2. Auditorium 23 "Hommage"
3. Hashimoto HM-3
4. Modified EAR-834P (Upgraded parts and tubes)
5. Sowter
6. MC from Shindo Masetto (Lundahl based transformer)
7. Cinemag
8. Altec (DIY)

The good news is that all of the above are extremely musical. There were no poor performers. I think most people would be happy with any of these products on their own. It was only in direct comparison where some of the differences became apparent.

The top three (Auditorium Hommage and both Hashimoto's) were a notch above the rest because they had both huge soundstages and the ability to dig deep into the music in regards to detail. The Hashmito HM-7 and Auditorium further distinquished themselves from the HM-3 by being more nuanced and textured. The Koetsu's warm tone came across better with these top 2. The tone using the HM-3 was more neutral in character. In comparing the HM-7 to the Hommage, I felt the HM-7 had a slightly better ability to separate instruments in complex musical arrangements and had a slightly lower noise floor.

The EAR and Sowter were very good at showcasing detail and texture but the soundstage was smaller than the top 3.

The internal SUT from the Shindo preamp had the most unique sound of the group and was the toughest to grade. It had the lowest noise floor and really shined in certain types of music (intimate vocals or small scale jazz/chamber music). However, the soundstage of the Masetto (Lundahl) was the smallest of all the products and when it came to larger scale music (symphonies especially) it had a harder time separating instruments.

The Cinemag and Altec were, not suprisingly, extremely similar considering their common heritage. The soundstage was larger than the Shindo, Sowter and EAR but smaller than the Hashimoto's and Hommage. Where I felt they came up a little short was in the area of musical detail. Of these two products, I placed the Cinemag higher because I thought it was slightly quieter.

It is interesting to note that the pricing of the products ranged from a low of approximately $350 (Cinemag based SUT) to a high of roughly $5000 (Hommage). My "winner" (HM-7) is priced at approx $1600 for a finished product.

Finally, I am aware that the performance of the products in question may differ substantially with other cartridges and systems so my ranking is a subjective opinion within the paramaters of my system, room and musical tastes. None-the-less, I had a fun time doing it.
sibelius

Showing 4 responses by tobes

tobes's avatar
tobes
436 posts
 

03-19-12: Br3098
Public announcement - I screwed up (again). The Cinemag Blue is an 1131, not the A3440AH as I typed in my response above.

Oh well, at least that makes the comparison to the HM3 more valid, since on their low gain setting they both have the same ratio of 1:20.
Close in price too, though the Blue 1131 is actually $200 more than the HM3.
tobes's avatar
tobes
436 posts
 
.....03-14-12: Br3098

Secondly, I was surprised at how much I preferred Bob's Cinemag 3440AH (Blue) unit to my beloved Hashimoto-based SUT. It's not that the HM-3 unit sounded worse compared to Bob's SUT. The unit from Choir Audio has a very seductive sound; warm, dusky and brassy. What I love about the Hashmoto-based SUT is what it does to horns, wood instruments and voices - there is great timbre and texture.

I wonder to what degree the turns ratio effected this comparison. What setting did you use to compare the 2 SUT's?

Curious because the high gain setting of the HM3 - 1:40 - would give a reflected impedance of 29.4ohms while the Cinemag on high gain (1:30) would give 52ohms. Probably enough to influence the comparison, making it difficult to compare those two SUT's with a particular cartridge. I suspect a low DCR cartridge would be best with the HM3 on high gain. The HM7 - 1:30 on high gain - is closer in spec to the Cinemag (though HM7 is considerably more expensive).
tobes's avatar
tobes
436 posts
 
Thanks for the further info Br.

Even though the gain of the HM3 and Cinemag are pretty close, the turns ratio of the HM3 on low gain setting (1:20) will give a reflected impedance of 117.5ohms vs 183ohms for the Cinemag (1:16).
Its hard to predict how different cartridges will work with differing SUT's and to complicate things further the best setting (turns ratio) for the SUT will vary with the phono amp.

In my setup with the lowish gain Cary ph302 (38dB on MM) the high gain 1:30 setting of my H7 sounds best by far with my modded/retipped 103R - though Hashimoto suggest using the low gain/ratio 1:16 setting based on the 14ohm DCR of the cartridge.

IME the H7 sounds nothing like your description of the H3 - being very transparent, neutral, extended, detailed and fast compared to the standard 'red' Cinemag.
I've not heard Bob's 'blue' version which is apparently a far better device (than the red) - but I'd like to.
tobes's avatar
tobes
436 posts
 
Br, thanks for the invite, but I'm located in Australia - so not likely to take up your generous offer.

Sibelius, that Blue Cinemag must be quite a piece (and a bargain) to be running neck and neck with the H7. I almost went with Bob's blue Cinemag - I did love the red - but decided to try something different with the Choir Audio unit.
The H7 does sound fantastic and like you I much prefer its form factor to Bob's Cinemag - less likely to be pulled around by cabling and it looks quite tasty and elegant(though its sound that counts of course).
I can see how the the small footprint of Bob's unit could be useful though - and it has its charms in a form follows function way.
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