2. analog
  3. 1214070155

Transfiguration Orpheus, what step-up

Hello everyone !

I have previously owned a Transfiguration Phoenix, that I have now traded in for a Transfiguration Orpheus, and I am almost embarrassed to say that I think that the Orpheus perfomred better than the Orpheus in my setup. While changing the PU, I also changed from Scoutmaster to Super Scoutmaster with SDS. The sound is definately more airy but I think that the P´hoenix was more dynamic and was mmore alive, and this makes me think that maybe the step-up I have is not the right one for this PU, I have the SoundTraditionLive! MC-10 MC Step-Up Unit with Switches for Low and High Cartridge Impedance . Mounting Hashimoto HM3 MC Step-up Transformers that accommodate MC cartridges whose internal impedance is between 2 and 7 Ohms.

The Orpheus has an internal impedance of 2,5 Ohms.

Any suggestions to an explanation to my findings. It could of course just be the design, but I would really welcome any suggestions.

Kind regards

Jesper
scubadooo

Showing 1 response by jtimothya

jtimothya
612 posts
 
 
Congratulations on acquiring a really nice cartridge. The O needs a good 50-70 hours to begin revealing itself and mine took upward to 120 hours until I thought it well run-in.

I don't use a step-up transformer, so I'm no help there. On several different phono stages I've found 100 - 200 Ohms is a good place to start for resistance. I've finally settled on 170.

Having the stylus azimuth set properly pays big dividends with the Orpheus. If your tonearm allows this adjustment, you can set azimuth with a meter and a test record, or by ear. (Several good threads w/ azimuth discussion.)
 
Tim
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