phono stage / step up for Koetsu carts

a Koetsu step up is definitely a possibility in the future though that is a pricey phono step up.
Anyone here have luck using EAR834p or Tron Seven with the Koetsus ?
Thanks !

I use the Nagra VPS. The loading is at 1000 ohms for my Koetsu and 500 for my Lyra mono. PLay with loading it will sound different with different wires and equipment. there is no one setting for all.

I started out with a Tom Evans Microgroove+ with my first Koetsu. This had an excellent tonality to it but was somewhat noisy. Probably a Groove would be way better but I have never heard one.

After trying many phono front ends--Nagra, CJ, Manley, BAT, Air Tight, Aesthetix IO and many others--I got a Wavestream Kinetics phono amp and am highly satisfied.

As you may now be noticing, a good phonoamp (or SUT) is the "hidden" cost of a Koetsu.

Smokester,

thanks for insight. I was looking at Tome Evans as well but not the microgroove, but the Groove x.
This looks like a long and interesting journey to the Koetsu world. Hope in the end its worth it.

What cartridge did you get?

Another thing: Regarding Step Up Transformers, there are opinions about this. Here is mine since I had to make the decision with my setup.

Compared to a mediocre phonoamp, a good transformer can often produce a seductive tonality--particularly a more pure midrange--on less-than-well-recorded music and they can be particularly "heavenly" with strings. However, based on listening to many, many recordings, I came to believe that SUTs achieve this heavenly sound by rolling off the highs and perhaps through other effects.

Obviously, my opinion depends on what music I like, particular recordings, the rest of my system and a limited sampling of the universe of possible options. My system is designed to reproduce symphonic works so I chose to go the active phonoamp route which is, unfortunately, ultimately more expensive.