I would like to append my response form 2010:
I met Bob Sattin from Bob's Devices at the T.H.E. Show in Newport last year (2011). Bob is a very pleasant guy, during our discussion expressed genuine surprise that I preferred the Hashimoto-based SUT to his Cinemag unit. Since he was going to be in town on vacation, I invited Bob to come to my office the following week and compare his units to my HM-3 unit from Choir Audio.
It was an interesting afternoon. We compared several of Bob's devices to my SUT, and I was surprised by a couple of things: First, just how much different various SUTs can sound, even from the same manufacturer (Bob's) and within the same transformer family (Cinemag). And the differences were not subtle.
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.
The Cinemag Blue unit, in comparison, was smoother and silkier. But more importantly, the Cinemag Blue unit presented more musical detail than did the Hashimoto unit. No matter which recording we listened to, Bob's Cinemeg Blue unit provided a sense sense of musical balance. Finally, I will say that I found the width and depth of the soundstage increased with the Cinemag unit, and not by a small degree.
I have kept my Choir Audio SUT, and still listen through it occasionally. But for most of my LP listening I rely on Bob's Cinemag 3440AH (Blue) SUT - it's simply a superior product.
If anyone is interested, the equipment used for the SUT comparison were a Luxman PD-441 turntable with Micro Seiki MA-505 S1 tonearm and Benz Ace (Low) cartridge. The amp was an Audio Note Oto Phono SE, and the speakers were Altec Lansing Model 14s.
I met Bob Sattin from Bob's Devices at the T.H.E. Show in Newport last year (2011). Bob is a very pleasant guy, during our discussion expressed genuine surprise that I preferred the Hashimoto-based SUT to his Cinemag unit. Since he was going to be in town on vacation, I invited Bob to come to my office the following week and compare his units to my HM-3 unit from Choir Audio.
It was an interesting afternoon. We compared several of Bob's devices to my SUT, and I was surprised by a couple of things: First, just how much different various SUTs can sound, even from the same manufacturer (Bob's) and within the same transformer family (Cinemag). And the differences were not subtle.
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.
The Cinemag Blue unit, in comparison, was smoother and silkier. But more importantly, the Cinemag Blue unit presented more musical detail than did the Hashimoto unit. No matter which recording we listened to, Bob's Cinemeg Blue unit provided a sense sense of musical balance. Finally, I will say that I found the width and depth of the soundstage increased with the Cinemag unit, and not by a small degree.
I have kept my Choir Audio SUT, and still listen through it occasionally. But for most of my LP listening I rely on Bob's Cinemag 3440AH (Blue) SUT - it's simply a superior product.
If anyone is interested, the equipment used for the SUT comparison were a Luxman PD-441 turntable with Micro Seiki MA-505 S1 tonearm and Benz Ace (Low) cartridge. The amp was an Audio Note Oto Phono SE, and the speakers were Altec Lansing Model 14s.