Can I use a step up transformer?

Dear @john_tracy :  Yes, mi mistake. I was thinking other thing and out of focus.

Anyway, increment in noise means lower dynamic range and noise is a kind of distortion too that we don't want it in any way. We don't want chage the original  characteristics.

In the other side normally PLP manufacturer gives the unit specs at certain " levels " and almost no one gives specs/characteristics at full output and the manufacturer normally try that active and passive parts on his units stay at " safe " area and problem is that not all manufacturers takes  provision of this and its parts instead to stay at 50% of the active/passive part manufacturer specs works ( normally ) at 80%+ of its intrinsec capacities and this is a problem against: " distortions at minimum " and for the PLP stay on manufacturer specs.

Yes, a designed PLP ( Phonolinepreamp ) for cartridges with at least 0.3mv can handle cartridges not even with 0.2mv but 0.15mv or 0.1mv but we have to " pay " for it: higher distortions. This is the real subject not only those numbers you are talking about.


Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Dear @thuchan : """  tuning the SUT by changing the capacitance I would not recommend  .."""

this is what @halcro posted:

"""anywhere from 10K Ohms to 60K Ohms and the cartridge responds in the same way that a MM does. """

he did not  talks about capacitance.


Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Dear @thuchan :  This is what you can read in the Lyra cartridge site:


"""  Most users (and phono stages) will benefit from the regular Etna with much higher output and considerably more energy; resulting in a much better signal-to-noise ratio. If you are in doubt about which version of Etna that will work best in your system, please go with the regular Etna.
The Etna SL may provide extra pure and pristine sound from an audio system that is optimized for a low-impedance, low-output cartridge. However, this may be accompanied with a lesser level of energy and power. """


That is what J.Carr said for all his 3 " low output " models ( Atlas, Etna and Kleos. ) that in reality are not so low output: 0.25 mv. The reguklar versions: 0.5mv.
Look what he said:

""   may provide extra pure and pristine sound from an audio system that is optimized for a low-impedance, low-output cartridge. However, this may be accompanied with a lesser level of energy and power """

Could exist some exceptions depending of the PLP design but more gain in a PLP design makes " compromises " too and not only to deal with noise but other kind of distortions coming many times for the necessity to use additional gain stages in the PLP design as in its power suply design and some other factors.
Things are not so easy as you posted. Yes, a 0.20mv cartridge ( everything the same ) can performs ( in theory ) better as the same model with 0.50mv but JC noted that the system must be optimized for! I think that 95%+ systems did not even JC statement.
So, in my example about is better to buy a higher output cartridge or spend a lot of money for the right PLP that can handle with high quality level the low output cartridge.

In the other side, I posted to you several tiemes ( in this thread. ) that what we need to match is the rigth SUT gain with the PLP and not to the cartridge that is not sensitive to changes on impedances and capacitance because the LOMC cartridges has very low internal impedance and inductance so cartridge does not cares about the SUT in that regards.

A LOMC cartridge could be sensitive to impedance/capacitance changes when these values are  extremely high/low but with the values usually happens in an audio systems the cartridge is " non-sensitive " to those changes and if not sensitive then where comes the quality level changes some of us can hear.
I already said it: comes from the internal interactions in the PLP design. I posted that for every single evaluation before/after the SPL must be evenly because our ears are really sensitive to minute SPL. Changes on impedance can drop/high SPL with the same cartridge and if the PLP is a good design what we listen as " changes " are not really a change in the cartridge quality level performance but only changes in the PLP SPLs.

Btw, I like almost any good LOMC cartridge design, vintage and today. With my PLP I don't need to use a SUT because it can handle any LOMC cartridge directly with no single  trade offs I posted. I tested several SUTs and as a fact I own several ones because I just want it to try and compare against active designs.

Again, a  very good active high gain PLP design always beats a PLP  with a SUT in its design or using an external SUT. 

Regards and enjoy tghe music,
R.

As you can see all belongs to audio devices kind level of design.

In the output level cartridge subject it's the same. You can listen to the Lyra Etna with 0.5mv against the Ortofon A95/Anna that has 0.2mv and I'm sure that you will happy with any one of them it does not matters its output level differences and this means that is the overall design what really counts. I don't buy or prefer LOMC cartridges because its low or very low output but because its overall quality performance level.
I own cartridges coming from 0.05mv to o.6mv and I like all of them.

I hope you can find a top ( really top ) active high gain SS PLP and forget about SUTs. Yes is " fun " to play/tests with but no more than that.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Dear @thuchan /friends: """  and use the MM input with appropriate SUTs.
You will be surprised what results you will hear and maybe you will change your opinion quickly.  """

Perhaps no so quickly but I need to say that all over my posts in this thread I was looking almost only what happens in my system with out leave my " eyes " to see the overall audiophile world.

Yes, the active high gain phonolinepreamp alternative could be or is the best way to go but those kind of units are really rare in the market especially true and real good phonolinepreamps designs and the few that exist has a way huge/high tag price that almost no one can pay for it.

So the SUT alternative is the real alternative either as an external option to a MM only phono stages or integrated in LOMC phono stage designs.
This is what almost all of us can find out/buy in the analog whole market and I think is the market mark for the years to comes.

In all my posts here and elsewhere I never said SUTs sounds wrong because it did not as a fact a PS + SUT sounds good and some times sounds very good and I can live with if necessary.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.