If a search for an alternative SUT does become a interest. The EAR 'The Head' SUT is one model worth looking into. These are quite rare, but do surface as a sale item occasionally. A Member of m Local HiFi Group has one, it has been side by side demo'd to a variety of SUT's in a few different systems and has been the model that all attendees have been thoroughly impressed by and unanimously agreed to be something very special. |
@dover given your extensive experience, would you share with us what you consider to be the best trannies you ever heard? Thanks. |
Another new option to consider is to use an outboard current driven gain stage to feed a very good MM stage. Sutherland make one, and I’m using one from another source that was custom built for me. Results are excellent if you’re limiting your choice of cartridge to very low output MCs with very low internal impedance. But that’s what you do anyway when you choose to use a SUT. |
@lewm yeah, but I was under the impression that most current gain devices have a line level output. I use one such device myself, the Swiss made Blue Systems Aria built by Reto Andreoli. This unit offers an interesting alternative to SUT+MM voltage gain or MC voltage gain amplification. In my experience it provides the best performance with ultra low impedance cartridges, like Transfiguration Orpheus L and Proteus. This should come as no surprise, but perhaps I will hit on some other less obvious combinations that sound much better than expected. These are the surprises that keep the 'hobby' aspect interesting. |
