Step Up Transformers….Are they Worth the Trouble?

Dear @atmasphere  :  " this has nothing to do with tubes or solid state. " 

Ok, then is a huge coincidence that all SS  units outperforms in that regards  tube units and according what you posted I can infere that all those tube designers has not the technical knowledge levels and skills.Just incredible that so low level in tube designers. Could be a " shame " for them.

R.

'All' or most that you know of?

At any rate, I have to agree with you that 'knowledge levels and skills' is an issue. People seem to get into this sport out of desire rather than if they have the education or not.

If you take the time to read Dr. Lipshitz's paper you will see that it has nothing to do with the kind of amplification. If the electronics are designed according to the math in the paper it will have correct EQ.

the today top phono SS stages has A RIAA deviation of at least 0.1db and lower than that, mine is 0.011 and FM Acoustics 0.05.

chasing numbers like this is a fool's errand. There are so many errors introduced in so many stages of the process that these small deviations do not matter.

Everything else being equal then of course go for the better measurement, but everything else is never equal ... so how does it sound? That's really all that matters..

regarding SUTs and loading , someone much more knowledgeable than me (Dave Slagle) advocates for choosing an SUT ratio to get the gain you need, then loading it on the input side to get the load you need, DO NOT rely on the reflected impedance of the phono stage. The problem with this approach is that most phono stages use the arbitrary 47KΩ load, which is usually not the ideal. It should usually be much higher. That is the Emia approach which has proven to be audio nirvana for me... not chasing measurements.

It is very fortunate for retailers of Audio Equipment many of the potential customer base are seeking a Buzz more than a Doctoral level of Education. 

When I watch recorded TV programmes / films as a form Audio Visual form of entertainment what is expected of my education in TV Technology, at best how to Navigate the TV's Settings Menu, maybe even extend to being able to change the remote batteries, these two capabilities are usually more than enough to substantiate myself as acceptable type of viewer.

When I choose to use a Audio System as a means to listen to recorded music to   be a form of entertainment, a different criteria prevails to substantiate my acceptability for being a listener. I am expected to have some acquired superior understanding or it is suggested that I lack in substantiation as a listener.

How Very Strange, or is just how the Very Clever Marketing continuously presented over many many years has engineered a mindset, that has successfully created a false belief, that there is something quite superior over Recorded Audible Entertainment vs Recorded Audio Visual Entertainment?    

“Loading on the input side”.  Does that mean using a resistor across the primaries of the SUT (which on its surface sounds like a bad idea) or what? Dave is a great outside the box thinker.