Dear @antigrunge2 : I’m with you because it’s what you are listening but with all respect to ZYX and obviously to you if the Artisan+SUT outperforms the Artisan MC stage then what you need is not a SUT but a better phono stage design.
The Artisan has to many gain stages ( 4 ), not very good RIAA deviation with a 0.4db swing: to high, input resistor wound by hand by ZYX: sorry again those resistors can’t compare its quality levels to Vishay or Caddok that are non-inductive like the ZYX ones.
I can’t argue against what you like and only point out some " high-ligths " that came from its design.
Take a look to the KTE MK1 ( the OP owns the MK5 that’s way better yet. ) that is the Valav LCR 1 in this shoot-out:
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/LCR-RIAA-shootout.htm
a picture of the MK5:
https://www.kitsunehifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/LCR1-MK5-3-scaled.jpg
Engineering design level, parts selection design, circuit boards design and excecution quality of that design makes a difference in active high gain phono stages. Not all are almost the same.
R.
The Artisan has to many gain stages ( 4 ), not very good RIAA deviation with a 0.4db swing: to high, input resistor wound by hand by ZYX: sorry again those resistors can’t compare its quality levels to Vishay or Caddok that are non-inductive like the ZYX ones.
I can’t argue against what you like and only point out some " high-ligths " that came from its design.
Take a look to the KTE MK1 ( the OP owns the MK5 that’s way better yet. ) that is the Valav LCR 1 in this shoot-out:
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/LCR-RIAA-shootout.htm
a picture of the MK5:
https://www.kitsunehifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/LCR1-MK5-3-scaled.jpg
Engineering design level, parts selection design, circuit boards design and excecution quality of that design makes a difference in active high gain phono stages. Not all are almost the same.
R.