SUT Advice - Which Ones Are The Best?

@no_regrets 

Couldn't agree more with this!

I do not understand how anyone would be able to categorically deny the worthiness of a component that they may have never even heard in their own system, simply because of a certain capacitor, wire, passive/active device, etc... that is being employed. I’ve always believed that the worthiness of a component is a combination of the entire circuit design and the sum of all the parts working together seamlessly vs just one sole aspect of the component in question... not to mention the importance of system synergy.

Me too

Dear @edgewear : "  I've compared dozens of low impedance MC's with mixed results, but generally speaking Ortofon SPU, FR 7, Ikeda 9 and Miyabi seem to prefer a SUT in the signal path (with some preferring silver wire over copper wire and vice versa), while Ortofon A95, MC Anna and Transfiguration Proteus sounded much better with active amplification...""

Like you I did and do the same SUT vs active cartridge quality comparisons where both phono stages ( MC and MM ) has the same quality level performance.

I own and owned several SUTs and by coincidence two of them that I still have came by Entré, I own too the AT 1000T that is dedicated for the AT MC1000 cartridge that you own, I own too 2 modified by me Denon SUTs the 340 and the AU1000. I'm using this last for the latest comparisons. Here its unique characteristics:

http://20cheaddatebase.web.fc2.com/needie/NDdenon/AU-1000.html


Look its wide frequency range and its heavy weigth.

Well, any vintage and today cartridge performs really really good with the AU-1000 but overall can't even the high gain active stages quality performance levels in my phonolinepreamp. Yes, near but not match it.

Btw, if you can and due that you have not preference on these alternatives try to get the AU-1000.

As a fact I can live easily with the SUT in my system but the high gain active alternative is the ultimate way to go.

Of course that everything is dependent of the whole design quality levels of any active high gain unit.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

@rauliruegas thanks for sharing. Both these units are highest quality and probably a 'step up' from the Ortofon T-3000 I'm using right now. But the Denon has only 21dB gain and not suitable for low impedance cartridges, so for me that's a no-no.
The AT-1000T gained my interest after I acquired the AT-1000MC, while the added feature of accomodating both low impedance (3 ohm) and high impedance (20/40dB) MC's simultanuously is also  interesting. Only 1000 made, so probably not easy to find at a reasonable price......

@edgewear : The Denon performs very good with any LOMC cartridge impedance I experienced, no single trouble whith that I been aware off. I even listening with the Ortofon MC2000 and due to its extreme low output I only heard some noise but nothing that avoid to listen to that cartridge, yes not confortable at all but other than that cartridge I never had and have any worry about impedance.
I run the MM stage at 47k and at 100k and seems to me that works a little better at 100k.

Could be good for you and everyone to read next approach/explanation about SUTs:

http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk/html/mc_step-up_transformers_explai.html

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.