VAC Sigma 160i MM phono stage question

John, good catch -- I was incorrectly extrapolating from the Renaissance III. Back when I purchased the III there was the option for no phono, MM only, or MM+MC (I opted for the latter). In my dealer's showroom I didn't look into the 160i close enough to see that MC was the only listed option (just looked again the other day, and sure enough that's it). So definitely I was in error there.

But my experience with the III still stands -- the Lundahl SUTs for the MC upgrade option sound good, but the CineMag 1131 SUT sounds better (even with an extra interconnect).

Thanks again for the feedback. I should be receiving the unit later today so I should know for myself pretty soon.

What MC cartridge are you using?
I'm running a Sumiko Blackbird MC directly into the MM phono stage, as it does not require a SUT with it's high 2.5 mV output.

I'm using a Lyra Kleos at 0.5mV as well as a ZYX 4D at 0.24mV. Don't think either would work well without a SUT or MC phono stage.

Anyway, I did some listening this evening and can confidently say that I prefer the sound of the SUT straight into the Sigma MM as opposed to going through the Chinook. The Chinook, while great, seemed to take away some warmth away and sounded a bit analytical when compared to the Sigma MM. Maybe just a question of personal preference but I'm loving the sound of the Sigma phono paired with my Hashimoto based SUT.

Yes, neither of those cartridges would work without a SUT in the VAC. That ZYX 4D is a great cartridge, I owned one a while back.

I'm not surprised at all to hear that the on-board phono in the VAC beat the Chinook. As I said earlier, it is a very nice phono stage. Now you need one less box, cables and power cord!!! Enjoy the music!