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Audio Note SUTs - Are they worth the money ?

Folks,
I am switching to an all Audio Note system. The preamp and phono stage is M6 phono and power amps are a pair of Conquest Silver Signature monoblocks. I need an SUT for the MC stage to be fed to the M6 phono preamp (it has only MM stage internally). The prices of the Audio Note SUTs have perplexed me a bit. Even an S3 costs a bomb (about $3.5k) for an SUT. Then there is S4, S5 and S8 too. I am not going to use an Audio Note cartridge but rather an AT ART-9. They have a version which matches my cart but I just do not know if the prices are justifiable. Has anybody tried any Audio Note SUTs ? Do they really do anything special to command that kind of prices over other good SUTs around  which are generally quite a bit cheaper ?
pani
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
There are many myths in our hobby and SUT's are no exception.
larryi
4,089 posts
 

I have heard a number of systems with Audio Note SUT, including my own, and they are very good.  Given that you have an all Audio Note set up for electronics, it might be worth the price premium to stick with their transformers. 

The thing is, there are plenty of quite good transformers on the market, and most of them will sound pretty good, if not quite the same as the Audio Notes.  Almost any decent transformer matched to the particular cartridge and gain requirements of the system will sound nice.  I sort of agree with Art Dudley of Stereophile who said that even when the step-up transformer is not a perfect match, it will usually sound good; he said that he has never found a step-up transformer he didn't like.

lewm
13,230 posts
 
With the ART9, you don't need much additional voltage gain from the SUT in order to drive an MM phono stage, maybe 10X would be overkill, in fact. So, if you're interested in doing this in a scientific and cost-effective manner, so far as that is possible, you might try some of the well regarded but less expensive SUTs before spending the big bucks on an Audio Note.  However, if cost is no object, there is no doubt that the AN SUTs are "very good".  You can't go wrong, as they say. I don't know why you would need reassurance from any of us on that score.

I personally think everything they make is "very good" and overpriced.

nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

Hi Pani, Check the ''SUT shootout'' thread bellow. In particular

the contribution of Dertonarm. Matching cart and SUT is more

important according to him than ''big names'' and prices.

Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,103 posts
 
Dear @pani : "  They have a version which matches my cart but I just do not know if the prices are justifiable. "

LOMC cartridges are not sensitive to SUT impedances due that the internal cartridge resistance is really low as is the inernal cartridge inductance. 
The one that can react to those SUT impedancs is the phono stage and this situation is not a good one to have but almost all the time is happening and will happen with your Audio Note phono stage it does not matters which SUT is your choice.

Audio Note SUts are good perhaps only because the transformers are coiled with silver wire and nothing more but exist other silver wire SUTs that are good too and many not silver wired that are very good too.

Never mind, what you need to match is only the SUT's gain need it for the cartridge output level and phono stage gain.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.
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