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Do I need a sut?

I purchased an Ortofon MC2000 cart from a fellow A'Goner, it is very low output .05mV, my phono pre is a Herron VTPH-2 which has 69db of gain and my pre is a Herron VTSP-3a(r02) 14db gain.
The cart sounds wonderful, but with such a low gain I have to turn up the volume by quite a lot. If I had, another source at that volume, I wouldn't be able to stand it. With the volume turned up so high I get a fair amount of noise between tracks. 
Should I be looking at an sut or just live with it the way it is? I found an Ortofon at a decent price, it has 24db of gain. Would that be ok to go into the mc input on the VTPH-2? The mm gain is 48db, if I plugged it in there I would only gain 3db(if I'm doing my math correctly) I will also be contacting Keith, but I thought I would ask here too.
Thanks
Jeff
jdodmead
rauliruegas
13,123 posts
 
Dear @folkfreak : """   that will work and suit your price """

It's obvious that you have no single idea of the MC 2000 very high quality performance levels that even can/could outperfoms what you have with the right system.

I can't imagine ( but it can happens. ) that an audiophile can ( by ignorance. ) " destroy " the magnificent signal information coming from a 10K+ LOMC cartridge using a 700 dollars SUT where even exist  not something as essential and critical as its frequency response range ! ! !

How can you recomend it? it does not matters what  your SUT are developing in your system.  

Obviously something wrong down there that added those useless STs with the Q3s.

For me as I told @jdodmead  it's better to stay as he is than spend money in that way and in a company that are " experts " in transformers but can´t gives any single spec other than the ratio.  ? ? ? 

Yes, for you is not important but I'm talking about QUALITY LEVELS not on what " I like it ".

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@rauliruegas as you very well know (if you are as well informed as you claim) MFA is the hi-fi arm of Stevens & Billington, a long established transformer maker. MFA/S&B wind their own transformers to order. The base model, which the 632 series are based around (I believe) is the TX-103, specs on that are available here
http://www.stevens-billington.co.uk/page103.htm

As all MFA products are built to order you can be sure they will match the needs of your cartridge (ratio, impedance, inductance etc).

Anyway I'm not trying to shill for MFA, I'm sure Bob's are just as good, but could not let Raul's slur go by
rauliruegas
13,123 posts
 
That's why I mentioned them as experts. I think that not you or me know if inside that is the TX-103 that's a good SUT but: is it the best out there?.

There is something where the designers of the 103 coincide with what I posted here:

"   to maximize bandwidth ", this parameter is extremely important in a SUT and the 103 is not near the Denon or Technics one, even the T2000 makes it better.

I posted more than once in Agon that if I don't owned my active high gain SS Essential 3160 ( up-dated. ) I can live easily using my modified Denon SUT  as a fact time to time I use it.

R.
rauliruegas
13,123 posts
 
Dear @folkfreak : Perhaps what has more influence in the cartridge signal degradation levels ( other than its limited bandwindth. ) with external SUTs are: additional cable/connectors and switchs like the ones in your unit.

R. 
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@rauliruegas as in all things audio one has to make trade-offs. There was a long design conversation with Jonathan behind the particular decisions on what switching and functionality to include given my need for two cartridge inputs. In  a purist world I'd have a dedicated SUT for each and no switching but as the phono stage I'm moving too (VOSS) only has one input I needed switching at the SUT. I did decide against switched gain which was another option. Needless to say all wiring and switch choices are as good as they can be. As to issues with length of interconnect I'm having no issues driving 2M of WEL Signature
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