I remember the 99’s phono board sounding pretty decent, and it’s supplemented by the very high gain of the line stage. Actually makes for a pretty good match. However if you upgrade to the next level of low output MC cartridge, like the next Dynavector up, then I think you’d benefit a significantly from an Ares. If you do go for an Ares, I’d also strongly recommend the Blue 1254 CineMag upgrade ($400) because the Red 3440 holds the Ares back a lot. A K&K Lundahl premium kit is another good option for SUT.
It’s not out of line to split costs between your cartridge and phono stage nearly 50-50.
It’s not out of line to split costs between your cartridge and phono stage nearly 50-50.
