What about SUTs (set up transformers). Should that be a separate category for those with MC cartridges?
What is the order of importance of the parts of an analogue rig?
Let's make it simple and categorize it into 4 groups: cartridge, tonearm, phono stage, and turntable (include platter, plinth, motor, bearing, mat, etc., into 1). This happens to be my thinking, but I am open minded to other opinions.
This is assuming you have a well matched set up across the board. Where can you get the most improvement from a change in one category?
This is assuming you have a well matched set up across the board. Where can you get the most improvement from a change in one category?
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- 16 posts total
What about SUTs (set up transformers). Should that be a separate category for those with MC cartridges? with 2 of my 3 turntables i have recently added EMIA Silver wound 1:10 SUT's that were trans-formative to the performance. http://www.myemia.com/SUT.html |
What about SUTs (set up transformers). Should that be a separate category for those with MC cartridges?Not really. Some phono sections have enough gain on their own. I think you will find that the ability of the tone arm to properly track the cartridge is far more important than the cartridge itself. So the way the two work together is important and no all cartridges work in all arms. The job of the platter pad is to absorb vibration from the LP as the cartridge is playing it. It has to be able to do this while not imparting any noise (talking back) of its own. At the same time it should be able to apply additional damping to the platter itself. In turntables minimizing resonance and vibration is what its all about! The phono section can contribute ticks and pops that sound for all the world as if they are on the surface of the LP! This is due to poor high frequency overload margin and stability issues; and IMO/IME is an epidemic in phono section design. |
@sokogear : "
What about SUTs (set up transformers). Should that be a separate category for those with MC cartridges? " it depends on the Phono stage design. Some designs has not enough gain and the designer opted by a passive gain stage through an internal SUT other designers opted by active high gain stage that does not needs a SUT and the stand alone SUT normally is used with Phono stages that handled only MM cartridges. Even there are gentlemans that own an active high gain Phono stage and listen their LOMC cartridges through an stand alone SUT and this means that the cartridge signal will be added with several kind of developed distortions ( every kind of. ) for the use of additional IC cables between the Phono stage and the external SUT. Now the cartridge signal must travel for a half cable or 1m. cable that degrades the signal an exposes the signal to RFI, EMI, external vibrations, etc, etc. and not only that but the cartridge signal must pass through additional RCA/XLR input connectors and solder points adding more degradation and what happens at the Phono stage input connectors is duplicated at the SUT output connectors too. Along all those the cartridge signal must pass several meters of wire in the SUT internal transformers. That's why : "" that were trans-formative to the performance. "" As an active high gain stage the passive SUT/stage can be addictive but certainly different. R. |
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