I’m looking at the Zesto Andros Allasso which has variable gain and load. Thoughts on that device?
It is quite likely a nice SUT, but the Allasso has a LOT of loading options you'll probably never use with your SoundSmith. It gives you the option to load DOWN your cartridge, which (as per manufacturer recommendations of 470+ ohms) is the wrong direction for your SoundSmith. You'd probably end up using either 1:8 or 1:12 in the 10th loading slot, which is the same net result as any regular 1:8 or 1:12 SUT *without* those loading options. Now if you could plug it into an MM stage with its own loading options up to 1 Mega-ohm, then the Allasso would give you a rich array of loading selections appropriate for your SoundSmith - but of course you'd have to recalculate the loading slot table to see what they remap to for each gain ratio!
With your Herron, I'd wager that its JFET stage is still your best option for that particular cartridge. You can still experiment with different loading plugs, and tube roll to capture some of the extra "body" that a good SUT would typically impart. That's what I heard when I hooked up a Bob's Devices Sky to the Herron, though my cartridges had 5 ohm coils and liked the ~129 ohms net load!
