There is no way that your Kleos can in any way sounds with better quality level through a SUT in your system when you own a very good phono preamp that handled any LOMC cartridge.Well, since I’m in the middle of refining a MC/MM (jumper it to your liking) RIAA gain stage design I’ll bite. You think a gain stage, amplifying a 0.05-0.5mV signal by another 10-20X has no distortion? Do you realize how lower the power supply noise must be? Or how high the PSRR must be to make that irrelevant (which takes some doing)?
When you add a SUT to your specific system you are adding an additional stage with severe limitations in frequency range against your KTE unit and other issues down there but additional you need to use an IC cable with additional connectors at both ends of the cable from where the cartridge signal must travel through and in all that " travel " the signal is degrading and developing additional ( every kind. ) distortions: you are contaminating that beloved MUSIC signal.
I will take two wires and a rally, really good transformer any day. Now you may ask "so why are you designing a low noise gain stage?" - answer: simplicity and cost. A good SUT (hate that acronym) is quite costly and heavy and somewhat complicated for many reasons that are peppered throughout this discussion.
I’m no necessarily arguing for a SUT, but i’m also not convinced that the active stage is a no brainer. Mitch Cotter agreed, and he was no mathematical slouch.
G