Voltage mode vs current mode phono stages

@lewm , I think Fremer sleeps with his CH Precision. Nice unit but way more stuff than I need. I prefer simple.

I will be able to address this better in a while as I ordered a Channel D Seta L Plus which can be run either way. I plan to run it in current mode because of the theoretical advantage, the most important one is less interference with tracking. Every generator is also a motor. With less impedance this effect is more limited. 

@ledoux1238 , I think what you are hearing is a frequency response shift. Whether or not one is more or less accurate than the other is up for grabs. If I have two systems and turn the upper midrange and treble just 2 dB on one of them everyone listening will prefer the brighter unit even though it is "less accurate." In my own system I intentionally boost the bass because I feel it gives you more of the experience of a live performance even though it is "less accurate." This is why everyone has the right to listen to whatever they like. Unfortunately, that might make someone else cringe. My point is what a system sounds like is an extremely fast moving target. Interpreting what other people say is virtually impossible. There are characteristics which are more definable like those of the image. 

whereas voltage mode is an endless pursuit of SUT’s and loading. I have admittedly rather entry level stuff, so not the final word. 

@ledoux1238 If you have the right voltage mode phono section, its also plug and play- no SUT and no worries about loading.

@lewm 

Have you tried to drive a current mode phono stage with an SS LOMI?

While I have not, Peter explained to me that he is quite impressed with the results as long as suitable phono cables are utilized - something which I’ve often tried to emphasize. 

"Suitable" = very low capacitance, I assume. My question was more about the effect of MI inductance on cartridge output impedance as frequency increases and how that affects the efficiency of current drive.  It would be of interest to know which of the many "transimpedance" phono stages PL uses.  Because my own investigation indicates they vary quite a bit in input impedance, some not so close to zero as one might like.

@atmasphere Of course, Ralph, you are right. A built-in phono, well chosen, is also a simplicity. I come from that tradition: Audible Illusions, CAT, MFA Luminescence. My current situation of line + phono stage is really to explore the possibilities of the medium, it's a learning experience for me, not a search for a particular sound.

@mijostyn Isn't the difference between a 'warm' and 'lean' sounding system a shift in frequency responses?  Or are you saying that the shift in frequency response is really a shift away from neutral / natural sound? I thought that's what difference devices do, ameliorate or exacerbate sound through the manipulation of frequency responses. Sorry, I get a bit hung up on terminology.

Please provide reporting of the Seta L+ somewhere in this forum. It would provide important data point, especially coming from you. BTW, in my communication with Rob at Channel D, he found a way to squeeze a '1/4 Seta L20' into a Lino C ( with a modified chassis). Yes, fitting a quarter of his TOTL phono into a Lino C! 

@dover Would you confirm if my guess on the Vd Hul Grail is correct? Like Lew, I did a bit more research on it, and it seems a very accomplished unit. Fremer compared it favorably with the CH Precision. Would be interested in hearing more from you on the Grail. Thanks!