SUT - electrical theory and practical experience


Some vinyl users use a SUT to enhance the signal of the MC cartridge so that it can be used in the MM input of a phono stage.  Although I don't understand the theory behind it, I realize that a SUT should be matched individually to a particular cartridge, depending on the internal impedance of the MC, among other things.  

Assuming an appropriately / ideally matched SUT and MC, What are the inherent advantages or disadvantages of inserting a SUT after the MC in the audio chain?  Does the SUT theoretically enhance or degrade the sound quality?  What does the SUT actually do to the sound quality? 

Thanks. 

drbond

Dear @drbond : In april of this year you started a more or less similar tread where all was explained about SUT and the like but obviously as in this thread too you have not a 100% understand of the whole subject.

 

Now, you decided to buy the CH phono stage with the " additional " power supply so what’s all about SUTs? Maybe you need tomatch the CH to a different amp. You diminished the JC 1+ maybe by its very low price, you will be surprised if you listen to it in the same way that Fremer/Atkinson were with the humble Stellar SS phono stage.

 

Could you explain a little? maybe you are thinking to change your CH fora SUT road?. I don’t know something makes no sense down there. You own the Lyra Atlas why not ask J.Carr if he prefers a SUT or an active high gain S phono stage?

 

 

""

but under near ideal circumstances, both would sound nearly identical.

Are there any inherent weaknesses in a SUT versus a transistor, or vice versa? ""

 

In your other thread and in this thread me and other gentlemans let very clear the differences with an additional disadvantage with SUT due that you need additional connectors and cables for that external SUT. You need to use your common sense too.

 

An about all that theory of the RFI is only that and happened 20-30 years ago but that mediocrity SS designs almost disappeared and I say " almost " because always are bad designs. Today designers learned. Bandwindth? your CH has an over 500 khz of bandwidth and the Channel D over 2 Mhz, Spectral over 1.5 Mhz , my Essential 3180 over 1.5 Mhz with no trouble at all.

 

Please read the M.Fremer Stellar 2,5K active high gain SS phono stage and additional read its measurements where J.Atkinson really was surprised by it RIAA accuracy that at least even the CH one and not only that but its very low noise levels and its incredible overload marginn at 30dbs in low gain and almost 20dbs in high gain position and you have all those for only 2.5K and makes MUSIC comparable to the Dartzeel that set you back 20 times over the Stellar price tag. Fremer listened using the SAT tonearm in continnum TT and the Ortofon Ana Diamond. Can you look in that review any SUT? why not?

 

COMMON SENSE, it does not need it due to its higher signal degradation.

R.

 

 

@rauliruegas 

I think a course in English comprehension would benefit you immensely, and allow you to contribute more positively to these forum discussions:

Firstly, the thread in April was a thread about phono stages for a particular turntable, and only peripherally and incidentally touched on SUT's, and did not go into the theory or discussion of what SUT's do to audio signal / SQ in any detail. 

Secondly, you hijacked that April thread on phono stages and ceaselessly posted about power amplifiers, which I surmise is due to your inability to comprehend what is written in English.  

Thirdly, I am still enjoying the CH Precision P1 with X1 power supply, and have no intention of changing that component, but I am intellectually curious about other approaches to phono signal, and why one approach is chosen over another, and @atmasphere was kind enough to share a very thorough explanation yesterday.  

In the future, I may get an SUT to use to plug into the MM input of the CH Precision P1, just to compare the SQ from the MC current input and the MC voltage input, or perhaps I'll get a second phono stage to compare SQ with.  This is just a fun hobby for me.   

Btw, seven months ago I told you yhat you have a " problem " with your 90K monobloks and your " passive " line preamp. Even I gave you the whole Atkinson explanation on your amps and why he just did not recomended it and Atkinson is a trusty and unbiased reviewer that for years owned tube/sut electronics and analog but after around 10 years latter he switched to SS and no SUT electronics and for very good reasons , latter on he switched to digital alternative and no more analog but he is not only an audio unit reviewer but a recording engennering too and for the last 20+ years he made and makes audio devices measurements with very good tools for that in deep job and he always explains those measurements and wht means. You need to read again my 7 months ago post.

 

I remember you was looking for a phono stage in the 50k-70k price tag my advise was for: Dartzeel, Boulder, FMA, SimsAudio and some one gave you the advise for CH and you decided for CH.

 

For me is clear that you are not " satisfied " with what you are listened and you are thinking that a SUT can " enhance " your experienc but no SUT or other similar device can enhance nothing but the other way aroun: can degrade the audio signal including SS units the important issue is which device makes the minimum audio signal degradation everything the same and certainly SUT is not that device.

 

Btw, if " passive " units as your line preamp be in true better alternative then 90% of electronics been " passive " but things are that things are the other way around.

In the other side when a designer decides to use a SUT instead of an active high gain stages it’s not because SUT is better ( because it’s not in true. ) but because that designer has not the knowledge adequated levels and skills to design with out SUT and not for other reason.

Here a second Stellar review that confirms its " stellar " quality levels and confirms Atkinson measurements and in the picture you can see a really audio signal short path and the SMD full parts evrywhere, it’s not at random that the Stellar performs with that very high quality levels and as I told you with no SUT:

 

 

 

 

Btw, what atmasphere posted was theory that today it just does not happens and all that that you can use balance cable connectuion to the phono stage because th SUT is bs becase I think is what you do with your balnced CH unit.

 

Try to that some one browse you ( even if you pay for it ) the JC 1+ and a non-passive line preamp. Which the problem with? if you don't like then you confirm that what you own is the rigth road to go but if not then you could learn " something " about to fine tunning your room/system.I think that you need a different line preamp and amps and that’s it.

 

R. Sorry, when I was writing this post you just posted yours. So, forgeret my post.

Maybe I'm a little " stupid " and don't understand your way of thinking or what you are looking at and I said that because you are thinking to in the time add a SUT to the CH and what do you need to add that SUT?:

 

well obviuosly the SUT and an IC cable and what does that means?

that the valuable and way sensitive cartridge audio signal not muts pass through a pair of additional SUT input connectors that degrades that signal as does too the solder joints and from there the audio signal will continue hislong tortuose path through the " hundreds " meters of transformers wires that react to the cartridge signal and that follows the degradatio  but this is not the end because the signal now must pass for other pairs of SUT output connectors and solder joints along the IC cables. Why all those long totuose path against your today DIRECT cartridge audio signal path? Makes sense to you? if yes, then  go a head. No problem with me.

@rauliruegas

With your extensive experience and knowledge, I think you really could contribute positively to these audiogon threads, but somehow, I think you just do not comprehend the details of what is being discussed. No, I never said, nor is there a "problem" with the Ypsilon monoblocks, and so far I’ve yet to hear anything that is as transparent, delicate, and detailed, with proper timbre as the passive Ypsilon pre-amplifier. . . but let’s not hijack another thread into another topic, as this is just for SUT discussion.

Now discussion of how signal is actually transmitted through a SUT would be quite interesting: does the signal actually move through the wound wire? As we know, the electrons in a wire don’t travel. . . do you think that the signal is rather transmitted via the core, and not the wires? What really happens to the signal? I don’t know if anyone really knows (but I’m not an electrical engineer), but I do know the limitations of human knowledge. Now, how much of the signal is purely electrical, and how much is magnetic, and can they even be separated? I suppose now it gets into a "religious" argument, where our minds may not be able to comprehend the exact way that everything works.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!