Dear @zazu22 : " takes away some of the warmth and magic..."
Well, at that kind of price level AN always is colored because what you like/statement just does not exist in live MUSIC.
Now, your unit does not needs a SUT it does not matters what your dealer said it. It has enough gain to handle the Koetsu, a SUT only can degrade the cartridge signal it can't to enhance because the SUT is an addional stage ( rca connectors, IC cables, solder joints, etc, etc. ) where the truly delicated and sensitive cartridge signal must pass through. Makes no sense that SUT.
In the other side you own the Hegel unit that M.Fremer said is " remarkable " and was truly impressed with when in his review he said used two top LOMC cartridges the Umami Red and nothing less that the Ortofon Verissimo and compared against his 45K dollars dedicated phono stage: Dartzeel.
Hegel let to listen what is recorded in those grooves on each LP. That you or any of us like it or not is in reality not the main issue but that what we listen stay truer to the recording.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.