Step Up Transformer

Dear @edgewear  : The issue is not about FR but what showed your Anna in those both FR tonearms that just said the FX truly was and is spot-on with.

The Anna is not only a " so so " tracker along those 16grs. on its weigth.

I owned the MAX 282 with all its 3 arm pipes and two but the J shapped 237 and I mounted there bad bad trackers to exceptionall trakers/ heavy ones and not so heavy and never had any single trouble with mistracking in any MM/MI/MC over 100 cartridges in cluding Ortofon but not the Anna. The gyroscopib MS tonearm bearing is really a beauty..

About the SUT issue it's not that I'm " against " it per sé and for several years I used SUT's , many to name it here including the best best SUT ever made exclusively to Denon by Murata : Denon AU-1000 that still I own and it's modified by me ( obviously not the transformers. ). Now a " few " years ago and even been owner of the AU-1000 a close friend of mine started and finished a " new " Phonolinepreamp that in those times outperformed in my system FM Acoustics.

We took around 2 years and a half to been finished and I still use in its version 3180, @lewm  own the 3160 version and other gentlemans the 3150.

Why took we the responsability to build that kind of unit?  easy: because no SUT/phono combination and top full SS active high gain units as the mentioned FMA truly even my way demanding analog targets till appeared the 3150. 

All versions came with two totally independent ( including power supply ) dual mono phono active high/low gain stages even time to time I use its MM stage along the AU-1000 and is enjoyable.

Btw, we are thinking to re-start that phonolinepreamp design maybe with 4-5 latest version including one for me. This is in the desk  because is not my business way of life and each unit time to build take a lot of time . We will see.

R.

Dear @edgewear   : " but why do you think an active gain device wouldn’t add colorations of its own?  "

Where posted I that statement?, every device develops some kind of distortion level.A well matched pairs of bipolars is all what the cartridge signal looks at the very first stage in an active design. Its distortion levels are way low and the length/distance that that signal needs to " walk " is really low too. So, if that phono stage is a good design, the signal that goes to the inverse RIAA eq. is almost direct from there to the output. It's only common sense

 In the other side a SUT has a way limited whole frequency range . Any one in this thread knows what is the FR of that Sky 20?: I'm almost sure no one has it.

Today SUT's but one have short FR and nothing even approaching what was measured in my Denon AU-1000: 3hz to 305khz but a vintage FR goes down to 2hz !!!! the best ever and Technics goes from 3hz to 350khz.  The Sky's not even dreams with and I think that the Denon AU-340 that goes from 10hz-100khz is even better that what the OP is looking for.

Btw, the today wide band SUT ( silver wire ) is the intactaudio design.

R.

Ah the endless audiogon churn between those who pursue what should sound good versus those of us who only care what actually sounds good! I seriously don’t care what happens at or above 100kHz. And for vinyl playback, any significant signal below 20Hz becomes rapidly destructive.

Modern SUTs have plenty of bandwidth for high end vinyl playback. If I felt it were lacking up top, then I’d probably like the supertweeters on my Tannoys but I actually hate them.

If extreme bandwidth is the goal, then DSD should be the focus.

Putting the math to one side, it seems to myself, when a SUT is reported as being used/intended to be used, as a Standalone Device to amplify the Current/Signal produced in the Cart's Coils. The idea of using the SUT tranx's built into a Standalone Unit, receives much more discussion about Pro's/Con's or Preferred/Not Preferred, than the similar designed Tranx' types being a component used as a part on a circuit within a Phonostage to produce a MC Input.

I can't recollect seeing any commentary that makes a criticism of a Tranx' used as a component on a circuit within a Phonostage.   

Does this not suggest?, that the Additional RCA Connectors and required additional Pair of Cables are the main focus of the 'anti's' when commenting on SUT Tranx's being used to amplify a current/signal.     

@rauliruegas it's true you didn't say that with so many words, so I stand corrected. But you do keep repeating that a SUT only adds distortion, which seems to imply that the active MC gain device it replaces does not add or at least adds LESS distortion. If you look at the 'dry' specs you're probably right, but doesn't active circuitry add it own set of problems compared to a passive device like a SUT?

I'm not partial to either and use them both as equals. Both are capable of delivering great sound (or as you would say: according to MY set of preferred distorions), but when you choose the wrong combination the whole thing will collapse before your very ears. I've been very critical of Koetsu's sonics when used with several active SS gain devices. Its sound literally transformed using a silver wire SUT. In a less drastic way the Ortofons show the same behaviour. So I think there's more to it than just supposedly 'superior' specs on paper. It seems to me that dismissing SUT's categorically because of 'inferior' specs is a mistake.