Step ups are for super low output MC cartridges putting out .2mv! Even then most good phono pre amps can handle that low of a input. If your turning up the volume on your main amp too much then Increase the output on your phono pre amp or get one that allows you to adjust (most have at least 2). You shouldnt need a step up.
Matt M |
Your Cadenza Bronze is one of those cartridges which works extremely well with either an active MC gain stage or a SUT (I’ve tried both with this cart). You can really go either way depending on preference. If you’re looking for a huge change or improvement, then I’d say no, it’s not a cartridge that benefits as much from a SUT as some of the much lower output models (as noted by @mattmiller ) - unless you don’t love the sound of your existing MC stage. But MC stages themselves can vary a lot - for example the JFET MC stages in ARC Reference 3SE and Herron VTPH-2A fall sonically on the "lean & clean" / neutral side, whereas Hagerman’s Piccolo and Sonic Frontiers Phono 1 sound warmer / sweeter. Many of us choose SUTs because of the more warm, weighty full-bodied sound and sweeter midrange many good SUTs render (but not all - for example, Lundahl LL1931 is not warm). However, the Cadenza Bronze in particular already carries *some* of these qualities by virtue of its warmer voicing in its line, probably due to the tapered aluminum cantilever. If you still want more of this, a SUT would be a good choice. May be hard to say until you try it :) It you try a SUT then ~ 15x is ideal for that cart, but anything in the range of 10x to 20 will work great. Any CineMag SUT with the blue labels (Sky, 1254, 1131) is a pretty good quintessential SUT sound to try. Not a fan of the red-label 3440 - I don’t think this one is very good. Modwright is working on a new SUT box too, I believe with a custom CineMag blue. If you moved to a Windfeld Ti with 0.2mV output, I'd say a good SUT helps a LOT there, to keep noise floor down and to inject some much needed warmth & body to that cart's sound. |
