SUT experience

Well I suspected that the McIntosh phono stage left something to be desired. It was proven when the project bested it. This was an experiment in SUT and phono stages.  I got all of them cheap enough that I won’t lose any money when I sell. I hoped to learn what to purchase for my keeper setup. Between the knowledge gained in this thread, plus my own observations from listening I should be able to make an informed decision when I get something better.  As far as cantilevers and stylus go, soundsmith has built 2 of my carts with boron cantilevers and micro line diamonds. The purpose of the Spherical and conical styluses was not necessarily in pursuit of perfection. Maby more about period correctness and enjoying vintage sound.  I have a TD124, with 12” Ortofon arm and an SME, using 2A3 mono blocks, through Altec A5s. All of my gear in that chain is from the 60s except for the Mac preamp because I wanted a remote control. Maby it’s not hifi but I sure love it 😃.  I appreciate all comments and thank you for taking time to read it. Time is valuable and I appreciate yours.   Adrian

@adrianleewelch You have now worn your desire for a Rich Tone to be produced very clear. 

A SUT in use will reinforce this, experiencing different SUT's will aid one in finding the influence of a SUT that is most attractive to a personal preference. 

A SUT I would not normally recommend due it having a notable Rich Tone, is a Audio Innovations 800 or 1000 model. For your own purposes this model might be Rich in Tone Nirvana. 

I have the VDH Grail SB “current” phono preamp, so trying out a SUT would require an “voltage” phono preamp.  I have a few Ortofon SPUs and 2 Koetsu carts- was wondering if I should try SUTs - what’s the sonic benefit?  

There is no real sound benefit from a SUT, a Phonostage is very very capable of presenting a recording in a away that is satisfying for numerous listeners.

A SUT 'will' add a Richness in Tone to a replay when used as a comparison to a typical MC Stage.

SUT's are generic in their voicing, the Rich Tone being perceived can be scaled from a Hint of Richness ( a tight fast decaying Bass Note is maintained, maybe a little underpinned with weight) through to a Very Noticeable ( very loose Bass Notes with a extended presence, possibly, depending on the individual listener, this Bass Type treks toward the point of being overbearing).

A Head Amp of the designs I have heard in comparison to a SUT, can be described as being leaner in the voicing than the leanest SUT types. A Head Amp can be more in liking to a MC Stage.

To date, as a personal experience, I have not discovered a Phonostage that has been encouraging enough, to not use the options for voicing a Cart's produced sound via a SUT or Head Amp.      

A “head amp” or “pre-preamp” is simply a linear active gain stage to boost the cartridge output so the ensemble can then drive an MM stage. If you start with a high gain MC phono stage, there’s no role for a head amp. And a head amp, like a SUT, requires the insertion of additional connectors and cables in the signal path.