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SUT With a Manley Steelhead RC?

I own a Manley Steelhead RC and am using as my main cartridge a My Sonic Lab Signature Platinum.  MSL makes their own SUT that I have been thinking about purchasing, but I'm wondering if it's necessary with the Manley.  I find the Steelhead to be the best sounding phono preamp I've ever owned, but I'm always wondering about ways to make it even better.

I sent a message to Bob at Bob's Devices, but his reply to me was ambiguous.  He made it sound at first as if there would be little sonic benefit, and also seemed to say that his SUT would be superior to the one inside the Steelhead.  I tried to ask more questions but he went radio silent after that, and if I try to call their phone number I can't seem to talk to anyone.  This is not a complaint about their company, BTW.  I've heard nothing but good things about his products.

Any useful advice is appreciated!

128x128snackeyp
theflattire
128 posts
 

IME, loading is all about gain.

I don't worry about it too much.  Low output low impedance.  High output, high impedance.  That's about it.

It's one detail I don't sweat.

The only reason to put a SUT on a Steelhead, IMO is to bypass whatever Manley is using in the gain stage.  Might be more quiet, might not.  Just me, but if the MM side is not black, that's not a good sign.

YMMV

car123's avatar
car123
88 posts
 

snackeyp, it’s all about what works for you. Keep trying, you will find something you like.

rsf507
2,227 posts
 

I just can’t think that with the MSL Signature Platinum cartridge one of the top performing cartridges would be their own MSL SUT. Many others should work but how can a company that makes some of the world’s best cartridges not design a great matching SUT.

lewm
12,495 posts
 

Maybe because designing and especially building a SUT is a vastly different enterprise from designing and building an MC cartridge for a small company like MSL. You’ll notice that among cartridge makers only the big guys also make SUTs, like Denon and Ortofon, and even Ortofon only makes SUTs specifically for its own cartridges.

rsf507
2,227 posts
 

We also have Koetsu cartridges and their own SUTs. Also Audio Note Japan and their IO-m cartridge and their own SFz SUT. There are other cartridge manufacturers that make or have made SUTs for their own brand. 

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