Mulveling, I was surprised to read that the weight of the core of a SUT could per se be a positive virtue (the idea being more is better). I say this because it is my understanding that an air core is potentially lowest in distortion, when it comes to inductors, and a transformer is basically two inductors placed side by side. I am no expert on transformers, but I wonder what others with more knowledge might say. The problem with an air core is loss of efficiency, so you need more turns of wire in the coil for a given effect.
Step Up Transformers….Are they Worth the Trouble?
Some of you may aware of my Garrard 301 project, it’s now very close to completion. The plinth finally shipped from Hungry after 3 months of long wait.
Given my last experience with Hana Umami Red, I would like to take things to the next level. Which brings me to mating low output cart with a SUT. Every review I’ve read so far suggests when the SUT-MC match is right, the end result is heavenly. The bass is right, the midrange is clear, and most importantly, the highs are relaxed and extended—not rolled off.
I am not saying you can’t get great sound without a SUT but it appears with a properly matched SUT, sound can be quite magical.
Thought this would be the right time to get input from experienced users here since I am still contemplating my cartridge and outboard phonostage options.
My preference would be to go with a tube phono…I kinda miss tinkering with tubes :-)
My system, Garrard 301 (fully refurbished), Reed 3P tonearm, Accuphase E-650 with built-in AD50 analog board ➡️ Tannoy Canterbury’s.
Cart and phono under consideration through my dealer,
Fuuga - Output : 0.35 mVrms | Impedance : 2.5 Ω (1kHz)
Phonostage - Tron Convergence and Konus Audio Phono Series 1000
The cart - MC combination, I am lusting after is Etsuro Urushi Bordeaux MC with their Etsuro Transformer.
https://www.etsurojapan.com/product/bordeaux
The other transformer is EMIA, cooper or silver version.
Your input is appreciated!
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@pindac Good luck to you Sir in all your endeavors. |
@rauliruegas I know your preference for Boron and diamond cantilevers and I own both types of cantilever along with a cactus spine one. On a lark I purchased two Shure V15V bodies which were sold originally with MR styluses. Jico makes several stylus assemblies for this cartridge. Their most expensive is a Gyger S style stylus with a tapered ruby cantilever. They also offer the same stylus with a Boron cantilever for almost $200 less. The original cantilever was beryllium which due to its carcinogenic nature is no longer available. What do you think? |
@pindac Stay Healthy and enjoy Life! |
IMO, it’s just silly to pre-judge a cartridge on the basis of the material used to make its cantilever. The idea of ranking cartridges based on the nature of the parts per se was already discussed at length. I know that no one went away with a changed view of the subject, but nevertheless, it’s been done for good or ill. For only one example, I consider the Ortofon MC2000 to be one of the greatest LOMC cartridges ever made, not THE best, but certainly in the top rank. And yet it has a lowly aluminum cantilever. By the same token, many superb cartridges have ruby cantilevers. Fact is, these days most new cartridges are pretty darn good, and a given isolated user on a given day in a given mood might love any of them. Once you’ve spent the money, that alone predisposes you to a certain affection for the thing you bought. By the way, there is such a teeny tiny amount of beryllium in a beryllium cantilever, and since we don't eat them or shred them into our local environments, I find it hard to believe that the toxicity of beryllium is the whole reason we don't have cartridges with beryllium cantilevers any longer offered. |
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