Step Up Transformers….Are they Worth the Trouble?

@lewm  : " , many more.... (Mind has gone blank.) "

PS Audio Stellar deserves to be in your list. Btw, really good that you posted Simaudio as and excellent unit.

@lalitk   : "  offering good head amp/phono stage. My Google search did not show any good results.  "

Not show because does not exist. What exist are phono stages with active high gain for MC and MM cartridges. The lewm list  named  these kind of units.

@mikelavigne  posted in this thread about the phono stage active high gain design that he owns:

" they are very fine and i do use them and appreciate their low noise and dynamics. "  I can add that no passive unit can't even or beats those chjaracteristics and several more.

lalitk: @glennewdick  posted :

" A good gain stage to me sounds better then a SUT. A good analogy would be an active preamp compared to a passive preamp.  Both can be great under the right build quality and situation.  But for me the active is more engaging. "

and other than me and lew and the ones posted here other two gentlemans have the same kind opinion for active high gain phono stages.

R.

@lewm  : What do you think of your 2000 press fitted cantilever: it's and original cartridge or could be that you bougth a retipped sample?

Thank's in advance.

R.

“their stuff competes with any other tube gear up to $10k, so potentially a great value”
@mdalton

I am inclined to agree on value proposition. There are plenty of good offerings coming out of Eastern Europe in last few years. Now if you consider Fezz Audio, they will need to add electric blue to their color palette….lol! My top picks would be Big Calm and EverGreen 😊

haha! I prefer to think of my stuff as Lamborghini blue (though technically it’s “traffic blue”, which is RAL code #5017).  But among their colors, I might go with Republica (white).  would look very cool.

My MC2000 cantilever and stylus are OEM, according to the seller.  And the assembly looks like on-line photos of OEM.