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.
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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@mdalton Lamborghini is a tractor company. It should be agricultural blue. There is no question in my mind that active phono stages are superior in every way. They are much less finicky in terms of placement, are quieter, have more gain and are more dynamic. Other sonic qualities are subjective but to my ears they also sound better and image better. Missing from Lew's list are; The CH Precision P1 and P10 The Channel D Seta and Lino stages. Audio Research. McIntosh VAC It is much easier to make a transformer. I even made my own using top of the line Sowter cans. I could never make an active phono stage. I have placed Sowter cans inside preamps with MM phono stages with decent, but not spectacular results. |
VAC has never made a head-amp, to my knowledge. Their phono stages have always used Lundahl SUT’s for MC gain. I think they recognize MC gain using tubes is a very bad idea, due to noise and the difficulty of tube selection. And SS isn’t their thing - closest they got was a tube DAC (the DAC chip being SS) which was discontinued long ago. EAR made a head-amp unit "The Head" which is discontinued and hard to find used (and sought after by some) - supposedly very good. Hagerman makes their head-amp "Piccolo", now in voltage and current mode flavors. VERY good sounding for the money (cheap), though the voltage mode units aren’t the lowest in noise floor (that’s their weakness). They made many prior iterations of their voltage mode Piccolo, going back many years now. I just recently learned Hagerman once made a short run of SUT boxes with the Stevens and Billington TX103. VERY nice transformers, hard to find / obtain now. The Bent Audio Mu used this same transformer. It’s easy to stuff SUT cans in a box. It’s not easy to manufacture the transformers themselves - i.e. windings and (especially) core laminations for units with laminated cores (Lundahl's amorphous core models do not use laminations). |
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