Step Up Transformers….Are they Worth the Trouble?

@rauliruegas The system is running fine. The MC Diamond and Soundsmith Hyperion MR sound better in voltage mode. The Lyra Atlas SL and MSL Signature Platinum sound better and have a better signal to noise ratio in transimpedance mode. I also believe Michael Fremer runs his Lyra transimpedance mode. I do believe that suggesting cartridges with an impedance less than 10 ohms are ok for transimpedance mode operation is overly optimistic. In my own experience transimpedance mode should be reserved for cartridges with an impedance below 2 ohms. Knowing this, I think anyone getting a transimpedance phono stage should either have the option to run the phono stage in voltage mode or also get a voltage mode phono stage. Channel D offers the option of adding a voltage mode card to the Lino C. My Seta comes standard with both and I can switch back and forth ABing the results.

The Jico SAS/B stylus will be here any day. I will give an opinion on its performance and post pictures of the stylus.

“In my own experience transimpedance mode should be reserved for cartridges with an impedance below 2 ohms”

@mijostyn

Based on your experience, I should rule out a transimpedance phono since both of my carts are spec’d over 2Ω. Right?

I think it's fair to say that Mijostyn is relating his own experience, as he plainly admits.  His experience is with one current driven phono stage that he owns.  So I would say that for him, for his phono stage, and for his selection of cartridges, he has developed an opinion.  Every one of the many current driven phono stages on the market has some finite input impedance greater than zero, usually at least 2 ohms and sometimes as much as 10 ohms or more.  Thus every one of these stages will mate differently with cartridges that have different very low internal impedance.   I owned a BMC MCCI for a couple of years.  I found that it could be mated with a variety of LOMC cartridges rated at up to 12 ohms internal impedance.  I sold it not because it didn't work with these cartridges but because I was never quite satisfied with its SQ. I could not rid it of a touch of classic "transistor" sound.  Sorry, I know that descriptor is practically worthless. Suffice to say I have other conventional high gain phono stages that sound better to my ears in my system.

Based on your experience, I should rule out a transimpedance phono since both of my carts are spec’d over 2Ω. Right?

In my experience, no need to limit this way. What I found to be a reasonable determinant of matching was the ratio of output level divided by ohms. The transimpedance amp, in theory, should provide an amplification factor inversely proportional to the cartridge’s DC ohms rating. So higher ohms cartridges are OK so long as their "starting output" level is proportionally higher to compensate. Of course for simplicity, we’re ignoring losses and the stage’s (obviously) nonzero input impedance.

So from that perspective, 200 uV (micro volts) output at 2 ohms should be roughly equivalent to 500 uV at 5 ohms...etc. Koetsu with 300 uV at 5 ohms was an excellent match, by the way. In the end, I still preferred a good SUT.

Cartridges with non-magnetic armatures - like Benz’s Ruby / Gullwing / LPS, and maybe weird designs with with air coils - will (relatively) struggle to achieve the appropriate destination output (~ 5mV to MM level) with transimpedance amplification.

@lalitk I can not speak to every cartridge out there. All I can say is that I have not had good luck with cartridges in the 3 to 10 ohm range. They either do not have enough output or the signal to noise ratio is not so good. Under 2 ohms with outputs down to 0.2 mv I have no problems recommending transimpedance operation. That limits the number of cartridges that for certain will be satisfactory and they tend to be expensive ones at that. If you had to choose one to the other I would stick to Voltage mode. People interested in the Lino C 3.0, which is a Stereophile A+ phono stage right up there with the CH Precision, should get it with the optional Voltage mode input and I would also add the MM input. You will never need another phono stage.