MC phono stage without transformer?

Ahh ... I missed Clio09's comment, noting that John Chapman is using Magnequest for his Bent/Mu step-ups (and not Intact Audio/Slagles). John is using Intact Audio (Dave Slagle) autoformers for his TVC however. I heard a pre-production unit over the weekend.

Sorry for the confusion.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Dan-ed, It may not be possible to avoid using load resistors with certain cart/trans. Im merely showing a resource for another solution. With some trans the cap is supposed to suppress the ringing although jensen is the only one Ive come across so far that gives precalculated networks for a given load. Ive been experimenting with a variety of trans various loading options and so far no resistor (or cap) has sounded the best but only after finding a trans that is a good match (nat imp and gain) for my cart. The search goes on. I also found that the high priced trans were not necessarily the best for a given combination. If I wasnt into experimenting and diy solutions Id just call Kevin at K&K and go with his recommendation.

Thanks, Rccc. That makes more sense, a zobel to correct load imbalance that may be contributed to ringing with some trans. I also agree that no components at all should sound the best. Good luck with your search. I've also begun to take a more DIY approach as of late, except I've started at the speaker end and am working backward.

Maybe a higher output cartridge would be a start? .35-.45mV should be an easy device to amplify.I noticed that approaching this level has many benefits in amplifier cost ,sophistication and sonics-and no need for transformers.Shy away from PSs that employ vast numbers of tubes to provide their gain.Noise and tube expense for matched,;ow noise NOS can add up quickly and finding the culprit can be fatigueing.IMHO-YMMV

Clio,

You're absolutely correct...my bad. I would be curious to hear how the Magnequests stack up against a pair of copper S&Bs (which I always felt were a very good SUT, though I prefer the Lundahl LL1931)...has anyone done a firsthand comparison??

-Richard