which is better ? MC phono stage or MM+step-up ?

Ralph, I DIY'd the cable from the SUT to the mm section of my preamp first before doing any other changes. There was some improvement,but nothing like changing the tonearm wire and the internal wire of the SUT. My next move is to make a new DIY cable from the SUT to the preamp using the Mil-spec. solid silver wire.stay tuned.

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Emorrisiv, have you been playing with loading?

Right now I am loaded at 50 ohms and I like it pretty well. I have tried a lot of different load settings with my old MC phono amp and came to like it down around 200. I just got a old Dynaco Pas2 and after defeating the tone controls it is sounding pretty good. The secondarys are 1/15 or 1/30 and right now I am using the 1/30. Lots of gain! by doing the math it comes to about 52ohms. With the other secondary it comes to a little over 200. I have not made up my mind which I like better.

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I understand there are passive SUT's and active (headamp) SUT's.
Which of the two is better ?
I have tried the MC-4, Bent SUT, Altec 4722 SUT and Lundahl SUT. All seems to work very good.
Can someone point out an active SUT ?

Thanks for the inputs

SUT= step up transformer. this is a passive device.The signal from a low output moving coil (lomc)is sent into the SUT and then sent to a preamp with a moving magnet phono section (RIAA). The low output is "stepped up" so that the MM section will have enough additional gain so that the lomc can be heard.

Pre Preamp is a active step-up with it's own power supply. These also are put into a moving magnet phono section,but these are amplified where as a SUT uses it's current to create voltage. Probably the best out there is the ZYX,which I understand is very good. But these are usually inferior.

Then there are phono stages that have enough gain to allow a lomc to play without a step up. These came about mainly because Preamps were no longer being built with moving magnet phono sections. The "phono stage" plugs into a line level source input on a preamp and is a active device. Many will have a moving magnet as well as a moving coil setting for the additional gain required of low output moving coil (lomc) cartridges.

confused?