VPI Scout Hum

One other thing that troubled me - someone mentiond a setup including Soundsmith Cart and Soundsmith MM (MI) preamp, which would be either our MMP4 or MMP3; I have designed these low cost phono preamps to have an extremely good noise figure at 43dB of gain of about 78dB down at a minimum; the best vinyl is about 72dB down from 0; someone mentioned a "hiss" that was "normal for analog". This is incorrect; the noise floor of the record is always "louder" than the floor of the gear (mine and most other well designed preamps) by at least 6dB. So.....a system with very noticeable hiss has something very wrong....his can be casued by many things, including RF, a power amplifier oscillating at high frequency, and such.
A computer nearby radiating RF....lots of possibilities.

With a quiet phono preamp, there should always be very little (if any) noise with the arm cued up....at normal listening levels.

The only exceptions would include the wonderful transformerless MC tube preamp by my friend Jim Fosgate, in which he has managed to get enough tube gain WITHOUT transformers, at a very small sacrifice of increased noise. He hand built one for me after I sent him my Sussurro cartridge and MCP-2 preamp combo, which he liked very much, but said "I'm going to hand build you one of mine"......I have brought it to shows we have done....what a great sound it makes......

Peter Ledermann/Soundsmith

Peter,
This is very interesting and I am intrigued by your statements based on my auditioning experience a few months ago at my local dealer. I listened to records on a system that consisted of the VPI HR-X turntable with the SDS, Transfiguration MC cartridge (don't remember which one but it retailed for $1500), your own Soundsmith MCP2 phono stage, Conrad Johnson pre and main amplification, and Vandersteen 5A speakers, plus Richard Gray power conditioning; I don't remember the cables.

The sound absolutely blew me away--the dynamics, clarity, energy, transients, soundstage, oomph, slam, you name it, it was all there. But when the music faded, the hiss coming from the speakers was almost equally amazing; I was shocked by just how much of it was being produced on this otherwise absolutely amazing gear.

Granted, the volume level was pretty high, but based on your comments, the hiss should not have been there. Considering the fact that the setup was top notch, what could have possibly been causing the high level of noise in your opinion?

No clue, other than what was stated above....except, possibly, potentially very, very low output from the transfiguration (I didn;t look it up)...My Sussurro is .3mV; similar to a Denon 103 in output....BUT if the cart being used was .1 or less....Then the requirement of turing up the preamp following the MCP-2 would amplify the noise to some degree. The MCP-2 is a step up design; with 43 db gain following the transfomers. With VERY high listening levels on my Soundsmith system with the Sussurro, there is no noise from the listening position when cued up. You have to put your ear next to the speaker to hear any operational noise. Somehow your experience with this system doesn't add up....SOMETHING was wrong....
There should be little or no noise.

Peter Ledermann/Soundsmith