RCA to balanced

Sell the BAT preamp AND the single-ended phonostage and buy an Atmasphere MP-3 fully balanced preamp with a fully balanced ALL-TUBE phonostage built right in! You will need an XLR-terminated phono cable (from the tonearm to the MP-3's phono input) but that's it! And then you can really enjoy that MC cartridge, which actually is a balanced output device to begin with! No common ground (no crosstalk!) Big, big soundstage. And more (effective) output from the MC cartridge. Unless you have a really low output MC cartridge (less than 0.2 microvolts) the (3 gain stages) all-tube phonostage in the MP-3 preamp has plenty of gain - WITHOUT the need for a step-up transformers, or a (yucky) FET first gain stage.

Ralph (Atmasphere) doesn't want to toot his own horn, so I will! I'm still hounding him to come up with a standalone phonoamp, but life is short ;~)

Dear Nsgarch: IMHO could be not a good idea to have that standalone phonoamp because you will need additional connectors ( both ways ) and cable to IC to a line stage and maybe to a line stagev that maybe could not match on electrical parameters as input/output impedance in phono and line stage.

Of course that's an alternative to a Phonolinepreamp as the SUT is an alternative to active high gain phono stage. In all these alternatives exist trade-offs and we will choose those trade-offs that fulfil our music sound reproduction targets.

I'm with the Phonolinepreamp alternative and right now I started a " new adventure " with the SUT's option to evaluate it again.

regards and enjoy the music,
R.

"True, but then you are dealing with the limitations imposed by the transformer"
And the limitations of output coupling capacitors have no sonic consequences? Or OP amp buffers? Personally, I much prefer the "limitations" of a quality transformer to the other alternatives. But then I'm not in the business of selling OTL amps.

John-tracy is correct in that coupling caps have consequences -- don't all circuit parts? Ihe issue is which devices' "consequences" you think di the least harm, right?

For neutrality, I'd personally take today's high quality caps over step-up transformers any day -- but there was a time when SUT's were the only way to go, which I think might explain the huge numbers of them now available used.

Nsgarth, the discussion here was line out transformers, not MC input transformers. Although even here good SUTs are very competitive. For example the new Lundahl silver LL1931AG at $800/unit. That's performance competitive, maybe not price competitive as OP amps cost a few dollars at most. FYI, SUTs supply gain. Capacitors do not. That requires active circuits. That means transistors or tubes or OP amps. All of which have there own issues.