Is a SUT needed?

Dear @bobsdevices : Look, as I posted I'm not against SUTs and certainly not against you very good designs. No, these is not the main subject in my related posts.

No, I had not the opportunity to listen a LOMC cartridge through the SKY SUT but I don't need it because the quality level a the " stay truer to the recording " is not attainable yet through a passive gain devices like the SUT.

In the other side you choosed a really wrong exampel for refering to the SYK performance level because that gentleman AD whom makde the review is some one that is accustomed to a very very low quality performance levels due that " he dies " for that terrible/anacronic electronic alternative name it: tubes. Where is just useless to analize nothing of that gentleman can says in his reviews of nothing.

Bobb, I'm talking of a way way different quality levels and again: I know that your SUTS performs very very good as other SUTs too but even this very good performance levels are not exactly up to the task I'm refering.

Bob, I respect you a lot as I respect any single manufacturer out there. Please don't feel offended or a bad feelling for what I say  in this thread at the end I'm  only a music lover and true audiophile and that's all.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear friends: Look what I'm talking about and see why is so important the Phonolinepreamp:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/shindo-aurieges-equalizer-amplifier-measurements 

https://www.stereophile.com/content/abbingdon-music-research-ph-77-phono-equaliser-measurements

https://www.stereophile.com/content/vitus-audio-mp-p201-masterpiece-series-phono-preamplifier-measur...  

https://www.stereophile.com/content/aesthetix-rhea-phono-preamplifier-measurements


Btw, @lewm in that ocassion along the chart of the unit I own were the the charts of the Halcro and Dartzeel phonolinepreamps too where both was not even close. Dartzeel was " terrible ".

Here that Vitus has a price tag of 60K big dollars and this LAMM set you back  around 75K+ and you need additional IC cables to connect it to the LAMM line stage:


http://www.lammindustries.com/PRODUCTS/LP1spec.html 


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R

Dear @lewm : You submit wrong because exist those measurements tools to make that. Even the top of its line manufacturer you know very well because modified your unit measures 0.07 db.

You have not very good memory about but I posted twice ( along few  years.) that RIAA chart where in one of those ocassions you ask to me how was the response over the limits of that chart: 8hz to 40khz and I answered to you that the chart only showed RIAA frequency response and its deviations ( the unit frequency response goes from 0hz to over 1 Mhz. ) and you ask about because in the chart the response was totally flat not only between 20hz to 20khz that's the RIAA requisit but over that 8hz to 40khz and if I remember ( because I don't have in hand now. ) the deviation on what you seen was 0.015dbs and this number improved over up-grades.

Additional characteristics of that unit is that's fully regulated input to output and that the cartridge signal pass only for two discrete gain phono stages.

Btw, exist on other 6 gentlemans that like me are lucky enough to own it.

As fact some other gentlemans that post here and in other internet audio forums ( including a very well regarded proffesional reviewer. ) and some of them ( I know this. ) that even had the opportunity to lisented the unit in its own system losted the opportunity to buy that unit for true " penauts " and prefered another way to go.

Anyway, the important issue is that main target: stay truer to the recording where as the TT/tonearm and each link in the system as the phonolinepreamp is critical an important.

All depends which is each one of us home audio system main target.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @bobsdevices : As you know I posted almost in all threads that my main target is to stay: TRUER TO THE RECORDING and my audio system " spins " around that target and how achieve it ( nearer as I can. ) and in the analog alternative case we have to take extremely care to preserves the cartridge signal information preserves its " full " integrity, with out this premises we can’t achieve that main target.

Can we preserves the full integrity cartridge information?, sure we can’t do it. What we can do it is to stay the nearest we can and that’s ALL ! !.

My system handles the cartridge signal through a PhonoLinepreamp ( no separates. Output signal goes directly to the amps. ) ) unit designed with some of these characteristics: fully diferential/balanced dual mono class A non-feedback, dual mono separate/external power supply, no single wire inernally from where the signal travels, input/output connectors direct soldered to the main four layers circuit boards, two totally separated dual mono MC and MM stages where the MC one active devices are bipolars and Mosfets for the MM stage, passive RIAA with tigthy passive devices tolerances ( matched, truly matched. ), no SUT for gain only active devices, every stage fully discrete, no impedance/gain switches or the like and obviously no single tube there or every where in my system.

All those and many other characteristics in that unit permits to have a RIAA eq. deviation of only 0.012 dbs and not only this but when you make RIAA measurements and print the chart/diagram you can’t distinguish the left from the rigth channel RIAA measurements because there is no deviation in between ( as in every phono stage no matters its price tag. ), you see only a line for both channels from 20hz to 20khz. This kind of performance levels is not only through the RIAA response but all the whole Phonolinepreamp channels response/performance is the same.

That’s the quality levels I’m talking here and everywhere. Way different on your or other gentlemans approach and that’s why I know for sure a SUT can’t not even be nearer to my unit. Noise and distortion levels in my unit?, well you can’t believe it.

Now, as I said in this thread a SUT sounds very good but with other kind of " distortion " levels. I own several SUTs and I like it when I use it but I like it more when are out of the signal.

For many people and phono stage manufacturers a SUT is a must and is the lower price solution, we have not many choices to achieve something as my unit because that will be extremely extremely expensive.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @whatthe : You own any one " dream system " desire.

I know very well those 3 units you named: for its price Vitus is infamous/terrible and the Walker is not at very top .

Anyway, other that the Ypsilon is a tube unit. Problem is that additionaly we need and external SUT and additional an external line stage.

Those means that the sensitive and critical very low output signal of any LOMC cartridge stays " suffering " high degradation levels at each single link where it must pass before we can listen it through those Magico speakers.

First link to that cartridge signal is the tubes and transformers in the phono stage that destroy that signal. From here the signal must pass through the Ypsilon output connectors to the IC cables and cable additional connectors and after around 0.5m-1.0m of cable where the signal travels takes the out IC cables connectors to the SUT input connectors where inside the signal travels for many meters of transformer wire and then goes through the SUT output connectors to the input IC cables connectors and other 0.5-1.0m of additional IC cable and from here to the input connectors and electronics in the line stage.

I know for sure that you love it and this is not under any kind of questioning in no way. What you or any one of us like it is each one of us privilege and no one can argue against it. Period.

When we have a good designed SS active high gain PhonoLinepreamp ( integrated one. ) the recorded LP MUSIC information that the cartridge stylus tip pick-up has a way different " treatment " where the degradation levels is way way lower than in the case I exposed here.

The integrity of the cartridge signal is way better conservated through that SS unit.

Which one like it us more?, it does not matters because what I’m saying here and else where on this same regards is that the cartridge signal degradation levels ( that we can’t restore in any way but only follow the degradations. ) is in one side far away from the recording and the other truer to the recording.

If at each single link in home audio system chain we take care on degradation levels and how to avoid it ( well we can’t but at least put at minimum. ) what we can listen and really listen has no paragon/ quintessence on what we already listen in what ever system no matter what.
We always achieve the best of the best quality coming from the speakers ever.

So, when we are trying to put at minimum the distortion levels at each system’s link we don’t have to worried if what we will achieve will like us because always we like it. Period.

Btw, money is always important but more important is to know how to achieve that gorgeous unique level and what to do.


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @bobsdevices : You know for sure about and not only that but your knowledge levels is superior to mine and I truly mean it.

Problem is that you have is a must to stay " biassed " on that regards. It's fine with me and I'm not against SUTs per sé because can " sounds " really really good but if we compare the SUT you want  ( vintage or today units. ) against a well designed SS ( bipolar devices. ) active high gain phono stage this one beats the SUT.

Now, I'm not talking of what I, you or other gentlemans like it more because this fact is absolutely subjective and has nothing to " see " with the way lower overall distortions ( everykind ) performance coming from the active unit.
You already know this. There is no single way that any one of us can stay truer to the recordings using any SUT, it's just imposible to have against that well designed active unit. You know this Bob ! ! 

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @handymann @sksos1 @jperry @bobsdevices : No one needs a SUT if we can find out a well designed SS active high gain phono stage with bipolar devices in the active stage.

No single SUT can competes or outperforms that active high gain phono stage. SUTs has not the wide frequency range that an active item has and that it's need it to honor cartridge response on MUSIC. SUTs has not the extremely fast response of bipolar devices that makes a huge differences on transient response, SUTs has not the rigth bass range management specially in this lower frequency band, SUTs are way suceptible to pick up several kind of " noises " and SUTs generates too distortions no matter is a passive item and I can go on and on about. @dover is rigth on his post in this regards.

Your " incredible " sound through your Rhea is a " false dream paradise " as is any single tube phono stage no matters what and nu matters its price tag.

Unfortunatelly the Rhea is one of the worst phono stages out there and not because some one told me but because I had first hand experiences not with the Rhea but with his " senior " dad the Io Signature four chasis all tube phono stage: a crap of phono stage and the designer was not the culprit but tubes.

I heard it twice in a megabuck home system surrounded between other things of a Walker TT and the like. Its level noise is terrible for say the least as is its RIAA eq. deviation and not only because a high dbs deviation but because the RIAA curve for the left and rigth channel are different when both must be the same!.
Its output impedance goes between 2k and 3Kohms where we have a huge lost of cartridge/music information.
If I remember I counted at least 5-6 stages where the signal pass  and including everything the signal pass through more than 40 links  inside the unit and this is the " senior dad " its Rhea relative is even worst.

So from where comes that " incredible " sound you are talking about. I know that that is what you like because you are accustom to but sorry to wake up of your " paradise dream " but the reality is that you have to put on sale and find out any other phono stage that does not needs a SUT.

I own and owned several SUTs and my modified Denon AU 1000 ( weigths 12. kg. ) outperforms today any price tag SUT and I have to say that performs really good through the MM stage but not at the same level than the MC active high gain stage I own.

Sooner or latter all of us will wake up of that " false paradise dream ". I know that no one wants to wake up of that " dream " but the reality is that is only that a dream a nothing  more.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.