Ralph is absolutely correct in that transformers have their problems. Designing one that gracefully hides their limitations is quite the challenge, with some of the main contenders being Lundahl, Bent (Slagle), Jensen, Tribute, Audio Note, et. al.
Now, designing a phono stage capable of accepting a .25mv cartridge and producing musical output is not a trivial affair either, and Atmasphere, Nick Doshi, and Essential are some of the main contenders in this arena.
I've heard entrants from both camps produce very musical results.
A while ago, I did a bypass test with a pair of Lundahl step-ups (LL 9206) into my full-function Quicksilver preamp. The Quicksilver is MM-only capable with total gain (including line stage) being 58 dB. The good news is that it is extremely quiet, and the gain structure of the rest of my system permits me to get reasonable volume when fed by my Dynavector XV-1s.
Running the Lundahl, there was the slightest bit of audible smearing, but all in all, it was remarkably close to running straight in to the Quicksilver which is a very revealing phono/pre.
Some MC capable phono stages have separate MM inputs. You would be advised to try this test yourself if you have access to one. Run a step-up into the MM stage and compare it against running straight into the MC stage.
For the price of the Lundahal (while not perfect, it is faithful to the music), you'll learn quite a bit about what may or may not work in your system context.
Also note that Jim Hagerman makes a solid-state head amp, which I believe is called the Piccolo. It's another option for those with MM-only phono stages. I've yet to try one, so I can't comment on it.
The problem you will face is in auditioning in your current system context. You may well find yourself preferring one architecture over the other, only to discover later (with an equipment swap), that your results change 180 degrees. This isn't the first time you've heard this, but in the case of analog, the number of variables you're dealing with make the analysis exponentially more difficult to sort through.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
Now, designing a phono stage capable of accepting a .25mv cartridge and producing musical output is not a trivial affair either, and Atmasphere, Nick Doshi, and Essential are some of the main contenders in this arena.
I've heard entrants from both camps produce very musical results.
A while ago, I did a bypass test with a pair of Lundahl step-ups (LL 9206) into my full-function Quicksilver preamp. The Quicksilver is MM-only capable with total gain (including line stage) being 58 dB. The good news is that it is extremely quiet, and the gain structure of the rest of my system permits me to get reasonable volume when fed by my Dynavector XV-1s.
Running the Lundahl, there was the slightest bit of audible smearing, but all in all, it was remarkably close to running straight in to the Quicksilver which is a very revealing phono/pre.
Some MC capable phono stages have separate MM inputs. You would be advised to try this test yourself if you have access to one. Run a step-up into the MM stage and compare it against running straight into the MC stage.
For the price of the Lundahal (while not perfect, it is faithful to the music), you'll learn quite a bit about what may or may not work in your system context.
Also note that Jim Hagerman makes a solid-state head amp, which I believe is called the Piccolo. It's another option for those with MM-only phono stages. I've yet to try one, so I can't comment on it.
The problem you will face is in auditioning in your current system context. You may well find yourself preferring one architecture over the other, only to discover later (with an equipment swap), that your results change 180 degrees. This isn't the first time you've heard this, but in the case of analog, the number of variables you're dealing with make the analysis exponentially more difficult to sort through.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier