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


anyone care to share what would yield to a better sound or how they are different ?
Some people i know prefer a stand alone MC phono stage. While others swear by the MM phono stage plus adding a step up tranny for an mc cart.
How are they different and in what way is one better than the other sonically ?
thanks
nolitan

Showing 6 responses by dertonarm

Yes, there are many ways leading to Rome.
I've walked them all in the past 30 years.
However - there is only one Via Appia leading direct to the Capitol hill (not Washington DC, but ancient Rome, Italia ...) and the Forum Romanum.
You do bring a JFet hybrid phono input stage to superb results. Certainly enough to meet the quality of most any phono stage available on the market in the ears and eyes of most audiophiles and all reviewers.
But the very best phono stages aren't available commercially.
And they can do without the anabolica of JFet-tails.
A low output moving coil cartridge is one half of a "team". The other half is a corresponding coil (matched to the coil in the moving coil (sic...) cartridge of course...) in a step-up transformer. These two units do form a team.
I would never view a LOMC as a "stand alone unit".
The matching and corresponding transformer must be precisely designed to match a certain source impedance and source inductance of the LOMC. Given precise match and technical inspired and executed design, we will look (...IMHO....) at the best possible solution in cartridge based playback.
This is true for LOMCs - medium output or high-output moving coils often do perform better with high-gain active stages. But a very low source impedance (below 6-8 ohms) will always long for a matching inductance more than a matching impedance.
In the end it all comes down - once again... - to precision, minute care and attention to detail.
There are no "universal approach" step-ups out there. There is always ONE matching inductance for a given LOMC.
You will find medium output MC performing to their very best with high gain active phono stages - and you will find LOMCs and ULOMC (ultra low output moving coil) performing their very best with precisely matched step-ups of the highest caliber.
Enjoy the search and the long path of try and error.....
Well, I do have a tube phono preamp with total 72 dB phono gain - sans line-stage.....
Nevertheless - I do run my LOMCs with a SUT. I have sufficient gain, but that is not the whole issue. Its not just gain - its the matching impedance AND inductance. Something only the matching SUT can supply for a given low source impedance moving coil.
But after all - that is just my opinion and I do use very low source impedance and output moving coils.
Back in the early 1990ies I too thought that running LOMCs direct into the phono stage is better.
Today I use very special SUTs hand tailored to the cartridges I use.
The LOMC and its matching and corresponding SUT are a team.
And yes - I agree with Atmasphere regarding avoiding ss input stages in tube phono preamps. Tempting as it is (oh, that extra gain...) - the trade off (sonically...) is too high a price. There is no free lunch ......
But in tube phono stages the prime slogan still is: "straight - no cheaser !"
While I have to admit that the JFet tailed hybrid input stages are always tempting from the point of view of a designer.
Dear Nandric, sorry, I missed your question in late november.
Yes, if you want to avoid having to mess (if you strive for the best possibly, you've got to try (i.e.: mess around with...) with SUTs, the safe side is to go for MOMC (medium output moving coil) with 0.5 mV or more.

In general - if perfectly grounded and perfectly shielded (both is easier than widely expected) SUT can be hum free. Take care of the transformers shielding - outer and inner... - and the way it connects to the signal ground and whether the tonearm/armboard/plinth is grounded too.
I still see LOMC with low source impedance and corresponding inductance as one part of an essential team with a matching (impedance/inductance relative to step-up ratio) SUT.
Cheers,
D.
Let me put one thing straight here from my point of view: it is not about SUT vs high gain phono stage.
These are not competitors in the race for phono gain.
A - precisely matched !! - step-up transformer should be viewed at as one half of the LOMC. Both devices do ask for the other. This is all about matching technical parameters depending on each other.
And doing so to bring out the optimum performance parameters - not because of gain, but because the right SUT provides the optimum working conditions for a LOMC.
And yes, - most LOMCs will work in a high-gain phono stage w/o SUT too. Most good phono stages do provide selectable impedance settings to further accommodate the LOMC. But they can't provide a matching inductance and I think this small factor is sadly neglected in most discussions about phono gain/LOMCs.