surprised at Vortex comment. I own an original, not upgraded Zesto Andros and it is anything but noisy.
I run it into 103db Avantgarde Duos, thru a GAT pre and Audiopax 30 monoblocks.
This is an all tube system and I have to put my ear right next to the speaker to hear any tube rush. Also no hum (unlike my TE Groove it replaced ).
Andros has over 60 db MC gain and easily provides live level volumes for both my .2mv Ortofon Anna and my .35Mv Benz LPS without turning up the GAT volume past 50.
Can't comment on bass comparison with Alnic or K&K, but the Andros was much better than my Tom Evans groove. My best performance came when pairing the Anna up with a Bobs Sky Cinemag SUT into the Andros MM stage. Bass and treble extension and dynamics are excellent. I switch between this set up and the Benz LPS thru the low output MC section for excellent although slightly less dynamic performance.
My Annas better performance with the Bobs SUT into the MM section might be indicative of Andros having lower quality internal transformers compared to the Bobs SUT.
In looking at the Alnic specs, it appears the max MC gain is 38 db, and there are no exterior loading options.
I would assume one would need a separate SUT to use any MC cartridge with less than .5 mv output.
The Alnic might be better match for higher output MC cartridges due to it's 4 levels of gain, but the Zesto has a low and high output MC gain. The Andros has two switches for MM vs MC on the back which is kind of a pain if you run two tonearms like I do. The Alnic's single front switch would be easier to live with, but I just deal with reaching around the back of my unit when I want to switch between my two cartridges.
I run it into 103db Avantgarde Duos, thru a GAT pre and Audiopax 30 monoblocks.
This is an all tube system and I have to put my ear right next to the speaker to hear any tube rush. Also no hum (unlike my TE Groove it replaced ).
Andros has over 60 db MC gain and easily provides live level volumes for both my .2mv Ortofon Anna and my .35Mv Benz LPS without turning up the GAT volume past 50.
Can't comment on bass comparison with Alnic or K&K, but the Andros was much better than my Tom Evans groove. My best performance came when pairing the Anna up with a Bobs Sky Cinemag SUT into the Andros MM stage. Bass and treble extension and dynamics are excellent. I switch between this set up and the Benz LPS thru the low output MC section for excellent although slightly less dynamic performance.
My Annas better performance with the Bobs SUT into the MM section might be indicative of Andros having lower quality internal transformers compared to the Bobs SUT.
In looking at the Alnic specs, it appears the max MC gain is 38 db, and there are no exterior loading options.
I would assume one would need a separate SUT to use any MC cartridge with less than .5 mv output.
The Alnic might be better match for higher output MC cartridges due to it's 4 levels of gain, but the Zesto has a low and high output MC gain. The Andros has two switches for MM vs MC on the back which is kind of a pain if you run two tonearms like I do. The Alnic's single front switch would be easier to live with, but I just deal with reaching around the back of my unit when I want to switch between my two cartridges.