Thanks for sharing those details. I don’t know the details of how a FET works, but I’m sure it has its deficiencies, as does the SUT.
A FET works more like a valve/tube.
If you like transimpedance (current based) amps, they are more than likely a BJT.
When that the SUT amplifies/increase voltage.
Deficiencies:
It is more design approach than a deficiency. The FET or the BJT may have more noise compared to one another, or across the different examples of the same devices.
The SUT has resistance, inductance and some capacitance. And hence a finite bandwidth. But many transistors have capacitance effects that limit their bandwidth.
And how high can one really hear?
If in doubt on the SUT, it may be better to slightly undershoot ratio, than to wildly overshoot the ratio… and especially if the cart has a high output impedance.
I think that 0.00003 seconds (1/c) is essentially instantaneous to the human mind and ear….just ask the digital guys about sampling, etc. . .
Correct one cannot tell the difference in speed by ear, but that point was in relation to your statement on copper versus silver wires. The dielectric also plays a role.
In the SUT the core also play a bit of a similar role to the magnetic field, that the dielectric played upon the electric field..
It is not altogether clear, that one can easily tease out all the nuance.
And if we get a good wild eyed sales person going full on passionate, then they can appear to be conjuring a pretty compelling story.
Back to deficiencies… we have three camps:
- Pure electronics voltage gain
- SUT + voltage gain
- Current gain
The circuit designers all make good examples in each, so pick your poison.
If you have a CH phono stage, your problems are different than someone with out an existing phono stage.