Recommandation for 1:6 1:8 SUT under $5K?

@arazmj I am aware your new to the forum with this Thread OP as your first post.

I have followed the Umami Blue Cart' and all I have read (not experienced) suggests the sonic traits produced by the Cart' leans towards what I like to hear as an End Sound.   

As we seemingly are Wed to a particular sonic produced from a Cart', I would like to share I have expressed a long term interest in SUT's as well as Head Amp's.

I would also suggest spending on big ticket items is not going to guarantee a experience that is extremely impressive.

From my experiences where extremely impressive can be found, is when Cart'>SUT matching is optimised, the 'X' Factor has been experienced as Jaw Dropping Good.

My most recent experience of this occurring, and from recollections the most impressive experience I have had using a SUT, has been when the brand Sculpture A was being demonstrated with both Copper and Silver Coils, and the Copper was purpose wound to match the Cart' in use. 

Not that I can prove it from subjective evaluation, but I believe Sculpture A Tranx Design which is utilising nano-crystalline toroidal cores instead of EI cores, has been a substantial factor in contributing to the End Sound that created such a good impression. If this is to be challenged then so be it.

An individual known as Zsolt Bodnar is the independent designer / producer of the Coil Windings for the Sculpture A products.

I know an individual in the UK who has their own SUT Tranx's bespoke produced by Zsolt. When my own circumstances allow for me to become fully focused on the Analogue Source, I intend on discussing my interest in what is achievable with Zsolt designs directly.

Making a contact yourself with Zsolt may prove to be an acceptably affordable way to get a SUT that  meets your requirement, I suspect a additional Cart' can be considered from your $5K budget with the saving made.  

lewm

OP thinks x factor 6 or 8 is what he needs

the specs of the AR PH9

https://audioresearch.com/new_website/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PH9-Manual-O.pdf

indicate it has 55db of gain, however, it limits it’s output somehow to 0.5V

Frequency Response: ±.2 dB of RIAA, 5 Hz to 20kHz; 1 dB points below 0.3Hz and above 80 kHz.

Distortion: Less than .015% at 3V RMS 1kHz output.

Gain: 55 dB at 1 kHz Input Impedance:

Selectable loads: 47k, 1000, 500, 200, 100 Ohms.

Output Impedance: 200 ohms. Recommended load 50k-100k Ohms and 100 pF. (10k Ohms minimum and 2000 pF maximum).

Output Polarity: Non-inverting.

Maximum Input: 80 mV RMS at 1kHz.

Rated Outputs: 0.5V RMS 10 Hz to 60 kHz, into 100K ohm load (maximum balanced output capability is 0.46V RMS at less than 0.5% THD at 1kHz).

(if both true, how can you overload it?)

So just about any SUT into the AR PH9 should work

.................................

Perhaps OP thinks the overloading/distortion is occurring within the SUT's transformer, and thus the AR-PH9 is starting with a distorted signal.

another option, works with ANY cartridge, internal dip switches

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284725780254

https://www.dynavector.com/pdf/P75_mk3_emanual_%20r2v0_a4.pdf

https://audiofi.net/2016/07/dynavector-p75-mk3-phono-pleasures/

The math and physics say that even if the PH9 does have a gain of 55db, not 58db, then the LS28 linestage will still put out about 0.95V with NO SUT, which is STILL enough to drive the vast majority of amplifiers to full or near full output (which by the way is typically never needed lest one blow the speakers). If you or the OP insist upon inserting a SUT in the signal path, then go for it.  By the way, we have not heard from the OP in quite a while, even to report whether he ever tried the no SUT approach.  So I suspect no one is listening. The source I consulted originally to make my original calculation of 1.3V with no SUT said that the PH9 provides 58db of gain, not 55db, but it makes no difference really. And no, an LOMC cartridge would never overload a SUT.

I have no idea why or how it came to be that my text is underlined in the post above. It was not intentional.