Recommandation for 1:6 1:8 SUT under $5K?
I’m looking for some advice on a step-up transformer that pairs well with my Audio Research LS28SE, PH9, and Hana Umami Blue cartridge. I currently have both the Denon AU-S1 and AU-340. The AU-S1 sounds absolutely beautiful—very transparent and open—but at 1:13 the gain is too high, and I’m getting some clipping, especially on dynamic peaks. Even with the AU-340 at 1:10, I can still hear a bit of overload. I’ve tried playing with loading and parallel resistors, but the issue really comes down to gain. I think something in the 1:6 to 1:8 range would be perfect, enough to keep the clarity and tone I’m getting from the AU-S1 but with better headroom. My budget is around $5k, and I’m open to any recommendations for a high-quality SUT?
There is the Math to be considered, and it looks like how Math is used is debatable. There is also the knowledge of the producer of the SUT to consider. I feel confident the experienced producer who does assess sound being produced from their designs, is knowing much about Core Metal, Wire Types, Coil Winding and Final Assembly that are contributors to the qualities detected within an End Sound. As this type of knowledge would be seen as IP it would not be expected to be discussed in detail. |
The published input impedance of the various Audio Note SUT's are specified for a 47k input. They state on their website that they believe MC's sound best into a load 3-4 times the internal impedance of the cartridge. Their stuff sounds awful anyway so does it really matter what their beliefs are ? |
@arazmj I would recommend Phasemation SUTs, one example is here: https://www.phasemation.com/product/t-600.html |
