Ortofon Anna or Transfuration Proteus?


I am now using SPU Gold cartridge with Ortofron 309 tonearm and Garrard 301 turntable, together with a Bob's Device SUT to Shindo Monbrison preamp.

I am considering upgrading the cartridge to either Ortofon Anna or Transfuration Proteus, looking for higher resolution and separation, more dynamic and air, and better tonal colour. (...am I asking to much?)

Much appreciated for your input.

bigdish
Great question Bigdish, cannot offer insight but interested like you. Hopefully we get some feedback.
Hi Bigdish
I have similar gear. I tried to mount the 0.2mV Proteus on a 309D/Garrard 401 combo feeding a Ortofon 80SE SUT but was never satisfied. I suspect the Ortofon SUT may be the culprit. OTOH I am getting superb results with a Lyra Atlas on the Garrard 401 and the Ortofon SUT.
Transfuration Proteus wonderful stage,imaging,bass,midrange the best i ever had.Costs less than Anna which is a plus as well its also very musical.
Since you seem to like SPUs, have you considered the new Ortofon 95th Anniversary? It is really good, and shares some of the technology of the Anna and A90. I have an SPU Royal GMII, which I've liked a lot for years; the A95 is a definite step up. I have an A90 on another arm on the same turntable, a Nantais Reference Lenco; while I wouldn't say the A95 is better, I would say it's pretty close. This SPU provides excellent resolution and coherence with a big, open soundstage and plenty of that special SPU weight and tonal density. A relative bargain, too, IMHO, considering the cost of top MCs these days. Just a thought.

I should add, though, that the A95 is a little tricky with an SUT because it has a really low DCR at 2 ohms and an output of 0.3mV. I've been using a 20x SUT (through my Allnic) but it's a touch bright in my system into 47K, with the reflected impedance at 117 ohms, according to the calcs Bob did for me. Fortunately, I can switch the input down to 30K on my Allnic, which is better. A 26x SUT into 47K should work well, lowering the reflected impedance while raising the output voltage a bit. Into a resistor-loaded phonostage it sounds best to me at 40 or 50 ohms. Ortofon recommends 10 to 50.