Passive SUT vs. active MC preamp?

[Mika K]

Lately I have been hearing some opinions that active MC preamp has proved to be superior in some systems that passive SUTs. Have heard this at my friends system while comparing Technics SU-300MC with the top class Ortofon SUT, so..



According to my limited experiences with quality SUTs they usually exceed in the mids and especially in timbre, transparency and that kind musical openness which is hard to describe. However the active MC preamps might have advantage in rhythm, scale and dynamics, which in many cases is the achilles heel of SUTs. In my opinion at least some SUTs seem to lack that final punch and dynamics, even with nice synergetic cartridge and quality phonostage, and this might make the whole system sound a bit too soft..

What do you think of this, so is there something real here or are there SUTs that match the active MC preamps in all respects? Do you have experiences of the active MC preamps or even use one?

[Mika K]

Just realized that someone not familiar with these (as they're quite rare) might be thinking that I'm trying to compare here SUT to proper full MC phonostage but that is not the case. I'm referring to active MC preamps that are connected to MM phonostage just like SUTs..

Come on, someone must have experience of these

[The Grand Wazoo]

That would be a head amp as compared to a step up.

(..........the term head amp had another meaning before the people who use headphones all lost the 'h', 'o' and 'n' keys from their keyboards!)

[Barry]

That would be a head amp as compared to a step up.

(..........the term head amp had another meaning before the people who use headphones all lost the 'h', 'o' and 'n' keys from their keyboards!)

And "p"s ?

[The Grand Wazoo]

No....they need the 'p' (and the 'e') to spell head amp!

[Barry]

No....they need the 'p' (and the 'e') to spell head amp!

Ah yes - "think before you type". My excuse would be the half bottle of Médoc I have just consumed!

[The Grand Wazoo]

Keep drinking - a full bottle brings clarity to your lexicography (or it has to me this evening .....hic!)

[Barry]

I ought to respond to Mika's thread, as like most things in audio alternative ways of going about things all have their 'pros and cons', and I will do so. However it is late, so I'll defer my comments to a later time.

But in general, I'm largely in agreement with Mika's opinion. I have used both SUTs and head amps (some of the latter I have built myself), but for most of the time the head amps have been in use. I did have a notion to do such a comparison again, however the SUTs I have are hardly the 'last word' for such devices.

Will write more later.

[Mika K]

Nice one Barry! I already got myself a little worried that the thread will stay empty..

[sq225917]

I'm genuinely interested in the answer to this I've never tried a step up but struggle to see how it can be 'better' than a low noise active gain stage. I get that the crosstalk and limits of FR extension can be pleasant in some setups but electrically speaking what can they add/ remove that an active stage can't?