Headamps - Grass Greener?

[montesquieu]

However... To do it RIGHT, as you say (and as Andrew has designed in what looks to be a superb unit), the chosen SUTs must be hardwired into the circuit of the partnering phono stage, to avoid the sonically detrimental effect of raised capacitance, when SUTs are employed externally inside a separate box, via the use of interconnecting cables, especially when those cables are any longer than 0.5m - and even at such short lengths, it markedly alters the sound for the worse.

Also, if the SUTs employed are correctly located within the circuit of the partnering phono stage, any hum will be minimal and well below the threshold of audibility, when a music signal is present. Undoubtedly, it's a rather elegant and effective way of amplifying that signal.

Trouble with that is (as we live in an imperfect world), you lose the flexibility of trying different SUTs with your chosen cartridge, as you're stuck with whatever the manufacturer has fitted, and so whether or not those will be an ideal match sonically and/or electrically is largely a matter of luck, especially when it comes to the former. The latter can be achieved by matching them to the spec of the cartridge, but even then there is still an element of trial and error needed if one wishes to get the absolute best results.

One has to consider this lack of flexibility carefully, because I've found that the key to achieving true synergy between an SUT and its partnering cartridge, electrical parameters aside, is to successfully marry their respective sonic signatures, as experience has shown that all SUTs have their own unique 'sound', such is the nature of transformers, as indeed do all MC cartridges. Therefore, for said 'musical magic' to occur, one has to achieve the best balance of traits between both - and the only way to do that is to experiment! Something you can't do if the SUTs are fixed into a circuit...

And that is the conundrum of using SUTs:

Unless you've been able to experiment with different ones, in order to find that 'magical combo', and then hardwire the chosen SUTs into your existing phono stage, which is both difficult and likely impractical to do, you'll never know if there's some other SUTs out there (often rare vintage ones, originally used in microphones), which could add something really special to the reproduction of your favourite music.

With head amps (which fundamentally sound different from SUTs) there exists less variables, and therefore the likelihood of missing out on that 'magical combo' is lessened, although that's not to say that head amps don't sound different, they do, just not to the same degree (IME) as transformers. Therefore, if you like what they do, sonically, in comparison with SUTs and use a really good one, designed to match the electrical parameters of your chosen cartridge, the results can also be sublime.

This is especially true when used in conjunction with a top-notch valve MM phono stage, as to my ears, when the right combinations are achieved, there is a synergy between head amps and valves that is as musically beguiling (although in a different way), as when the same has been achieved with an MC cartridge and SUT - and which cannot be matched when head amps are combined with solid-state MM phono stages.

Furthermore (returning to SUTs), sometimes, depending on what cartridge is used, one can over-egg the pudding, in terms of the 'mellifluous effect' achieved when combining valves and SUTs, with everything sounding a trifle 'too nice'. This is far from automatic, of course, especially if the partnership is right, but I've heard it happen all too often, and I'm not into that sort of 'airy-fairy' sound, which ultimately lacks drive and 'punch', and only suits certain types of music.

If, like me, you have wide and varied tastes in music (and a sizeable collection of such on vinyl), and so one minute can be listening to AC/DC, and the next, some classical Sonatas or solo piano, that simply won't do, as you can start finding that the music you play is being dictated by what sounds best with your SUT...

Agree up to a point with most of this Marco .. though while there are challenges from positioning and cables I don't see that it's a **must** that SUTs have to be in the same box as the phono stage. The best SUT I've ever heard was the external Audio Note S9, staggeringly, gobsmackingly, sell-a-kidney intoxicatingly good (and so it should be at some stupid retail price like £20k or something). I had a Kondo era AN S6-C myself (like the S9, all silver from the coils to the hookup wire to the captive phono leads) that was very special too - and I've had others that were also very very good such as the Hashimoto HM7 and S&B TX103.

What these all had in common - funnily enough, apart from the S9, which has to be ordered in its final, dedicated ratio - is the ability to switch the gain and or loading different cartridges. The S&B has four different levels of gain, 1:20, 1:10, 1:6.5, 1:5 which I had boxed up to also enable several loading option with each one, giving 16 possible settings, plus a bypass setting (and facility for two arms). I had the HM7s similarly boxed up to enable four different settings and facility for two arms. The AN-S6 was built for one arm but had (Japanese style) settings for 1 ohm, 3 ohm, 12 ohm and 40 ohm cartridges - flexible enough to suit anything from the 1 ohm Io to 100 ohm AT-3Mono.

What I'm saying is that to have flexibility you don't necessarily need to have a head amp. I go through so many different cartridges that one SUT wouldn't do me at all if that was the case.

As it happens my current EAR 912 preamp has four settings of MC SUT gain built in, switchable into the MM stage, which it kind of misleadingly labels similarly to the Kondo as corresponding to 3 ohm, 6 ohm, 12 ohm and 40 ohm cartridges (these are actually different gain ratios as opposed to impedances). Although labelled the same, they are not the same coils are in the the EAR MC4, because the 912 has an interstage transformer coupling the phono stage to the preamp section, enabling signal to passed through unchanged (0db) or cut by 6db or 12db, enabling a useful degree of gain matching along with ratio matching - now there's a Swiss Army Knife approach comparable to any head amp on the market. As I mentioned, these are all built into the preamp case and work without hum or fuss, such as can be difficult to achieve with a stand-alone unit.

I've had very good results with several head amps including the Slee Elevator and the Denon HA-500 and HA1000, so I'm far from dismissing head amps as an approach. Where ground loops and hum are an issue, they can be a magic bullet that takes the pain away. But I remain convinced that a good SUT is still the way to go if you want the optimum possible out of a low output moving coil.

[Bigman80]

Personally, having spent a lot of time and money in this area, i can only surmise that neither the SUT nor Head amp approach were ideal in my system.

The SUT's i tried all added a flavour of their own. Some good (MCX, HM-3, Bobs Device) Some bad (Denon 320,FR-3) but non of them were entirely transparent or invisible. The sonic signature was evident from all of them.
Headamps too were at fault for this. The Denon HA-500 added precision and definition but emphasised bass in a way which sounded enhanced. The A&R Headamp was better in this respect but lost the resolution. I have tried multiple head amps which all had positives and negatives.

All of the SUT's and Headamps suffered from Hum/Buzz regardless of where i positioned them or the Cable. The only exception was the Rothwell MCX which didn't give a shit where i put it.It was unaffected and silent in operation.

SUTs create a better 3D picture than Headamps.

Headamps are less fussy with impedance.

Personally, the trauma came to an end when i got a JFET input fitted by Firebottle. Its clean, quiet, has as good a resolution as good anything ive tried, it's transparent, it's natural sounding - no enhanced bass,its got great 3D quality (beaten marginally by the HM-3 in this area), loading is done by loading plugs and best of all costs less than a 1/3 of anything else i tried. I don't feel i am missing anything and definitely believe the HA v SUT is a bigger pain in the arse than its worth. That Magical Synergy is as rare as wooden flies on rocking horse shit. Be prepared to spend spend spend to try and find it and then be prepared to sell it if you change your cartridge.

Its a hiding to nothing. Unless you spend a shitload to find those wooden flies.

Someone will say "oh, what about X,Y,Z!!!!" which costs the same as my car to buy IF they ever turn up on the used market.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Some VERY VERY informative posts from some VERY experienced people. SHIT! I'm still no further far forwards! I've 3 options

1. Stay with the 4 box paradise which is sublime and quite simply the best MC phonostage I have ever heard.
2. Start using a very high pimped croft MM phonostage and SUT/Headamp
3. Start experimenting SUT/headamp with the EAR 834 clone.

[Bigman80]

For me, removing the SUT/Ha Has let me just enjoy the music. Your life will be dominated by comparisons and indecision. Use the paradise, sell everything else

[Mixc]

Some VERY VERY informative posts from some VERY experienced people. SHIT! I'm still no further far forwards! I've 3 options

1. Stay with the 4 box paradise which is sublime and quite simply the best MC phonostage I have ever heard.
2. Start using a very high pimped croft MM phonostage and SUT/Headamp
3. Start experimenting SUT/headamp with the EAR 834 clone.

Ive got an answer for you ...

Buy 2 more decks then you can choose all three...

Personally i use a head amp and croft mm phono stage..

[montesquieu]

For me, removing the SUT/Ha Has let me just enjoy the music. Your life will be dominated by comparisons and indecision. Use the paradise, sell everything else

Bear in mind that your FET is effectively a fixed gain/fixed impedance head amp on the front of the phono stage ...

Having said that, not necessarily bad advice. I've been buggering around with SUTs for more than a decade and with head amps quite a while before that. It's a long road to go down for something that can be quite elusive.

I'm sure way more than 20 SUTs have come in and out ... in addition to the ones mentioned, several each I'm sure from Partridge, K&K, UTC, Beyerdynamic, Neumann, Ortofon, Denon, Supex and Fidelity Research, plus the usuals like the Blackhead, Luhndal, Cinemag, Supex .. expensive ones like The Head (by Tim de P), EAR MC3, AN-S2, AN-S4 and AN-S6c ... plus quite a few borrowed ones from Koetsu, Miyajima and Art Audio. I'm sure I'm missing a few off that list.

I'm happy now but getting to the destination hasn't exactly been cheap or free of head-scratching .. though to be fair I'm not sure i'd have lost much on any of these - can SUTs do the rounds but generally hold their money.

[Bigman80]

Bear in mind that your FET is effectively a fixed gain/fixed impedance head amp on the front of the phono stage ...

Having said that, not necessarily bad advice. I've been buggering around with SUTs for more than a decade and with head amps quite a while before that. It's a long road to go down for something that can be quite elusive.

I'm sure way more than 20 SUTs have come in and out ... in addition to the ones mentioned, several each I'm sure from Partridge, K&K, UTC, Beyerdynamic, Neumann, Ortofon, Denon, Supex and Fidelity Research, plus the usuals like the Blackhead, Luhndal, Cinemag, Supex .. expensive ones like The Head (by Tim de P), EAR MC3, AN-S2, AN-S4 and AN-S6c ... plus quite a few borrowed ones from Koetsu, Miyajima and Art Audio. I'm sure I'm missing a few off that list.

I'm happy now but getting to the destination hasn't exactly been cheap or free of head-scratching .. though to be fair I'm not sure i'd have lost much on any of these - can SUTs do the rounds but generally hold their money.

Yes mate, it's fixed gain/impedance input but a Head amp it ain't. In terms of sonic qualities anyway, find me a more transparent and flexible input and I'll have it installed

Ive tried 3 carts of varying costs (Denon 301, Goldring Eroica and the Kontrapunkt) and the results are all rather sublime. I've no interest in travelling down that road again, it's literally a endless path. Every cart change would require a different SUT. No thanks. Worst bit....I lost money on every one. The good old days of selling for what you paid are over.

[montesquieu]

Yes mate, it's fixed gain/impedance input but a Head amp it ain't. In terms of sonic qualities anyway, find me a more transparent and flexible input and I'll have it installed

Ive tried 3 carts of varying costs (Denon 301, Goldring Eroica and the Kontrapunkt) and the results are all rather sublime. I've no interest in travelling down that road again, it's literally a endless path. Every cart change would require a different SUT. No thanks. Worst bit....I lost money on every one. The good old days of selling for what you paid are over.

Well its been at least a 15 year journey for me ... 'never say never', as they say .. I'd be prepared to bet that the point will come where you have everything else around working nicely, and your mind goes .. 'hmm, I wonder what if .... ?'

[Bigman80]

Well its been at least a 15 year journey for me ... 'never say never', as they say .. I'd be prepared to bet that the point will come where you have everything else around working nicely, and your mind goes .. 'hmm, I wonder what if .... ?'

Lol, no chance mate. The Kontrapunkt is a keeper and the phono stage is hitting the right notes so no need. I'll never say never but it would take the planets to align

[Firebottle]

I'd just like to clarify that the Jfet input that Oliver is referring to is a special linearised Jfet circuit that doesn't resemble a traditional head amp.