Can there be a missmatch ???

[Yiangos]

Between a mc phono cartridge and a sut-based phono stage?

[chris@panteg]

Well yes if I were to try an IO into the high setting of an AI sut , it would sound crap , just an example .

[sq225917]

Yes of course, what cartridge and which step-up are you using?

[Yiangos]

Hi guys

Thanks for the reply.My previous setup was/is a Van Den Hul Black Beauty with a Tom Evans The Groove specifically confiqured for that cartridge and the combination was excellent.When The Groove blew a gasket lol, i decided not to repair it but purchase a new phono stage,a EAR 324 together with a Koetsu Urushi sky blue which again this combination sounded great.When i tried to play the BB through the EAR,everything sounded thin,bodyless and overbright.

[Stratmangler]

Which version of the BB? There are two different loadings, depending on the output http://www.vandenhul.com/p_A01xx.aspx
Then there's the preferred loading for the Urushi http://www.needledoctor.com/Koetsu-Urushi-Wajima-Phono-Cartridge

[Yiangos]

The spx version with 0.55 mv output.As for the Urushi,it really doesn't matter as it plays great through the EAR on both the 4 and 15 Ω tabs.Only with the 40 Ω i can dedect some "ringing" in the high freq.

[Stratmangler]

From what I can find VDH recommend a 500ohm load for the Sp-X

[Yiangos]

Stratmangler,no,you didn't understand what i was trying to say :) The VDH works great with the groove but when i replace the groove with the EAR,which uses transormers, it sounds thin and bright.Forget the 500ohm value.The groove is confiqured for this value anyway.The 4 and 15 ohms tabs i was refering is transformer load.

[f1eng]

A SUT needs matching to the cartridge to minimise its editorial influence. Most transformers modify the sound a bit, which many people like (I do and use a SUT) but it is easy to get a mismatch, then it modifies it a lot.
You may be lucky or not. A well engineered active unit with adjustable loading will almost certainly be less coloured, but if you like the colour...