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Thread: Mini-review: Miyajima ETR-Stereo step-up transformer

  1. #11
    Join Date: Mar 2016

    Location: Barnet, london UK

    Posts: 2,146
    I'm Adam.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RothwellAudio View Post
    Sorry for any adverse effect on yer noggin
    Yes, the maths/theory behind it might be a bit heavy but in practice it isn't so bad. Let me summarise:

    1) The first knob affects the capacitive load seen by the cartridge. Even when set to zero the cartridge will see capacitance from a variety of sources, so the numbers can't be taken too seriously and the effects are somewhat unpredictable. Basically, suck it and see.

    2) The second knob controls the number of turns on the primary winding. There really isn't a "correct" number of turns for a particular cartridge, so again, suck it and see.

    3) The third knob controls the number of turns on the secondary winding. The ratio of primary turns to secondary turns gives you the turns ratio. Use this knob in combination with the previous knob to set the turns ratio you require. There's quite a bit of leeway when choosing the ratio and there really isn't any optimum or perfect match for any particular cartridge, so basically, suck it and see.

    4) The fourth knob selects an additional load for the transformer (in addition to the 47k of the following mm phonostage). It will alter the load as seen by the cartridge and it will change the effects of inter-winding capacitance and leakage inductance on the transformer's frequency response. Without access to some measuring equipment the user cannot really know what effect the knob is having - other than listening for changes - so the only thing you can do is ... you guessed it ... suck it and see.
    Thanks for that Andrew (tbh, it's not that difficult to spin my noggin!), as Tom says , all part of the fun, suck it and see indeed, all in an evening's listening.
    Getting the subtle changes in settings out of the cartridge, is for some of us, great fun.
    A quality piece of equipment that i'm sure will give Tom many hours of audio pleasure.
    Very nicely reviewed.
    "lack of passion is fatal"


    Vinyl: Thorens TD-124mk2 / SME-312 Aluminium 'special' / SME M2-9R / STEREO: Etsuro Urushi Cobalt / Shure M3D / Ortofon SPU A95 / Cartridge Man Music Master / Shure - SC35C (US) / SAEC C3 MC MONO: Miyajima Zero B 0.7mil mono / Miyajima Premium 1.0 / Amps & SUTs: Radford STA25 mk3 / AD Audio 'Satchmo2' pre & LCR phono / Hashimoto HM-7 SUT / ETR-MONO SUT Digital: Audio Note 4.1 (with DAC5 upgrades) DAC / Roon / Tidal Speakers: Tannoy 12" MGs' in RFC custom 'Rutland' Cabinets with RFC crossovers / Tannoy ST-100 Super Tweeters Cables: LFD Grainless phono / RFC Mercury / Duelund DCA16GA tinned copper / Kimber 12TC / SW1X Audio Design USB-SPdif / Duelund DCA20GA interconnects / SW1X Audio SPDIF Aero 6 / Mains Power Conditioner / Box Furniture rack / Audiodesk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner / a very beautiful & understanding Wife!

  2. #12
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

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    Thanks to Tom for posting this mini-review. I have a Miyajima ETR-STEREO on its way from Japan, along with a couple of ETR-MONO SUTs, so these will soon be available for anyone to try out at home. I'm very curious to hear for myself the effect of capacitance loading which, I believe, is unique among SUTs on the market but maybe someone can correct me on that point. Mr Miyajima has a knack of alighting on design features that do result in better sound performance

  3. #13
    montesquieu Guest

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    Further musings on the ETR-Stereo ....

    First of all, I've been playing with the capacitance setting a bit more. It's somewhat strange as, when you casually flick through the settings with music playing, there's no perceptible change to the characteristics of the music. This was where I was a week ago when it first arrived.

    However ... on extended listening ... it does make a very subtle difference to the high frequencies. More of a feeling than an audible effect, but the Ikeda 9TT in particular seems to benefit from some added capacitance. 1uF just seems to settle the cartridge a bit in the higher registers. I'm going to keep playing with it though.

    Other news - I also got a chance to try the ETR-Stereo with an SPU. I managed to borrow the SPU #1 E ... I had this cartridge previously in its 'S' (spherical tip) version but did wonder at the time whether I'd done the right thing, as while I do like spherical tips and the cartridge had bags of SPU character, I knew from previous SPUs, vintage and more recent production, that they can benefit from an eliptical tip, providing a bit more detail, bite and atmosphere, without losing much if any of the drive and punch of the sphericals.

    And it turns out that ETR-Mono has the perfect setting for SPU - almost the same as I was using for the Ikeda 9TT with 80 on the input coil and 4000 vs 8000 on the output coil - and my word it makes it sing. Great bass, great bounciness, lovely treble, punchy mids, it's a huge amount of fun. It think it's absolutely time to put to bed any notion that this SUT is only designed for Miyajima cartridges - this is, no question, a great SUT for SPUs as well.

    It's also confirmed what I thought when I had my #1 S, that 'budget' SPUs - and having owned the 'S", I would have to say the 'E' is my pick of the two - are really out and out bargains in the hifi world - something of a rare thing these days with prices edging every upwards. For £465, if you have a suitable arm for it, this is a no-brainer over some of the competition - I mean a real, bona fide SPU that does the SPU thing magnificently, at the same price or lower than, say a 2M Black, Dynavector 10x5, MP500, or a clutch of assorted AT33's ... though of course you do need to budget for a correct high gain/low impedance SUT to really get the best out of it.

    And so cool as well .. here's a piccie ...


  4. #14
    Join Date: Aug 2014

    Location: Aarhus, Denmark

    Posts: 305
    I'm Peter.

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    There are also a step-up transformer called the ETR-800P which isn't as flexible as the ETR-stereo, but a little less expensive. Makes me wonder how it would work with my EAR 802 and the Benz Micro Gullwing ...?

    Not that I need a different step-up than my Partridge 977 ...

    Interesting write-up, indeed.. Thanks!
    Last edited by Rosewind; 21-09-2018 at 18:16.

  5. #15
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,775
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    If one assumes a tip mass resonance at say 25kHz with an effective stylus tip mass of 1ug, then the compliance of the suspension calculated is approximately 0.04 cu, which sounds reasonable.

    Some of my EMT cartridges are fitted with shunt capacitors within the headshell. I'll have to check their value.
    Barry

  6. #16
    Join Date: Mar 2016

    Location: Barnet, london UK

    Posts: 2,146
    I'm Adam.

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    I’ve been over to Tom’s place a few times and had the pleasure of listening to his quality rig.
    Pivotal in the set up is the EAR 912 pre valve control station with it’s internal step up transformers and multiple setting options for the stable of cartridges Tom has carefully selected to get the most from his vast record collection.

    He already added the Miyajima ETR Mono sut to get the most from his Miyajima Mono cartridges, and that move made sense. But then Tom went and added another external SUT, this time a Miyajima ETR Stereo. I for one had my reservations if it could out perform the internal SUT in the EAR 912, which by the way is a serious vinyl sound reproduction tool. It must have been, as Tom got shot of the acclaimed Hashimoto HM-7 (lucky me!) to go with the EAR912.

    Anyway, my doubts if the new external SUT could better the internal SUT were quickly put to rest from the first Miyajima Madake needle drop. The difference was more than I had expected, Tom twiddled the right combinations of dials on the ETR Step up and the presentation was astounding! Slightly more colour, dynamics and dare I say it detail, but not in a harsh way. It really was an impressive improvement. How would it deal with a top quality MC cartridge which wasn’t made by Miyajima?... the Ikeda cartridge was next, a wee bit of dial fiddling and Tom found the correct combination of settings (after consulting his notes) again the music took on similar qualities and it’s presence was wonderful. So no one off.
    So far moving to external SUTs looked a shrewd move!

    I threw a curve ball at Tom, in the shape of a late 50s Mono Ortofon SPU cartridge. This is an odd cartridge as it takes a strange setting to get it to sing. My Hashimoto HM-7 failed to get the most from it and a Carver SUT Tom has, managed to get it to sing pretty well (110ohm setting). First he tried the Mono ETR Miyajima and it didn’t sing at all well, which given its limited settings, wasn’t a surprise. Then Tom combined it with the ETR Stereo SUT. My god, a revelation!! This 1950’s Ortofon Mono SPu didn’t just sing, it cleared it’s throat, and sang on another level. It’s was glorious. I couldn’t relate it to the same cartridge I’d been hearing through other Step ups.

    I can see where this is leading for the EAR 912, as these external Step ups ain’t going anywhere!
    The ETR stereo is a real star, flexibility with such quality. If only the Mono ETR was that flexible!
    Oh and that Mono SPU, what a cartridge!

    Thanks to Tom for another cracking evening, a great Curry made by the man himself and charming company of Edward and Tom’s son Tom, who was very patient when the old farts were discussing step up transformer settings, well his eyes did glaze over slightly, similar to mine whilst they all discussed Bob Dylan over dinner
    Last edited by WESTLOWER; 21-09-2018 at 23:13.
    "lack of passion is fatal"


    Vinyl: Thorens TD-124mk2 / SME-312 Aluminium 'special' / SME M2-9R / STEREO: Etsuro Urushi Cobalt / Shure M3D / Ortofon SPU A95 / Cartridge Man Music Master / Shure - SC35C (US) / SAEC C3 MC MONO: Miyajima Zero B 0.7mil mono / Miyajima Premium 1.0 / Amps & SUTs: Radford STA25 mk3 / AD Audio 'Satchmo2' pre & LCR phono / Hashimoto HM-7 SUT / ETR-MONO SUT Digital: Audio Note 4.1 (with DAC5 upgrades) DAC / Roon / Tidal Speakers: Tannoy 12" MGs' in RFC custom 'Rutland' Cabinets with RFC crossovers / Tannoy ST-100 Super Tweeters Cables: LFD Grainless phono / RFC Mercury / Duelund DCA16GA tinned copper / Kimber 12TC / SW1X Audio Design USB-SPdif / Duelund DCA20GA interconnects / SW1X Audio SPDIF Aero 6 / Mains Power Conditioner / Box Furniture rack / Audiodesk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner / a very beautiful & understanding Wife!

  7. #17
    montesquieu Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by WESTLOWER View Post

    Thanks to Tom for another cracking evening, a great Curry made by the man himself and charming company of Edward and Tom’s son Tom, who was very patient when the old farts were discussing step up transformer settings, well his eyes did glaze over slightly, similar to mine whilst they all discussed Bob Dylan over dinner
    My pleasure Adam, was great catching up with you and Edward again.

    Yes the fantastic - and very modern - sound from that 1950s Ortofon CG25 was a revelation. It is a pity that the ETR-Mono can't quite stretch to a 100 ohm cartridge but to be fair it's an unusual ask. It does underline though just how incredibly flexible the ETR-Stereo is, we were listening last night to a 2 ohm (at cartridge coil) 0.16mV Ikeda, 16 ohm 0.23 mV Miyajima and 100 ohm 1.5mV Ortofon. I've tried a few others in between these extremes, including a 40 ohm 0.4mV SAEC, all very successfully.

    It would have been interesting to spend longer comparing and contrasting the CG25 with the Miyajima Zero. The 100 ohm setting in the Carver was pretty convincing with it too and I was pretty impressed myself by the 'official' ortofon SUT for it, the ST-M25, that Hugo brought round a while back.

    And yes .... I seem to be on a path away from the EAR 912, something I thought wouldn't ever happen. No clear destination quite yet though still exploring avenues ....


    Quote Originally Posted by RothwellAudio View Post
    There's a thread on AudioKarma about this very topic. One knowledgeable responder claims that some MCs have a rising response due to cantilever resonance, not due to any electrical anomalies within the cartridge, and that capacitive loading pulls down the top-end of the frequency response (electrically) and goes some way to taming the excessive high frequencies produced by the mechanical resonance. Taming the high frequencies results in a slight dip in the mid range but that is preferable to the excessive HF.
    Maybe worth a read (it is too long).
    http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.p...r-cure.838117/
    This is really interesting - I has focused on playing with capacitance with the Ikeda but it's clear I need to try it with the Madake as well. Thanks for this Andrew!

  8. #18
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

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    I’ve been confirming Tom’s observations and findings on the Miyajima ETR-STEREO MC step up transformer. It does work magnificently with Miyajima cartridges, as one would expect, but also with peculiar things like SPUs with their (typically) 2 ohm coils. At the moment it’s making a Kontrapunkt B sound very graceful and musical.

    The one feature of the ETR-STEREO that perplexed me is the input capacitance switch, which I believe is unique to Miyajima and nominally allows the user to take the edge off harsh or toppy cartridges. The capacitance options, going up to 1uF seem quite high but like Tom, I find that some MC cartridges, eg the Kontrapunkt B and various SPUs, respond to some parallel capacitance - not just in terms of taming the top end, but facilitating a sense of musical ‘ease’ too. Mr Miyajima has a knack of alighting on design features that are a bit ‘left field’ but which actually make music better, so maybe I should not have harboured doubts on the benefits of adding such input capacitance!

  9. #19
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,775
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ammonite Acoustics View Post
    I’ve been confirming Tom’s observations and findings on the Miyajima ETR-STEREO MC step up transformer. It does work magnificently with Miyajima cartridges, as one would expect, but also with peculiar things like SPUs with their (typically) 2 ohm coils. At the moment it’s making a Kontrapunkt B sound very graceful and musical.

    The one feature of the ETR-STEREO that perplexed me is the input capacitance switch, which I believe is unique to Miyajima and nominally allows the user to take the edge off harsh or toppy cartridges. The capacitance options, going up to 1uF seem quite high but like Tom, I find that some MC cartridges, eg the Kontrapunkt B and various SPUs, respond to some parallel capacitance - not just in terms of taming the top end, but facilitating a sense of musical ‘ease’ too. Mr Miyajima has a knack of alighting on design features that are a bit ‘left field’ but which actually make music better, so maybe I should not have harboured doubts on the benefits of adding such input capacitance!
    It is not unusual for some MC cartridges to benefit from additional capacitance, and because the coil inductance is very low compared to that of fixed-coil designs, the capacitance will be quite high. For example the Fidelity Research MC202 requires 1.5 - 2.2uF, and some of my EMTs have minature 1uF capacitors fitted to the generator within the headshell. (In fact most MCs based on the EMT design have capacitors fitted: Brinkmann, Tubephon, the Van den Hul, etc.)
    Barry

  10. #20
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Norwich

    Posts: 2,814
    I'm Hugo.

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    That makes sense, according to what my ears tell me.

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