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SUT shootout

Over the past six weeks I have had the chance to finish a SUT "shootout". I thought I would post my impressions.

My system config for the shoot-out consisted of the following:

TT: Nottingham 294
Tonearm: SME 312S
Cartridge: Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum & Benz Ebony
Preamp: Shindo Masetto
Amp: Atma-sphere S30 and Tube Audio Lab 300B
Speaker: Hawthorne Trio (Biamped Open Baffle Speaker)

Music listened to covered multiple genres (rock, jazz, classical) in both 33 and 45 rpm formats. Because of the different turn ratios of the products I used a SPL meter and tried to listen with volume at roughly 80-85db.

My subjective ranking is as follows:

1. Hashimoto HM-7
2. Auditorium 23 "Hommage"
3. Hashimoto HM-3
4. Modified EAR-834P (Upgraded parts and tubes)
5. Sowter
6. MC from Shindo Masetto (Lundahl based transformer)
7. Cinemag
8. Altec (DIY)

The good news is that all of the above are extremely musical. There were no poor performers. I think most people would be happy with any of these products on their own. It was only in direct comparison where some of the differences became apparent.

The top three (Auditorium Hommage and both Hashimoto's) were a notch above the rest because they had both huge soundstages and the ability to dig deep into the music in regards to detail. The Hashmito HM-7 and Auditorium further distinquished themselves from the HM-3 by being more nuanced and textured. The Koetsu's warm tone came across better with these top 2. The tone using the HM-3 was more neutral in character. In comparing the HM-7 to the Hommage, I felt the HM-7 had a slightly better ability to separate instruments in complex musical arrangements and had a slightly lower noise floor.

The EAR and Sowter were very good at showcasing detail and texture but the soundstage was smaller than the top 3.

The internal SUT from the Shindo preamp had the most unique sound of the group and was the toughest to grade. It had the lowest noise floor and really shined in certain types of music (intimate vocals or small scale jazz/chamber music). However, the soundstage of the Masetto (Lundahl) was the smallest of all the products and when it came to larger scale music (symphonies especially) it had a harder time separating instruments.

The Cinemag and Altec were, not suprisingly, extremely similar considering their common heritage. The soundstage was larger than the Shindo, Sowter and EAR but smaller than the Hashimoto's and Hommage. Where I felt they came up a little short was in the area of musical detail. Of these two products, I placed the Cinemag higher because I thought it was slightly quieter.

It is interesting to note that the pricing of the products ranged from a low of approximately $350 (Cinemag based SUT) to a high of roughly $5000 (Hommage). My "winner" (HM-7) is priced at approx $1600 for a finished product.

Finally, I am aware that the performance of the products in question may differ substantially with other cartridges and systems so my ranking is a subjective opinion within the paramaters of my system, room and musical tastes. None-the-less, I had a fun time doing it.
sibelius
tobes's avatar
tobes
302 posts
 
.....03-14-12: Br3098

Secondly, I was surprised at how much I preferred Bob's Cinemag 3440AH (Blue) unit to my beloved Hashimoto-based SUT. It's not that the HM-3 unit sounded worse compared to Bob's SUT. The unit from Choir Audio has a very seductive sound; warm, dusky and brassy. What I love about the Hashmoto-based SUT is what it does to horns, wood instruments and voices - there is great timbre and texture.

I wonder to what degree the turns ratio effected this comparison. What setting did you use to compare the 2 SUT's?

Curious because the high gain setting of the HM3 - 1:40 - would give a reflected impedance of 29.4ohms while the Cinemag on high gain (1:30) would give 52ohms. Probably enough to influence the comparison, making it difficult to compare those two SUT's with a particular cartridge. I suspect a low DCR cartridge would be best with the HM3 on high gain. The HM7 - 1:30 on high gain - is closer in spec to the Cinemag (though HM7 is considerably more expensive).
br3098
660 posts
 
Tobes,

When we did the direct comparison between the Choir Audio SUT-H (HM-3) vs. Bob's Cinemag Blue unit, I had the SUT-H set at 7-40 Ohms (+26dB). Bob's Cinemag 3440AH SUT was set to 1:16 (+24dB). But as I recall, we tried both units both ways, and the above loading sounded best.

To be fair, I should note that I had originally purchased the Choir SUT-H for use with a modded Denon DL-103R cartridge. With that cartridge the two units are closer; although I still find that the Cinemag Blue unit is more detailed and sweet sounding. The HM-3 sounds more warm, fat and "wet". With the Benz or my Ortofon cartridges I prefer the detail I hear with the Cinemag Blue SUT.
tobes's avatar
tobes
302 posts
 
Thanks for the further info Br.

Even though the gain of the HM3 and Cinemag are pretty close, the turns ratio of the HM3 on low gain setting (1:20) will give a reflected impedance of 117.5ohms vs 183ohms for the Cinemag (1:16).
Its hard to predict how different cartridges will work with differing SUT's and to complicate things further the best setting (turns ratio) for the SUT will vary with the phono amp.

In my setup with the lowish gain Cary ph302 (38dB on MM) the high gain 1:30 setting of my H7 sounds best by far with my modded/retipped 103R - though Hashimoto suggest using the low gain/ratio 1:16 setting based on the 14ohm DCR of the cartridge.

IME the H7 sounds nothing like your description of the H3 - being very transparent, neutral, extended, detailed and fast compared to the standard 'red' Cinemag.
I've not heard Bob's 'blue' version which is apparently a far better device (than the red) - but I'd like to.
br3098
660 posts
 
Tobes,

If you are (or will be) in Southern California, give me a shout. We can compare the two SUTs, as well as any others I might have lying around. Bring your HM-7 unit and it will be a real party!
sibelius OP
256 posts
 
IMO, the blue cinemag is more extended than the HM-7. The HM-7 brings out the Koetsu tone a little better than the Blue - especially in the midrange. Soundstage is very large for both. Blue is a tad bit more more up front sounding (or you can say the HM-7 is a tad bit more layed back). Both are well built but I like the design of the Choir Audio SUT better. It is larger and heavier. The blue is small and rather lite. Having exposed transformers looks cool but I personally like them in an enclosure for extra protection. Both are great sounding SUT's and I can't imagine anyone disliking either. The step up from the Cinemag red to blue is huge.
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