Phono (0.1- 0.22mV+) or step up for LOMC?

Dear @korakotta: Ignorance is what makes " some one " to speaks with out even look what you need. Spend your money is very easy for any one of us.

The PH-10 is very good option for you not only because is an active high gain phono stage but does it with very low noise and additional has a really high overload margin and a very low output impedance that means you will lost nothing of the signal through the IC cables.

The additional eq. curves are not an issue and if you don't need it who cares: you just do not use it and that's all but always are there to help in the future.
PH-10 has several up-grade options and it has a very clever design.

At that price no single SUT/MM  phono stage can even its quality level performance. As I said, ignorance .

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @korakotta: First than all your cartridge ask for tghe best you can get, its needs must be fulfilled by your system if you want to listen first rate quality level performance and all those means no SUT in between the cartridge signal when you have a vbery good alternative for a high gain active SS phono stage where the cartridge signal does not has to pass through additional IC cables from the SUT to the phono stage that makes a degradation to that beloved cartridge signal, trhough those additional cables the signal must has to pass through solder joints that makes a degradation too additional to those the cartridge signal must has to pass through additional male/female connectors that just follows degrading the signal.

If that were not enough about that severe accumulated cartridge signal degradation all SUTs comes with a limited frequency response at both frequency extremes and are not exactly " silent " and those transformers makes a degradation too !!!

If that is what you want it then why you own that cartridge? makes no sense.

In the other side if it's true that the LOMC cartridges are balanced by it self for you really can have an advantage with balanced configuration your electronics must be fully differential and not only with and additional inversor stage as is common.

I really don't care the road you take, the ball is in your field and mine is only an opinion as the other opinions here.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @korakotta: You said are a roockie so you do not know why or from where exist the SUTS.

Look, in the old times when started the LOMC cartridges problem was that phono stages only handle MM cartridge type but were not designed for low output cartridge designs.
All the LOMC cartridge manufacturers were SUT manufacturers too for the customers will be abble to listen its low output designs.

Al manufacturers did it: Ortofon, FR, Denon, Dynavector, Audio Technica , Entré, Accuphase, and I can go on and on. In those times SS/tube electronics came with internal SUTs or with out any. In those same times started to appears SUT manufacturers to take advantage of the LOMC cartridge customers even that they were not cartridge manufacturers.
Example, when Ortofon puts in the market its MC 10 ( lomc design. ) they gave its customers the T-10 SUT, then the MC 30 along the T 30 and then the MC2000 along the T2000 and then the MC5000 along the T5000 and that's why Ortofon and other LOMC cartridges manufacturers still manufacturer SUTs but not because today is the best alternative because it's not.

Time to time started to appears phono stage units with active high gain stages that did not needs any SUT and these type of high gain stages were exclusive SS ones in times where SS was in reality in the learning began curve and audiophiles prefered that MM stages plus SUTs ( tube phono stages always need SUTs. That is a limitation in the tube technology because can't handle that so low output levels in that cartridge type.  )that sounded a little better but today overall " things " changed and SS active high gain units are the best way to go, not SUTs.

In the mid-time appeared too active high gain pre-pre with out RIAA stage named: headamps and were SS designs. problem with active high gain phono stages is not in the phono stage it self but that there are not many good designs because are not an easy audio item to design but the PH-10 looks as very good alternative.

Ignorance and stupidity leves speaks sometimes in the people.

As a roockie you need to learn and one way to learn is spending money bmore by ignorance in what and why to buy audio items. You came here looking for advise not to just spend the money but at the end that money is yours and you can do with whatever you want it. It's clear that the parameters/characteristics I mentioned in the PH-10 design are not of your concern and I understand it because you just not even understand it due that you are ( as you said. ) a newcomer.  

If you want SUTs go for it and sooner or latter you will learn or maybe you never will. Who knows?

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC not DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @invictus005: You are rigth, problem is that Ortofon never really gone/goes on audio electronics designs and that's why its past and today SUTs items in its catalogue.

Regards,
R.

Dear @ibelchev: Obviously that you just don't read my posts here about why and from where came SUTs.

Ortofon mainly is a cartridge manufacturer not an audio electronics items. From its began Ortofon as all other LOMC cartridge manufacturers always joined its cartridges with its SUTs that they manufactured and they had to manufacturer SUTS because was the only alternative to listen those kind of cartridges in a " decent " way and not because was the SUT the perfect alternative. Was the only one on those old times.

Active high gain phonolinepreamps just did not exist in those times at least niot good designs.

Tubes are out of question for active high gain phono stages so normally almost all tube manufacturers use SUT, externally or internally to the design, because tubes has no other viable alternative and not because SUTs are better. Some SS phono stage manufacturers gone for SUTs because it's a lot more easy to design that way than an active alternative. You need very high knowledge level and skills to do it.

In the other side active high gain SS phonolinepreamp design is not an easy task but if the design and excecution to that design is a good one then this is the true and best alternative. I explain in my posts.

I'm not saying here or else where that SUTs are bad because are not but are inferior no matter what to a good SS active high gain stage.! ! !  Noise levels, distortions and very limited frequency response is where SUTs just can't compete.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @korakotta:   

https://www.passlabs.com/products/preamplifiers/xp-phono-series

https://www.stereophile.com/content/parasound-halo-jc-3-phono-preamplifier

https://www.stereophile.com/content/liberty-audio-b2b-1-phono-preamplifier

https://www.stereophile.com/content/bmc-phono-mcci-phono-preamplifier

https://simaudio.com/en/product/neo-310lp-phono-preamplifier/


R.

Dear @korakotta: With out single doubt: Moon 310LP.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.