Need MC Step-Up Transformer advice?

Pauly: +++++ " flawed opinions " +++++

Which ones and why, where or how are flawed?

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

We need to speak from our own expreiences, not from "it must be....", especially when it comes to audio. I think it is really worthwhile at least to try some decently built pre-preamps a listen. From my exprience pre-preamps sound very good. In fact I transformers sounded uninvolving and lacked dynamics (though quiter) compared to pre-preamps in my system.

Regards,
Steve

Hey Raul, I'm a 6 nines cupric kind of guy.
I kid you Raul.
If I could converse half as cogently in your native language as you do in mine I'd take my own posts way more seriously.

Hi Sojs. Agreed, only personal experience counts.

You compare a step-up + SA-9 to MCP-33, yet you think the problem was the step-up only? The comparison is not valid.

I have compared high and low output carts on the same phono pre amp; the low output carts with a step-up. The low output cart with step-up was always a little bit better - more speed, more detail, more sparkle.

Having used (and liked) tx103s I find it strange that you consider them un-involving and lacking in dynamics. Apart from an issue with your phono, it is possible the step-up where not burned in as you think. Unless you drive them many hundred hours with about 2.0-5.0 mV they will never burn in. No amount of time behind a low output MC will ever run them in; in fact they slowly go green again.

As a rule I give my step-ups long burn in times with approx. 2.0-3.0 mV input every couple of months (when I can remember).

Agreed that step-ups are quieter. For signals lower than approx. 1.0 mV active amplification is simply too noisy.

I use vacuum tube phono only once the signal exceeds 2.0mV, and never ever use transistor phono or pre-amplification. Transistors make my Koetsu and Benz Ref sound like a $100 CD player. Some people like that sound so they can run MC transistor phonos.

My preference is step-ups plus a vacuum tube MM phono stage rather than active MC phono.

Regards
Paul

Dear Doug: Now, I think that you can understand the why's of our ZYX differences in opinions: you like many other " likes to swim full dress on Tuxedo ". Doug this statement is in good shape: please no bad feelings. I think Larry too and the transformer coupled phonopreamp of Patrick is the same. Unfortunatelly all of you never know for sure which is the real performance of the ZYX cartridges till you have the right phonopreamp.

regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.