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
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