I think this design decision by Reinhard comes from the fact that the standard eq time constants doesn't give you a flat response anyway, because that is dependant also on the record, cartridge and phono stage. Tons of factors may alter the signal.
With Reinhards design, you may take these factors into account, to "calibrate" whatever non-riaa eq in the actual system.
Hmm I can see that point, but the purpose of variable equalisation is to be able to dial up what was done at mastering/cutting stage. Reinhard claims he is providing variable equalisation but the effect of it (set as it is by ear, with no reference whatsoever to the specific non-RIAA curves that the ability to vary equalisation settings is supposed to be compensating for) is to provide three-way tone controls.
I'm sure a lot of people quietly miss the days when every monster integrated out of the US or Japan had tone controls, but I think to sell this feature as variable equalisation (a much more 'respectable' proposition in today's market) is somewhat disingenuous.
I presume the Allnic is not in the same price range as the Thoress?
I think it depends what market you are in but I would put them in much the same bracket. I totally get that the Thoress might be of interest to some people (especially those insisting on high gain/no SUT), but primarily what disappointed me about it was that something that was touted for its flexibility didn't meet what I consider to be a fairly reasonable set of requirements.
A captive SUT like in the Allnic is less flexible, however. You can't optimally match both low and high impedance carts regardless of the SUT load provided. So, despite an extra interconnect needed, external is simply more flexible as it allows you to get the most out of any cart by selecting a SUT that is best suited.
Indeed my Miyajima SUTs give the ability to vary not just the primary setting but also the secondary, giving astonishing flexibilty. They also enable adjustment of the output impedance to suit phono stages that need something other than the standard 47k ohms. I can't recommend them more highly.
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