AIR TIGHT ATH-2 Reference SUT

howiebrou

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2012
2,789
3,635
1,470
No that's not the test. A simple shielded silver cable can work, but the phono cable includes the ground wire with spade connectors. I eventually found that disconnecting the ground cable between the SUT and the phono worked best in my system. Hum is usually a ground potential bugaboo in the system, if your cables are shielded.
I guess it’s all a bit of trial and error. I have a set of SME rca cables lying around with ground cables with spades at both ends which means four trials, one with no ground cable attached, one with one end attached, one with the other and one with both!
 

miniguy

Well-Known Member
Dec 18, 2013
437
168
350
San Diego area
Thanks. Would the test to see whether this is needed be whether hum is induced?

Right now my Ikeda tonearm cable is going to the MSL SUT but i have a normal pair of rca cables going from the sut to my phono amp.

There is no hum that i can detect but from what you are saying i might get a jump in performance with a low capacitance short phono cable (presumably with ground as well)?
My previous comment was meant to address sonic performance only, not hum. A low capacitance, shielded cable is all you need. It doesn’t need to be a phono cable since the flying ground leads are very unlikely to be necessary in this position.
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
12,471
11,368
4,410
i'm also on the hunt for an SUT or two since my new CS Port phono has two free MM outputs and i'm short one phono channel.

the one that looks like it might be very good and very flexible is the Zesto.Andros Allasso. i've been impressed with the performance of the Zesto phono pre every time i've heard it. and i think they seem to be good performance for the cost. i know SUT's are a dark art and somewhat hard to predict outcomes. this one looks like it offers enough flexibility to fit most carts.

https://www.zestoaudio.com/andros-allasso-step-up-transformer-mc-to-mm-extremely-versatile/

anyone try it?
 
Last edited:

ddk

Well-Known Member
May 18, 2013
6,261
4,040
995
Utah
Thanks. Will check them out. It seems as though the world of SUTs is even more wild than cables!

Do I need a special phono cable from my SUT to phono amp with ground or can a normal pair of rca cables work just as well?
Stick with the same phono cable you have on your tonearm, you don't want to introduce another variable into the mix. IME SUT matching is somewhat tricky even when buying from the cartridge's manufacturer there are too may things at play beyond matching numbers. Trial and error is the name of this game:)!

david
 
  • Like
Reactions: amadeus

bazelio

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2016
2,493
1,745
345
California
i'm also on the hunt for an SUT or two since my new CS Port phono has two free MM outputs and i'm short one phono channel.

the one that looks like it might be very good and very flexible is the Zesto.Andros Allasso. i've been impressed with the performance of the Zesto phono pre every time i've heard it. and i think they seem to be good performance for the cost. i know SUT's are a dark art and somewhat hard to predict outcomes. this one looks like it offers enough flexibility to fit most carts.

https://www.zestoaudio.com/andros-allasso-step-up-transformer-mc-to-mm-extremely-versatile/

anyone try it?

Mike the Zesto stuff has a warmer softer signature. Agree the flexibility of George's configurable SUT is nice. But for sound, please do look at the Slagle Emia SUT with Silver windings. He now makes a three input version which is also infinitely configurable from a loading perspective since the second input can be populated with load plugs of any value. The silver windings bring out the utmost clarity from the nickel core.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jazdoc

Walnut Horns

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2015
109
65
258
Mike the Zesto stuff has a warmer softer signature. Agree the flexibility of George's configurable SUT is nice. But for sound, please do look at the Slagle Emia SUT with Silver windings. He now makes a three input version which is also infinitely configurable from a loading perspective since the second input can be populated with load plugs of any value. The silver windings bring out the utmost clarity from the nickel core.
I recently acquired an Emia MC Trio with silver step-ups. It’s very flexible and sounds beautiful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bazelio

howiebrou

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2012
2,789
3,635
1,470
Stick with the same phono cable you have on your tonearm, you don't want to introduce another variable into the mix. IME SUT matching is somewhat tricky even when buying from the cartridge's manufacturer there are too may things at play beyond matching numbers. Trial and error is the name of this game:)!

david
Thanks David. Yes it's all a bit of a minefield and almost impossible to try. Luckily SUTs are generally a little bit cheaper than other stuff.
 

bodhisattva

Member
Dec 5, 2020
15
10
8
quick question on this SUT...

my understanding is that the ATH-2 has two gain settings (23 and 29 dB) with "fixed" input impedances (40 and 2 ohms, respectively) -- in other words, there is no possibility of fine-tuning the impedance via RCA plugs with resistors or other means. is my understanding correct?

which begs a more general question... how important is fine-tuning the input impedance? Is it critical or something marginal / tertiary?

thanks!!
 

bazelio

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2016
2,493
1,745
345
California
Having the ability to tune the loading is very important. RCA load plugs are ideal. I don't know how the ATH-2 does it.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing