Cartridges and phono settings

[watchnerd]

SUT’s work but provide inbalance across the frequency range. They are not linear. The real solution is a separate dedicated phonostage with sufficient gain to allow good signal to your amps line stage input. Mathieu Pernot recently told me this was a ridiculous solution to my hiss on the Devialet phonostage albeit there are plenty of other Devialet users of various models who are troubled by this hiss, particularly with low output MC cartridges. I understand Mathieu has already been sent some file recordings of this hiss and my recording will follow soon. Let’s hope that what he says when he has analysed these recorded files is helpful. I am willing to accept my use of an external phonostage is ridiculous if he can make my Devialet stage quiet as he indicated at Oxford Audio Consultants a couple of weeks ago. He said, if it hisses, it’s wrong and needs attention. I remain overly sceptical because of the number of people who also report the same problem.

We’ll see, but to be honest, under the apparent current company climate, I’m not holding my breath.

Adding an active stage before the Devialet is highly unlikely to reduce hiss, and is fairly likely to increase it due to having two active gain stages. It's just the nature of active electronics.

SUTs do reduce hiss, for sure, but as you point out, you have to play with loading to get everything dialed in correctly to make it as linear as possible.  Unless you like using SUTs as a tone control...some people do, but that's not my goal.

The lesson: there is no free lunch / perfect solution.

I don’t agree. I have used two external phono stages into the Devialet line input and there is no noticeable hiss in the listening position when the volume is cranked up. In contrast, the Devialet built in stage is extremely hissy. After all, the Devialet phono input for MC cartridges must be subject of a gain stage to make any music listenable. The current Devialet phono stage is unacceptably noisy IMHO. Until they fix it, I’ll stick with my external stage even if Mathieu Pernot considers it a ridiculous choice, because it works and vinyl playback is a joy. To be honest, I’m not surprised the Devialet stage is noisy considering how packed in all the components must be. Historically, good quiet phonostages tend to have power supply circuitry and signal circuitry spread and distanced. Something not possible in a Devialet.

I think we agree on SUT’s. You’ll never get them to produce a linear signal across all the frequencies. A balanced gain stage can be the only option.

You may be lucky that in your particular system, with your speaker sensitivity, that you have been lucky and active stage has worked out to be quieter. Therefore you may not be able to hear it. However, with measuring gear, I assure you it's there.

As a matter of physics, active amplifications systems add noise. This isn't really a debate. It's known science.