A bit out of my depth here, as I’ve never used an SUT.
Do you learned folk think that I would get a better result, sound wise, investing about £300 or so into a used mm cart or in an SUT for my Hana SL ? Would be feeding into my Copland integrated phono stage.
I’m sure there’s not an absolute answer (is there ever ?) but would appreciate your thoughts / experiences.
Churz
SUT
I have an SUT you can borrow, and try, and buy, if you like, or just try, to see if it suits you.
Jolly decent of you Gregg. What is it ??
Ah, OK, I’m aware of that. Love to give it a try Gregg.
Thanks for the offer.
I have my hashimoto HM3 SUT sitting the cupboard doing nothing, its not for sale but you’re welcome to borrow them to see if they’re to your liking.
Iirc they are 1:20 and 1:40.
Thanks very much for the offer Graham. It would be good to be able to compare.
Ok, I’ll need to find a box etc. I’ll pm you when it is ready to ship.
Mine is 10:1 and 20:1
1:10 is a good match for the SL
I’m going to fulfil a traditional forum rôle here and point out that your “either/or” selection is flawed. What you actually need is a better phono stage.
Sure, it’s forum mantra that SUTs are always the way forwards - more faff = better - but my own experience has belied that more often than not. Specifically - actually-good SUTs are bloody expensive, and are usually inflexible things with limited applications AND an appetite for amplifying stray hum fields. I’m generalising, of course, there are exceptions to the exceptions’ exceptions &c. ad nauseam, but the take-home message is that a better phono stage is usually more flexible and easier to use provided you’re not using something like an AN Io.
I wouldn’t invest in a SUT on the simple basis that the Copland is likely to be replaced at any moment without warning and rendering whatever box @MJ2 chooses as obsolete 
Valve amp == MM phono stage, so the only option is a step-up. (or head amp, but they’re not generally available).
If an external phono stage is valve, then same problem. So the only option is a solid-state MC stage, to achieve what Mike wants (MC cart. into his valve amp). I guessing Mike doesn’t want to splurge on another phono stage.
Surely that’s the reason TO buy one. The SUT will be matched to the cartridge and will work with more or less any amp or MM phonostage
100% right of course, but I was looking at it from the POV of expenditure - a good SS phono not likely to be much pricier than a good SUT, just lacking the purist appeal.
It’s a dozen-and-two-sixes though, as he’ll change all of it next week 
Yes, true enough, you could probably get something half decent for the price of a fancy step-up.
I’ve been toying with the idea of making a JFET headamp to have a play. 10-20dB gain, low noise JFETs. Shouldn’t be too hard!
Surface-mount tants FTW 
I would buy-in if you were getting boards made 
I also collect boards and do nothing with them. I’m in
It’s all about having The Things 