A unit that @Valvebloke will be familiar with.
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Are those 6SN7’s?
Have you identified the circuit used?
Yep, it’s using the Sun Audio SV-2a3 circuit.
A brand I hadn’t heard of until a couple of days ago.
Really impressed with it.
Micro acoustic qdc-1 from the early 80s
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Sounds great even on my crappy phone!
Hi, would really appreciate your thoughts on the AN Io Gold?
Thanks,
nige
I know you directed your question to Chris but thought I would jump in.
Firstly with any Io it is extremely important to have a good quality SUT of the correct ratio,
AN S6, AnS7, Kondo SFz or equivelent. A few owners on here have commissioned SUTs from Intact Audio with suitable materials and specification with excellent results.
The Io Gold is also quite a heavy cart so a suitable arm and counterweight is required
I used a Io1 for many years and recently upgraded to the Io Gold.
If the presentation is for you then it is a definite upgrade
It just has more of the Io sound, some might argue it was slightly more coloured others that it lets the colour shine through.
It is not the most clinical of cartridges, it lets the music flow as a coherent whole but it is easy enough to dive down into the layers and follow a specific instrument.
Where are you based Nige? there are a few members with Golds on here and I am sure a visit could be arranged
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With a good step up it’s very hard to beat. The sound is not the most detailed of carts I’ve heard but it just sounds good and nothing comes close to handling surface noise like the Gold.
Following on from @Kevin , I use an AN(J)S6c with my Io. The phono stage is an Allnic HS1500 II SE. TT is an SME 20/2 with a SME V. I would agree that the Io is more about musicality than being analytical.
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for the reply. I know all of the requirements of the Io’s I’m a big AN fan.
I have Kondo Sfz SUT - it will be the arm that is my limiting factor, so I may consider a jump into an Io I first if I can can find one, (did you sell you Io I?), as I’ve heard one of these and liked it very much - although it wasn’t in my system.
What are the strengths or differences of the Io Gold over the Io I?
I’m actually based in the Netherlands, so probably not that easy to get to hear one.
Thanks,
Nige.
Thanks.
I’d ideally be after a balance of details (rather than analytical presentation) and musical flow - with the musicality being the more important if a choice is necessary.
cheers,
nige
Interesting, thanks
nige
I previously owned the IO1 then went to a gold then got an IO Ltd. Recently I had another Gold here and it was all that I remembered to be. The Gold has more body and flow to the sound. Not bloated, just fuller than the IO
Not much you will be able to gain from listening to a digitized & compressed MPG particularly as the condition of this record is really VG but this might offer a taste at least?
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Ios are a strange fruit and a little removed from my preferred hardware but that tonearm is a thing of absolute wonder.
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Like kiwi fruit - Faffy and a pain in the arse, but delicious and full of flavour. 
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Thanks, yes I think the description is more useful than the vid, but great none the less - and I also like the arche head-shell.
Thanks,
nige
Well not exactly new but SIT’s are back ,John had a play but ultimately not powerful enough for his Tunes.
Bolted to some speaker stands - sand filled etc need DC blockers where I am , sounding nice what a dilemma keep these or sell the Thoress 300B’s ,to be honest can live with both.
I’ll put these up for sale soon what ever sells first ,only people with high efficiency speakers need apply 
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Think you’ll need over 100dB sensitivity for my SIT’s they work great with my Voxativ field coils 
Fuck me just checked the website the drivers are $13900 
I paid £5k off John Howes when he was still dealing
Frequency Response
20 - 20.000 Hz
Efficiency (12V)
95 dB (60Hz) / 101dB (4 kHz) 1W / 1m
Capacity
50 W nom / 100 W mus
Impedance
10,5 Ohm
Qts (12V)
0,35
Depth
6,5“ / 16,5 cm