[BikeWNC]

I've come to think lately, that I need a SUT for my Denon 103R cartridge.  I'm currently running it into the MC side of my tube preamp phono section loaded at 100ohms.  I guess what I'm wondering is would a SUT add more weight to the sound as I think it is a bit mellow.  Also, there is some tube rush from the phonostage I'd like to reduce or eliminate.  So would running the SUT into the MM input help with both these issues? 

What would be a good SUT to try for the 103R that is transparent and won't break the bank?   

[BobM]

Hagerman Piccolo, especially if you can solder. The kit and parts will only run about $150. Prebuilt it's $399.

[Toka]

Personally I'm big on SUTs with low-voltage MC's...just seem more "right" to me. With the DL-103 and variants I am a big fan of Cinemag transformers.

[Wayne1]

K & K Audio offers a couple of different SUTs either in kit form or assembled.

Moving Coil Step Up

[Russtafarian]

You can wire up a pair of Cinemag CMQEE-3440A's. Around $60 each last I checked.  The Cinemags synergize nicely with the DL103.

http://cinemag.biz

SUT schematic: http://cinemag.biz/mic_input/CMQEE-3440A-Moving-Coil.pdf

Russ

[BikeWNC]

Thanks for all the recommendations.  I'm not much with a solder iron so we'll see how it goes.  I'll take a look at all the SUTs mentioned.  I once looked into the cinemag trannys but the soldering stopped me.  Also, I might swap cartridges and want some versatility so the HagTech SUT might work. 

[choiraudio]

The CineMag units are wonderful and when properly setup can work magic with the Denon 103 family of cartridges.

[dmckean]

If you don't want to solder you can buy pre-built cinemag step-ups here.

http://www.bobsdevices.com/cinemag.htm

[taskerc]

I have Cinemags and the Piccolo and I confess I like he Cinemags just a bit more.  It can take a bit of effort to get the solution to be hum-free but it is worth it when you get there.  Biggest hum reduction tip I found is to tie the -ve of one of the signal RCAs to ground.  Not even much soldering to be done to be honest.

Chris

[BikeWNC]

I decided to go the Cinemag way with the Bob's Devices SUT.  It came Sat. and I had it up and running that evening.  It certainly made a big improvement in the sound I was getting from the Denon 103R.  Thanks for all the suggestions.