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110.22.30.200
Hello,
I would appreciate any help anyone may have.
I have a ZYX Airy 3 R1000x cartridge:
output voltage 0.24mv
Internal Impedance 4ohms
load impedance: >100 ohms
I am interested in the Hashimoto HM3 SUT: Live MC1 Supreme from http://www.tube-amps.net/MC_Step_Ups.htm
From the Hashimoto website the HM3 has:
Primary Series Connection 12R (7 ~40R) 20x / 26dB
Primary Parallel Connection 3 R (2 ~7R) 40x / 32dB
I would like to use the low gain setting. Is my ZYX Cart compatible?
I don't know what the 12R (7-40R) means.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thx so much, Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
Follow Ups:
Thank you John,
I am wondering why the sound quality is different listening to high gain 1:30 compared to low gain 1:20.
I prefer 1:20. I notice the 1:30 is quite diluted. Is it to do with the extra circuitry/wire length needed for a switchable SUT ? If I could get the same tone/sound experience with a 1:30 then I'd definitely go for that.
Sound Tradition can make the Hashimoto SUT without 'the switchable option' so that the SUT has short hook up wires.
Thank you for any comments.
Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
You don't mention the SUTs you are comparing. Are you saying that Bob's CineMag Sky sounds diluted on its 1:30 setting whereas the Hashimoto sounds better on its 1:20 setting. What transformers are you comparing?
Bob uses only the highest quality switches on his SUTs so I would be surprised if there is a significant difference in sound quality from direct wiring vs. switch selectable wiring. However, it's much more likely that different brands or models of transformers sound different.
I used to have the older CineMag 3440A that everyone raved about. It sounded okay, but I didn't think it was all that special. When I heard Bob's CM-1131 I was shocked at the improvement. The difference was like night-and-day. I couldn't stand to listen to the CM-3440A after hearing the CM-1131. It's my understanding that the CineMag Sky has the same or better sound quality as the CM-1131 but with different turns-ratios. Therefore, I'm curious what transformers you are comparing.
Thanks,
John Elison
Hello John,
Thank you for your comments that are very helpful to me.
I used to have Bob's CineMag 3440A too and then I upgraded to his CM-1131 as well with exactly the same view point as you have stated.
So in the 1:40 high gain my CM 1311 sounds diluted. There is more separation (but not homogenous) and it is unfocussed and lacks depth.
The 1:20 low gain sounds very good in comparison but I am always wishing for something with a little wider stage, more 'organic' and sometimes little more volume. I think a 1:15 ratio would not deliver the volume I would need.
Kind regards, Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
It's possible the problem is with your phono stage rather than the SUT. Your cartridge has 0.24-mV rated output, which would be amplified to 4.8-mV with the 1:20 turns-ratio. That is just about the perfect voltage for a moving magnet phono stage. The 1:40 setting amplifies your cartridge output to 9.6-mV, which is rather high and might be causing your phono stage to clip or distort on peaks. After all, you can expect up to 10-times the rated output when playing real records. That means the maximum voltage from the SUT to your phono stage can be as high as 96-mV from transients and loud musical passages.
If you buy the Hashimoto SUT, I'll be very interested to find out what you think of it compared to the 1131. I'm very pleased with my 1131, but if you think the Hashimoto sounds better, I might buy a pair and build my own enclosure. I've just gotten into building kits again and I'm currently working on a tube phono stage. ;-)
> I don't know what the 12R (7-40R) means.
goldenthal is correct. The 1:20 turns-ratio configuration is recommended for cartridges with internal impedance between 7-ohms and 40-ohms like Denon moving coils whereas the 1:40 turns-ratio configuration is recommended for cartridges with internal impedance between 2-ohms and 7-ohms like your cartridge and also many Ortofon cartridges. However, you can use either turns-ratio setting with your cartridge or any other cartridge. If your cartridge needs only 26-dB amplification, you can use it with the 1:20 turns-ratio setting.
The fact that your ZYX cartridge has a recommended load impedance > 100-ohms is for active MC phono stages only, not for transformers. Your ZYX cartridge should work just fine with either setting on the Hashimoto SUT. If you haven't already purchased the Hashimoto transformer, you might want to check out Bob's Devices. I own his CM-1131 SUT and it really sound good in my system . The CM-1131 has the same turns-ratios as the Hashimoto. However, Bob also sells the Sky CineMag SUT with turns-ratios of 1:15 and 1:30. According to the chart on Bob's webpage, you ZYX cartridge should work best with a turns-ratio of 1:30.
Good luck,
John Elison
I believe that "R" is a letter used by those who cannot find an "ohm" key on their computers. I would interpret "12R (7-40R)" as "12 ohms; acceptable for cartridges rated between 7 and 40 ohms".
Jeremy
But I doubt it
ET
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