Recently picked up a Sutherland Little Loco MKII & have very impressed with it, combined with my Hana ML cartridge. So much so, that I'm wondering what it's capable of with a better cartridge. Having used the SL before the ML, obviously a fan of Hana so was thinking Umami Blue would be a good option, though also wondering if something with even lower impedance might be the way to go? Price point I'm looking around the Blue, have been told the Mutech Hayabusa or MCL Ultra Eminent Ex are excellent options, but a bit more then I'm looking to spend currently. I was curious about the Benz Ebony TR & how it would pair, if anyone has used the combo? Was also told the Benz Ref S is a great option but it appears this might be a US specific cartridge & not one we have available in Canada (was told REF SL is the only/current one here, 12ohm impedance & looks like the recommended one might be 3.5ohm)
Cartridges for Sutherland Little Loco
- Thread starter MrDJP
- Start date
I used an Umami Red w/ my Little Loco mk2 and loved it. Great pairing. Spoke w/ Ron about "is lower the impedance the better or does it reach an asymptote?" and he seemed to imply that anything less than 10 ohm is good enough.
One thing I would suggest is looking into the power cord. I found the Little Loco was quite sensitive in this regard and might be a great improvement.
One thing I would suggest is looking into the power cord. I found the Little Loco was quite sensitive in this regard and might be a great improvement.
Thanks for the input @keithc good to hear about the Red. I had asked Ron a similar question about going super low impedance & how much of an impact it would have as some of the reading I had done had made it out to be that, that was almost more important vs a better cartridge. Ron basically confirmed the same to me, basically if its of a low impedance design, its good & the differences in cartridge quality would still have the bigger impact.
For power cord I use the cord I ran on my previous phono stage (never tried it with the stocker), which is Furutech based with their S55N cable & FI-50 NCF R connectors. With the quality of the LL, I may give the Furutech DPS 4.1 cable a try as I could imagine good synergy. Though my first swap will likely be changing the gold connectors on my OCC silver phono lead with the Furutech CF-102 NCF connectors.
For power cord I use the cord I ran on my previous phono stage (never tried it with the stocker), which is Furutech based with their S55N cable & FI-50 NCF R connectors. With the quality of the LL, I may give the Furutech DPS 4.1 cable a try as I could imagine good synergy. Though my first swap will likely be changing the gold connectors on my OCC silver phono lead with the Furutech CF-102 NCF connectors.
@MrDJP
I have not heard that phono stage but did audition the Hana Blue and ML quite extensively. I ultimately purchased the Blue, but in my opinion I would try a different flavor, strictly because the ML and Blue have so much in common with the Blue squeezing out just a little more performance. You may find that it's so similar you wish you had gone another route so you could have a different flavor.
I have not heard that phono stage but did audition the Hana Blue and ML quite extensively. I ultimately purchased the Blue, but in my opinion I would try a different flavor, strictly because the ML and Blue have so much in common with the Blue squeezing out just a little more performance. You may find that it's so similar you wish you had gone another route so you could have a different flavor.
Thanks for the input Joel, I'm actually glade to hear they are very similar, as the ML is a great match so going with the Blue should be a pretty safe option, while a different "flavor" may be a bit more of a gamble.
Although it may be a gamble. My other cart is a Koetsu Black and having an emotionally involving cart and a more, shall we say "analytical" cart, allows me to change the sound chariteristic of my system depending on genre and mood.
You might consider Ortofon.
A high spec SPU or a Candenza Bronze or Black - all low impedance - might just be what you're looking for.
A high spec SPU or a Candenza Bronze or Black - all low impedance - might just be what you're looking for.
I don't have that test record, so I couldn't say. Cartridge was installed by my dealer as I don't have the tools/experience to do so.
That might be interesting to do at times but in my case, only one arm & the headshell isn't interchangeable.
They look interesting, but I don't typically see all that much about them. Any idea how they compare to Hana?
Imo unless your system is able to resolve the finest details, I'm not sure spending the money on the Blue would be worth the layout of cash compared to the ML. But it definetly has more of everything that is good about the ML.
I have 3 cartridges that work well with my Little Loco. The Audio Technica ART-9, My Sonic Labs Eminent Ex, and Soundsmith Sussurro Low Z. I shipped my LL to Soundsmith and Peter Lederman used it to make the Sussurro for me.
I haven’t done a head to head to head or anything but the SS leans on the detailed side while the MSL is perhaps a bit warmer. I could easily live with either. I played the ART-9 for a couple of years on a different table before I bought the others so no comments of comparison vs. the other two but it was a fine match for the LL as well.
I’ve always believed that with the right cartridge the Little Loco is a fine phono stage, especially considering the (relatively) low cost.
I haven’t done a head to head to head or anything but the SS leans on the detailed side while the MSL is perhaps a bit warmer. I could easily live with either. I played the ART-9 for a couple of years on a different table before I bought the others so no comments of comparison vs. the other two but it was a fine match for the LL as well.
I’ve always believed that with the right cartridge the Little Loco is a fine phono stage, especially considering the (relatively) low cost.
I'm a bit surprised with this one. Know you'll eventually hit a point of dimensioning returns (& to see the benefits often need a very resolving/fully dialed in system) but as far as MC cartridges go, the ML is priced fairly entry level. Here in Canada the ML is ~$1480 & the Blue $3400, at this level I was under the impression there would be some nice gains & the Blue gives you a taste of what the higher priced MC cartridges do at a more affordable price (something I don't believe the ML is able to do).
I believe the LL is up to the task, I'm running a Naim 252 pre/SCDR power supply & their 300DR amp. So at their price point probably not the most resolving pieces (MSRP ~$50K here) but I do have the luxury of a sound proofed, acoustically treated listening room, with a dedicated line & power has been optimized with top of the line Furutech NCF pieces throughout. These things have brought transparently/resolution to a level that is significantly better then more resolving equipment in a standard room.
I've heard the MSL Ultra Eminent Ex was an excellent match, so good to hear that applies to the more affordable version as well
When I purchased the Blue the pricing between it and the ML was $1,200 vs $2500 but with a trade-in of an old DL103 and a 20% discount I got the Blue for only $1,900. It's not that the attributes were not better with the Blue, it's just that the ML is that good of a bargain. Imo.
What always needs to be remembered when considering the impedance of a cartridge for a transimpedance phono stage is that the resistance of the phono leads is additive to the load that a cartridge itself places on the phono stage.
One might be fussing mightily looking for an ultra-low internal impedance cartridge to match their transimpedance phono stage whilst blissfully unaware that the high impedance phono leads are going to undo much of the superiority of the ultra-low internal impedance cartridge.
One might be fussing mightily looking for an ultra-low internal impedance cartridge to match their transimpedance phono stage whilst blissfully unaware that the high impedance phono leads are going to undo much of the superiority of the ultra-low internal impedance cartridge.
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