The Budgie Has Landed

SCompRacer

The Budgie has landed! Parks Audio Budgie SUT.

An SUT or step up transformer provides needed gain for the low microvolts produced by a LOMC (Low Output MC) phono cartridge before passing it to your active gain stage. By low I mean the .25mV my cartridge outputs. The SUT also provides the proper load for the cartridge’s impedance. Get impedance wrong and you can have a host of SQ issues, like lack of dynamics, roll off, etc. You can do the math yourself or ask for recommendations from the SUT manufacturer based on your cartridge. With a step up transformer, any value from about 8 to 12 times the coil’s DCR is considered acceptable. Why not just use a HOMC (High Output)? Some of us believe all the magic lies in LOMC cartridges.

From the Parks Audio site…”Email me with your moving coil cart make and model and I'll be happy to give you loading suggestions. I'll even research all your components and run computer simulations to make sure gain, noise and frequency response will be what you need.”

If interested, Rothwell has a good article explaining the SUT.

http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk/html/mc_step-up_transformers_explai.html

A properly matched to cartridge SUT usually provides noiseless gain. With an SUT, you can then use a LOMC cartridge with an MM phono stage (40-44dB). I’ve owned some nice quality high output MC phono stages (~65-75dB). IMO you can buy a more affordable high quality MM phono pre amp (~40dB) and couple it with an SUT for better results than just using a high output MC phono stage. It takes a great build to keep a 70dB gain device quiet.

IMO quiet with a phono pre to means lifting the needle while playing a record at 85-90dB. If you don’t hear a hum or hiss from the speakers you are golden. Usually turning the volume all the way up with nothing playing on most phono stages will result in a hummmmm or loud hiss from the speakers.

The Park’s Budgie uses CineMag Blue 3440AH trannies in 1:9 / 1:18 ratio. He uses a circuit board design instead of point to point wiring. There are switches for low and high gain and a ground/ground lift switch. I was using a diy Red CineMag SUT at 1:18 / 1:36 but the gain with my Bottlehead Eros MM phono pre (50dB) was too great with my Arc Reference 3 pre amp. Basically the SUT ratio determines gain. My AT33PTG/II has .25mV output. 1:9 means 9 times .25mV = 2.25mV. 1:18 gives me 4.5mV. With my Bottlehead Eros, (50dB gain) the 1:9 is a better match for my system. Another advantage of the board design meant I could place the Budgie closer to my phono pre amp resulting in shorter IC’s.

Now SUT’s can be found from mild to wild pricing. The transformers used will determine the lion’s share of the pricing. The Parks Budgie with Blue CineMag trannies cost me $339 bucks, shipping included. At the time I ordered, he included a 1.5 meter pair of OFC IC’s. The top outputs on the Budgie work better in my system. The circuit board design means placement isn’t as critical. I think the wires in the point to point can act like antenna’s picking up RF noise. (Added shielding would help that of course). I had to place my diy SUT further away from the phono pre amp. (Inches can matter!) If you are using a switchable gain MM/MC on MC I urge you to try an SUT with MM stage and try it for yourself.

The Budgie with 3440AH blue CineMag transformers is much more refined, coherent, and dynamic than my diy red 3440A SUT. I’m glad I didn’t go the DIY route this time. The Budgie is more affordable compared to some SUT makers out there.

Parks also offers a tube MM phono stage with adjustable loading and a CineMag 1254 SUT. His gear is spoken of well in the forums.

http://parksaudiollc.com/index.html





My diy SUT.

[Deleted User]

Nice!

agfrost

I like that your vinyl rig is 100% unique, Rich. Got your signature all over it. I'm jealous of the amount of time you have to *think* about your rig, let alone all the cool things you've done to it/for it. Looking forward to my next visit--you've had some wholesale changes since my last one!

Additionally, it's fun to say "CineMag".

CineMag.

CineMag.

mhardy6647

The one photo above reminds me of some SUT experimentin' I was doin' a coupla years ago in MA with a friend's DIY version of Jim Hagerman's Cornet, reimagined with octals instead of 9-pin miniatures (also a true Hagerman Piccolo and maybe a Bugle 1, too).

phonostageexpts123011 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

voltz

Hey Rich

I talked with Shannon about my HO/MC sumiko Blue point#2 as I have to turn the volume up pretty high on my Vincent Pho8 phono amp set to MM and if I use the MC setting pick up a lot of noise and he think the 1.9 setting of the Cinemag budgie would work great with it, so I ordered on yesterday!

Plus it opens the door for other Cartridges if I ever chose to go that way.

SCompRacer

agfrost wrote: »

Looking forward to my next visit--you've had some wholesale changes since my last one!

Name a date!

Thanks for the kind words. Them two boys grow up and you'll have all the time in the world...lol We raised one daughter and were legal guardians for my sisters daughter for several years.

voltz wrote: »

Hey Rich

I talked with Shannon about my HO/MC sumiko Blue point#2 as I have to turn the volume up pretty high on my Vincent Pho8 phono amp set to MM and if I use the MC setting pick up a lot of noise and he think the 1.9 setting of the Cinemag budgie would work great with it, so I ordered on yesterday!

Plus it opens the door for other Cartridges if I ever chose to go that way.

Kewl! Congrats! Anxious to hear what you think! He will also supply a Jensen SUT in one speed, 1:9. He said he is talking to them about making a dual trannie.

I had set mine to ground at first but it hummed. Flipped it to lift and dead quiet. It's hard to make out his ground/lift circuit. I asked him if he could divulge it. Some folks follow CineMag suggestion in their schematic, others like Bob deviate from CineMag's suggested ground scheme.

voltz

I got the "Bugie Cinemag SUT" in and hooked it up last night to use with my Ho/MC cartridge and before the SUT i had to crank my volume up to 12 oc to 1oc to reach 80 dbs and now I'm back at 9oc on the volume dial

A slight difference in SQ not a major difference but that is okay as may system was already set up pretty good I think, but t still made a difference especially with the volume. Did hear ambient sounds at the start of slow starting songs that seem to be just silence before.

It was well worth it to add it to my TT system and I played Vinyl all night to give it a work out

SCompRacer

Kewl! I am glad it worked out. IMO anytime you lower the noise floor you increase your dynamic range.

vcwatkins

Just dropped in to say thanks to @SCompRacer and others here for continuing to post on analog goodies. I bit the bullet today and ordered a Budgie and Bottlehead Eros. Looking forward to another build. I'll try to drop back in to update when the Eros is finished.
Thanks again guys,
Craig

voltz

Sweet! Looking forward to your thought on each as you finish your project.

I thought about building a Reduction, but my Vincent PHO-8 and Bugie SUT combo are doing just fine and I'm to happy with them to go another route. And I like the fact they don't take up any room

Dawgfish

Great review Rich! I've been eyeing these for a while, but wasn't sure of the sq with the printed circuit board over point to point wiring. I also have a dyi SUT using Cinemag Red transformers. It sounds great when the record is playing, but has a little more hum than I like. I tried different grounding schemes as well as additional shielding which definitely made a difference, but it's still not as quiet as I would like. I've also got a Beyer Dynamic SUT that is dead quiet and sounds excellent with my Shelter 501 MK2, Denon DL 303, Dynavector Karat 23R, and AT-33 PTG carts, but it does't sound as good with the Denon DL 103 family of carts (with exception of the 103M) as the Cinemag. Now that I've seen a rebutable review on the Budgie, I'm going to have to pick one up.

I agree totally on the good moving magnet preamp paired with a good, inexpensive SUT being easier and cheaper to get good sound. I have tried various SUTs with both a heavily modded Jolida JD9 and a Lounge Audio LCR Mk2 phono preamp. Honestly I have to say running the modded JD-9 without a SUT using its MC settings still sounds the best in my system, but it sounds great with running it with MM settings with a SUT also. The Lounge Audio LCR with a SUT sounds ridiculously good running lomc carts also. You can by the MK3 versions brand new for $300. Add a good relatively inexpensive SUT like the Budgie and you have yourself an outstanding sounding setup. Like you were saying, people seem to have this idea that good vinyl sound is expensive. With careful planning and matching components you can have a kick but vinyl rig for not as much coin as people think.

SCompRacer

vcwatkins wrote: »

Just dropped in to say thanks to @SCompRacer and others here for continuing to post on analog goodies. I bit the bullet today and ordered a Budgie and Bottlehead Eros. Looking forward to another build. I'll try to drop back in to update when the Eros is finished.
Thanks again guys,
Craig

Congrats on the Eros Craig! It sounds great with the supplied tubes but even better with upgraded tubes! Don’t get too hung up on the ‘best’ two primary gain tubes, Telefunken EF806S. They are the best in a way but command a very high price. Here is an informative 2002 post from the Neumann microphone forum regarding the differences between the Tele EF86 / EF806S.

http://www.neumann.com/forums/view.php?bn=neumann_archive&key=1015336865&v=f

Basically the 806S used better materials/heat treat so it became a long life 10,000 hour minimum tube for broadcast, military and medical machines like EEG/EKG. SQ is said to be the same, depending on whom you listen to. I got my Telefunken EF86 tubes from Brent Jesse, ~$99 each. He is like an hour away from me.

http://www.audiotubes.com/

I’m still using the supplied 1uf Solen output coupling caps. One of these days I’ll get some better ones. If you do upgrade straight away, some folks use .47uf, but pay attention to your pre amp input impedance instead. We must always remember a coupling capacitor acts as a high pass filter, meaning it will attenuate frequencies below a certain point. 1uf is a better match for my pre amp input impedance.

V Cap has an impedance calculator, or you can ask whomever you get your caps from to figure it. Jeff at Sonicraft sided with keeping a 1uf for my pre amp.

http://www.v-cap.com/coupling-capacitor-calculator.php

Dawgfish wrote: »

Great review Rich! I've been eyeing these for a while, but wasn't sure of the sq with the printed circuit board over point to point wiring

Thanks! Carl and I had been discussing a board SUT versus point to point as the SUT I built for him is the same, sensitive to placement. My Budgie is using shorter IC's and almost touching the Eros, and no noise.

We talked about shielding them, like with adhesive copper, but since I needed a lower gain SUT I went with the Budgie. Carl may join us as a Budgie owner.

Like you were saying, people seem to have this idea that good vinyl sound is expensive. With careful planning and matching components you can have a kick but vinyl rig for not as much coin as people think.

True dat!

SCompRacer

In regards to ground schemes, there is more than one way.

Here is the inside of a Bob's SUT. His R and L input and output RCA grounds are connected. The lift disconnects ground lug and tranny cases from RCA ground. Note the ground lug with tranny grounds connects to center of switch terminals, lower terminals connect to RCA grounds.



Here is a revised CineMag schematic of Bob's SUT ground. One channels input and output are shown.



Here is CineMag suggested ground scheme. Park's said he follows this. Note that input and output ground are not connected with any wiring until you close 1 and 2. But ground lug is always connected to output RCA ground.

Using this method, the ground when lifted keeps the input ground floating so the cartridge is truly balanced on input.



And here is an example of how turntables are gounded, either through right channel RCA ground or with separate ground. This is a page from a Thorens manual. My table grounds motor and chassis through IEC ground. I don't use a ground from my arm since it is not attached to metal. I tried one, didn't harm or make any better so I left it off. It's an air bearing linear arm. I've never researched if any difference between pivoted arms ground wise.



You can also bypass your SUT ground lug and connect table ground direct to pre amp ground. Parks had suggested this when we were discussing ground schemes. Whatever works best, IMO.

voltz

I did find that I prefer the Budgie lift/ground switch to ground for less noise, but not by very much but a difference. it sits on top of my phone amp and the short cables they sent are perfect!

Dawgfish

Wow! Thanks for the various schematics! My Cinemag DYI SUT was grounded like the Bob's Devices SUT when I first got it. I bought it used off the Gon. I changed it after you posted the Cinemag schematic a year or two ago. It definitely made a difference, but it's still not as quiet as I would like. I need to try the Parks scheme and see how that does. Thank you very much!

vcwatkins

Well the Budgie arrived today. Great service from Parks Audio!

I've got the JD-9 in the shop doing mods. Obligattos arrive today and BB/LA op amps Saturday. So I pulled the Lounge LCR from the studio rig and hooked it all up in the den with the DL-103r tt.

This a great little combo as @Dawgfish mentions above. Very nicely balanced, wide and tall - though not exceptionally deep - sound stage. Very good detail with lots of space between instruments. The midrange is excellent - lush, detailed, slightly viscous and sweet like a good port. Listened to Rumours, remastered In Through the Out Door, SC Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Whole albums. WHOLE. ALBUMS.

Smooth and creamy, warmly detailed, analog sound - what it's all about for me. Can't wait to try with and against the modded JD-9. At least the wait for the Eros will be less painful.

vcwatkins

Mods done on JD-9. Spun some albums at very low volume during the afternoon while working. Listening now with the Budgie and the same 60's Mullards that have been in place since early on. All gain off. Nice and quiet. Widewidewide ss and improved depth, bump in top end sparkle, bass is tightened up and, I believe, extended lower on first listen. Plucked strings are fab - round, organic & colorful - on Wednesday Morning 3AM.

Lyrics are noticeably more easily understood on Courtney Barnett's "Sometimes I Sit" rapid fire Faulknerian lines. Yep, big boost on bass extension. Low level environmental sound is really good. However, there's harshness on top, especially noticeable at higher volume required on "Pedestrian at Best" song.

Put on Presence next. Yep, harsh. None of smooth liquid electric goo of the Lounge/Budgie. Disappointing.

When I tested briefly after installing the Obbligatos, but before changing op amps, it sounded much improved. Good sparkle on top without harshness, improved ss. I'll give this some time to settle down. Not sure how much time to give new op amps, if any?

Any thoughts?

vcwatkins

Sorry about the derail. I'll try elsewhere.