What is a SUTZ and who needs it?
The Sutherland SUTZ is a very special analog product that uses transimpedance to raise the output of your low-output, low-impedance moving coil cartridge to the level of a moving magnet cartridge.
SUTZ stands for Step-Up Transimpedance (Z being the symbol of impedance), and is based on the first gain stage of the flagship Sutherland Dos Locos transimpedance phonostage and shares the same chassis as the Little Loco Mk2.
Why not just use a traditional
step-up transformer (SUT)?
At Sutherland we have great respect for people who use SUTs, but recognize that it’s extremely expensive and time-consuming to find the perfect match between cartridge and SUT that this technology demands.
The SUTZ offers step-up transformer functionality but with the benefits of an active transimpedance gain stage like that of the Dos Locos. You just need a low-output moving coil cartridge with a low (<20 ohm) impedance. Most MC cartridges are well below this number.
Do you have a MM phonostage that you know and love, but want to move up to a MC cartridge? Put the SUTZ in between your table and phonostage to get all the benefits of a low-output MC cartridge (making sure it’s also low-Z), while keeping your beloved MM phonostage.
Do you have a low-output MC cartridge that you know and love, a vacuum tube MM/MC phonostage, and want to reduce tube noise? By putting a SUTZ between your table and the phonostage, you can now switch from using the phonostage’s MC input to using the MM input, This lower gain pathway gives reduced tube noise.
Technical Specs & Notes
CARTRIDGE COMPATABILITY
Use only low output MC, less than 20 Ohms internal resistance. Not MM, nor high output MC.
GAIN
Internally adjustable to HIGH, MED, or LOW. Transimpedance gain cannot be expressed in dB. There is plenty of gain for very low-output MC cartridges. Even with the lowest output MC, background noise vanishes.
Power Requirements:
120 VAC
240 VAC (Special Order)
Dimensions (WHD): 17″ x 2 1/2″ x 13″
Weight: 15 lb.
Price: $3,800
“Every time I played “Monkey Chant” with the Dynavector’s 20X2 MC into the Sutherland SUTZ and the all-tube SunValley SV EQ1616D phono equalizer, I was awed and dizzified by the raw clarity, breakneck speed, and free-swinging dynamics of the presentation; those “tjak” transients came through sharply and powerfully with noticeable spaces between chanters’ voices. For me, this was a new type of Wow! moment: current-drive information aesthetically enhanced by the SunValley’s tubes.”
– Herb Reichert, Stereophile
The Sutherland SUTZ is a very special analog product that uses transimpedance to raise the output of your low-output, low-impedance moving coil cartridge to the level of a moving magnet cartridge.
SUTZ stands for Step-Up Transimpedance (Z being the symbol of impedance), and is based on the first gain stage of the flagship Sutherland Dos Locos transimpedance phonostage and shares the same chassis as the Little Loco Mk2.
Why not just use a traditional
step-up transformer (SUT)?
At Sutherland we have great respect for people who use SUTs, but recognize that it’s extremely expensive and time-consuming to find the perfect match between cartridge and SUT that this technology demands.
The SUTZ offers step-up transformer functionality but with the benefits of an active transimpedance gain stage like that of the Dos Locos. You just need a low-output moving coil cartridge with a low (<20 ohm) impedance. Most MC cartridges are well below this number.
Do you have a MM phonostage that you know and love, but want to move up to a MC cartridge? Put the SUTZ in between your table and phonostage to get all the benefits of a low-output MC cartridge (making sure it’s also low-Z), while keeping your beloved MM phonostage.
Do you have a low-output MC cartridge that you know and love, a vacuum tube MM/MC phonostage, and want to reduce tube noise? By putting a SUTZ between your table and the phonostage, you can now switch from using the phonostage’s MC input to using the MM input, This lower gain pathway gives reduced tube noise.
Technical Specs & Notes
CARTRIDGE COMPATABILITY
Use only low output MC, less than 20 Ohms internal resistance. Not MM, nor high output MC.
GAIN
Internally adjustable to HIGH, MED, or LOW. Transimpedance gain cannot be expressed in dB. There is plenty of gain for very low-output MC cartridges. Even with the lowest output MC, background noise vanishes.
Power Requirements:
120 VAC
240 VAC (Special Order)
Dimensions (WHD): 17″ x 2 1/2″ x 13″
Weight: 15 lb.
Price: $3,800
“Every time I played “Monkey Chant” with the Dynavector’s 20X2 MC into the Sutherland SUTZ and the all-tube SunValley SV EQ1616D phono equalizer, I was awed and dizzified by the raw clarity, breakneck speed, and free-swinging dynamics of the presentation; those “tjak” transients came through sharply and powerfully with noticeable spaces between chanters’ voices. For me, this was a new type of Wow! moment: current-drive information aesthetically enhanced by the SunValley’s tubes.”
– Herb Reichert, Stereophile