Sutherland 20/20 Phono Pre- Why it Sounds so Good?

Yes it made it more musical, more like you are there...

 

As I said above if you already own a 20/20 this is a small investment in a better music experience

 

Just pulled the trigger on the power supply. We'll see.........

 

You won't regret it (-;

Did you get it cased or naked?

 

fully nude. i'll put it on top of my 20/20 which is on a dark tint door enclosed shelf of my ikea rack. i will probably buy an enclosure box once I get it and can measure the footprint. i saw some online for $14 or so.

 

It was worth it to me to pay the extra $100 for the cased version, not the most talented or patient when it comes to diy projects like that

When you get it set up and listen for a couple of days send me your thoughts

 

absolutely.
i think it's very cool for Ron Sutherland to adapt the Phono Loco P/S for us 20/20 current or future owners and for Chad to put it together for us kind of back door- and at about half the cost other manufacturers charge for their outboard P/S.
very cool company and it certainly earns my loyalty.

 

I have worked in the industrial electronics/instrumentation fields pretty much my whole life. I'm no Nelson Pass, not sure I am even qualified to be his gofer, but I know enough to know when someone is trying to blow smoke up my butt. Ron Sutherland sold me on his product when I watched Fremer interview him at a show. That guy is sharp. I got online, found a dealer, and was in the store the next week. It was as good as I thought it was going to be. After 20 months, the only answer to the question of what I replaced the KCVibe with was another Sutherland up the line. Customer for life. Yep.

 

Hi Chad - I may be interested in one in the coming weeks. Did you change the configuration so that the cable run from the power supply to the 20/20 is longer as was being suggested by the folks on this forum with a shorter power cord?

Also, would using this linear PSU remove some of the background noise I hear when playing back vinyl in the quiet spots of the vinyl and deadwax? I am not sure if I am hearing surface noise or what, but the background is not as dead quiet as I would like and if helpful, I can maybe send you a small recording which may help clarify.

Cheers,
Vin.

 

Not intending to be a wiseass, but if the noise goes away when you lift the needle, then it is surface noise. If not, then it is noise from other sources, amplifier electronics, RFI/EMI, audio feedback, motor vibrations, turntable control electronics, etc.

 

Totally agree. Simple test.

 

Yep, it’s surface noise although surprised by how much is actually heard as I just expected things to be quieter. Having said that, my cartridge is not broken in yet and I guess it also depends on the quality of the vinyl pressing etc.

 

Quality of pressings and how clean they are. Given your gear set I'd assume you're probably a regular cleaner, but if it's a new cart you might just need a fresh clean on stuff because the stylus might be hitting new parts of the groove.

But if you have a couple records you know are exceptionally quite, I'd start with those to see where the system stands. I have 2 or 3 albums that are stunningly quiet in the deadwax. I'd say probably 50% +/- of my stuff is not dead quite just based on pressing/recordings.

 

Thanks for the feedback and yes, cleaning is definitely a must on used or brand new LPs! - Just out of curiosity, which are the 2 or 3 albums that are quiet in the deadwax - if they are current, I would love to maybe get a copy of one just to have as a reference.

Cheers,
Vin.

 

I think sometimes it's luck of the draw so some extent. Did you get one that was the first few with a fresh stamper? Hard to say.
But having said that...
This Louis Armstrong is probably the single best manufactured album I have, and I think Elusive Disc just restocked. Louis Armstrong - Satchmo Plays King Oliver

This version of Pinkerton is very well done. Apparently also used MoFi plates: Weezer - Pinkerton

I know I have a few others that I notice every time the stylus touches that they just nailed it in the deadwax. But there's also some that even multiple versions are louder in the deadwax (Queen - Night at the Opera).

 

You can often tell just by looking at the deadwax areas in good light. If they look perfectly smooth and shiny, it's likely it will be quiet vinyl, whereas if you see slight ripple effects like orange peel all over (most records) then it won't be quiet since those ripples will be in the grooves too.

 

BTW, if you like to explore new artists and don't know them yet, the last Virginia Wing album Ecstatic Arrow on Fire Records was pretty quiet (at least on my blue vinyl pressing, looks pretty smooth and shiny too, though does makes some noise when it gets to the end and goes round and round asking you to get up and flip it over for another listen ). It was my top album of last year, nods to some 60s pop pioneers, but also some kosmische, some Talking Heads and Eno, and newer bands in that vein like Stereolab and Broadcast, just a great record all around, smart and timely. Album of the year at Virginia Wing - Ecstatic Arrow - Album review - Loud And Quiet , and mine too.

 

Hi Tom,
Any further updates/impressions on the Linear PSU? Also, what was the configuration you ended up with on the cables and is this something that needs to be specified at the time of order, or is there a new standard for purchase?
Cheers,
Vin.

 

After about 15 hours of listening I feel it is actually getting better, all electronics need some burn-in time (-;

I have the original configuration (as designed by Ron Sutherland) with the power cord coming out the back and the two wires that connect to the 20/20 out the front. Chad had told me it his preferred design seeing there is less wire in the signal path even though it is not as "clean" with wire management.

I have mine on a shelf above the 20/20 the two front wires under the power supply then down to the 20/20 underneath the back side and then up in the empty chassis space of the 20/20 and then plug in the left and right jacks

I cannot recommend it enough it has put the 20/20 into another level!!

 

Thanks Tom and appreciate the feedback!

I guess I'll go with the original configuration which I assume is with shorter leads to the 20/20 and longer power lead? I just will need to find a good spot to place the PSU as I already have my FM tuner located on top of the 20/20 and there is no additional room at this point on that shelf.

I'll be looking to pull the trigger on one in a few weeks from now - In the meantime, would be great to hear of other peoples experiences with this new PSU too!

Cheers,
Vin.

 

Received my new Power Supply Wed. and installed it that night. Sounded kind of soft on the first LP. Haven't played it except for a few hours- but it is powered up full time like the 20/20 (and lots of other phono stages for some reason). Listening last night it seemed to come alive all of a sudden.
Still too soon to form any opinions....

 

Thanks for the feedback - Please let us know your thoughts as you listen more and will be very interesting to see how you like it compared to the original switched power supplies...

Cheers,
Vin.

 

Chad here, it always comes with 6’ dc cords. I made a typo/mistake when stating the lengths. I decided to make the standard case config as pictured on the website. You can still get it without the case too. I did make a few with a power cable attached to the case with a strain relief and dc jacks. It works fine but is more difficult to build and for now any real pay-off. A few have also opted for making their own case which is cool and I’m happy to customize the board, like leaving off the AC jack or the DC jacks so someone can run their own wiring. Let me know if you have any questions.

To be honest, if you have a case around and are a little handy and have time buy the bare bones version for $400. I don’t mind at all putting them in the chassis but really only make a little for my time. Those chassis are $50 including shipping. I do think it looks nice and is plug and play.

 

Thanks Chad. TBH, I am not a great DIY person so I will be looking to go with the cased version Do these PSU's come with any form of warranty?

Also, would appreciate a little education here - My understanding, is that there is a tremendous amount of filtering that happens in the 20/20 after the power reaches the unit so my question, is what does this Linear PSU do differently to the standard power bricks? I would assume that the power is cleaner reaching into the 20/20 but with all the filtering that happens, how does this benefit the preamp exactly?

Cheers,
Vin.

 

Vin your question is probably better directed to Ron Sutherland seeing that he designed it.