Check replay levels, you're probably playing quieter.Update on going SUT-less:
Warning: I'm about to delve into subjective foo foo.
Noise aside, my subjective impression is that, without the SUT in the picture, the ART-7 straight into the Puffin lacks macro-dynamic capacity.
It's perplexing, as I can hear very soft sounds and detail is good.
But the loud passages don't seem as loud as they should be.
They don't sound like they're clipping, just a bit flat, as if double fortes are single fortes.
I can think of two semi-plausible explanations:
1. It's a subjective normalization problem -- because I can hear lower-level details, I'm able to listen at lower level volumes, and thus just not using as much master volume gain as I normally would.
2. 68 dB of gain on the Puffin is still too close to its max gain of 72 dB, and may be lacking headroom.
As an aside, the Puffin documentation refers to supporting MC carts in the 0.25mV range, and the ART-7 is half that....
Any thoughts from the academy?
It could be lower distortion on the peaks, or a difference in frequency response between the carts.