I think the take home lesson is that if you select the "right" phono stage at the higher price point, you will be very pleased, and the expense will seem worthwhile. If you make a "bad" choice, then even if you've spent big bucks, you won't necessarily be so happy. I put the word in quotation marks, because "bad" is to a large degree subjective (although there are some expensive pieces of audio gear that are per se bad). So, do as much homework as you can before taking the leap. In my opinion, the Chinook would be a good choice, but that's only my opinion. People also seem to love the Herron phono stages. But both of those may be better than your ancillary equipment merits, at this point in time. Think of a used Chinook or older model Herron, maybe. And make sure anything you choose is well suited to your cartridge in terms of gain and loading.
How much difference will a phono stage upgrade make?
For the past couple of years I’ve slowly been upgrading my audio equipment. I currently have a Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP integrated amplifier, an EAT C-Sharp TT with an Ortofon Quintet Black MC cartridge, and Tannoy Revolution XT 8F speakers. The weak link at this point, it would seem, is my phono stage, which is a Pro-Ject Tube Box DS. All things considered, my system sounds really good to my ears, but I can’t help but wonder what a phono stage upgrade would bring to the table. I’m looking at the Manley Chinook Special Edition MK II, which is a big step up in terms of cost, but I wonder how much better it will actually sound. Has anybody made a similar upgrade, and was there a marked uptick in sound quality?