Phono stage suggestions?

Benz is good, but with BENZ cartridges give his best.
Suggest VENDETTA RESEARCH (scp1 or 2)or ARC PH3 SE (remember, only SE!); if haven't problems ARC REF. PHONO.
And when you've tried all the group, please listen an old
EMT 930 turntable with EMT 139st step-up; made in the sixites, and hear paradise.....

The best phono stages I've heard are the Benz-Lukashek, Pass XONO and the Herron. If I had the $$ and could buy one today it would be the Herron HANDS DOWN. (It's alive!!)There was a used Herron listed here for around $1500.

Also check out the B.A.T. P5 or P10. All tube, monster power supplies (two huge Toriodial's, one per ch.) zero feedback, etc. TONS of gain.

All the audio adjectives apply to both at a more than reasonable price.

I have a sonic frontiers Sig-1 tube phono which is built like a tank , sounds great & is under priced under 750 used !

I've used the Lehmann Black Cube and the Audiomat Phono-1...both are excellent. I replaced the Black Cube with the Audiomat, so I prefer that over the cube...more detailed and musical, but a completely different feel from the cube. I think the Black Cubes are around $650 new and $400-ish used. The Audiomat Phono-1's are $1000 new.

I recently bought a used Counterpoint SA-5000 and that has a really nice phono stage in it too. I'll probably be seeling my Audiomat and using the Counterpoint instead.

The Pass XONO is a truly great solid state unit with multiple MC settings, has no cool or etched quality, and is dead quiet. The new Lamm LP2 may be even better, if you like tubes, but has no internal adjustments for gain and loading. The Pass can be set to sound marvelous with my Koetsu Rosewood Signature cartridge; the Lamm just does.

Stan Klyne makes one of the best phono stages out there at a very reasonable price new and a bargain used.

I personally consider phonos with multiple gain settings a waste of bucks since there are too many amplification stages.
That's why I would start my search from EAR 834P with 2 gain settings which is one of the best value stages for high and low out cartridges. There can go Electrocompaniet as well.
The above described phonos can even work without preamplification at all and they play MUSIC.

Are you dead-set on the Cary, CJ or ARC? If not, I would suggest checking out the VAC Avatar SE with phono, or perhaps the Rogue Tempest Magnum. Both have quite good tube phono stages that would accomodate your high-output coil. I gave a brief listen to the VAC and found it quite competent. I think it would be a nice system with the WTT and ProAcs. Good luck in your search.

what's your budget? if it is limited, tho not too much so, you can not go wrong with an aesthetix io. if you get the version with an extra analogue input and volume control, then you can skip the preamps you've mentioned, too. -cfb

I have the ARC CA-50 running into the Proac Response 1SC's and considered the following phono stages: Camelot Lancelot, EAR tube w/upgrades, and Linn Linto. Winner: Linto. Will work only w/moving coil cartridges. The most silent, purest sound phono stage I heard w/my turntable, which is also a Linn.