Phono stages belong to which tier?


I feel the phono stage is the most critical component in an analog system since it is an important part of the source. Which phono stages have you heard and in which tier would they fall in 1st 2nd or 3rd?
From reading the threads here: aesthetix, manley, lamm, fm acoustics, einstein would probably fall in the 1st.
Please include stages that have been listened to extensively and those that have been heard breifly.
pedrillo

Showing 1 response by ptmconsulting

I would probably suggest adding the Hagerman Trumpet to the list, perhaps as a 1's tier if you don't need a step-up for your cartridge and 2nd tier if you do. It just doesn't have the gain for LOMC's, but otherwise is a superb phono stage.