Anyone have experience with the PH-1000 and tube stage

Re The PH1000 and the PH1006/12 Tube Stage, the pro reviews (Stereophile, Hi-Fi+, Mono & Stereo, etc.) all call it exceptionally quiet, transparent, and remarkably flexible — three inputs, wide gain/load range, and 40-plus EQ curves.  That appeals to me because I run three very different cartridges: SoundSmith Hyperion Mk II ER, Koetsu Rosewood Signature, and Miyajima Zero Mono, each needing its own profile.

What I can’t tell from reviews is how much the Tube Stage or external PSU really change the sound.  On paper, the tube buffer should add some harmonic richness, while the outboard PSU should lower noise and improve micro-detail by isolating the analog section — but are those changes clearly audible?

If you’ve compared the base PH-1000 to the full stack, I’d appreciate your impressions — warmth, resolution, noise floor, overall musicality.  Thanks for any firsthand insights!

BTW, I should have mentioned that I have the Chinook SE which has upgraded innards and tubes and a gain of 65 dB.  It perfectly matches the Hyperion mkII MR loading and covers the other cartridges I have (and most of those I covet).  Lastly I really do like the sound of it in my system.  The ONE thing I don’t like is having to fiddle around in the back to change loading.  However, I don’t want to sacrifice sonics on the alter of expediency.  

No, you’ve misunderstood what I wrote. But never mind. I’d wager the Chinook uses a CF output though maybe not a White CF.

I think I got it.  Not dissing the Steelhead but I don’t need or want another Linestage - already have one of those - or further complications in the signal path.  It seems that the Steelhead adds integration and easier functionality vs Chinook (front panel knobs and maybe a warmer sound - at a price.  But I’ve always thought that the basics of the phonostage in Chinook were very similar to Steelhead.  Even the switches are less complex - at the expense of convenience.  You’ve figured a useful workaround and I admire that.  Kudos.  

Other than a modicum of the 2nd and 4th order harmonics of tube distortion I’m good with a clean flat sound in my phone stage.  The cartridges provide the core analog sound.

Great input lewm!  Thank you!!

The Steelhead has only a White cathode follower as its linestage. It adds no gain above that which comes from the phono section.  The volume control knob lies within the linestage topology. The linestage circuit allows you to use the Steelhead as a stand alone full function preamp, via the volume control knob plus only one AUX or hi-level pair of inputs that also feeds the WCF linestage, selectable from the front panel.  The Steelhead has 3 pairs of phono inputs, one for MM and two for MC gain, but you can actually configure even the MM inputs for MC gain levels. I looked up the Chinook.  It is apparently a phono only stage. So upgrading it would be even simpler than what I wrote about the Steelhead.  For fun, you might want to open up the Chinook and see if it has large white output coupling caps, 30uF in value.  If so, its circuit is likely to be like that of the Steelhead.  That 30uF capacitor is not only way more capacitance than you would ever need for interstage coupling but also the capacitor used is of very mediocre quality, and I am pulling my punches when I use those words. Whatever linestage you are feeding with your Chinook is likely to have an input impedance of 50K ohms or higher.  That means a 2uF coupling capacitor would be sufficient to give you bass down to ~2Hz, dead flat at 20Hz. Upstream is that 47R resistor in series with the signal path, that is also unnecessary, and I simply bypassed them in my unit, rather than to remove them entirely. If you do any of this, check the input impedance of your linestage high level inputs, to be sure the impedance is at least 50K ohms before selecting a 2uF replacement. But even if its only 20K ohms, which is imaginable for a SS device, then a 5uF capacitor will give you the same result.