"Do I detect an anti tube bias?" Good one. Actually, no real bias against anything audio, as I have learned over the years, many years in fact, and age-wise, I'm not too far behind you. I did say an all tube phono preamp, as I thought that was what the OP was after. I reread what I wrote last night, and while I had planned to say that outside of a hybrid design, SUT, solid state device, something like that. I, in full disclosure, had a few Jeppson's limited, full cask strength(130proof) Bourbon, and by the way, delicious, I might add, yesterday evening watching snl and writing this, I might have forgotten to mention the rest of my thoughts.
I have been using low output cartridges since the mid eighties and my very first was a Supex 900 Super with its matching transformer(both I still own), amongst other devices like a P S Audio moving coil pre-preamp with three power supply options(also something I own in my museum of audio stuff stashed away somewhere). I'm not an audiophile like many here, changing out equipment for the sake of change. It wasn't that long ago that I was at Music Direct comparing phono stages from various companies, even BAT's top tube offerings, which today seemed to have gone solid state. I once owned some OTL's that I ran my Quad ESL's with, a match made in heaven. Regardless of price, the pure tube offerings made too much noise. There is this one preamp from the early/mid seventies, a rather (exotic ?) unique all tube preamp that, while not all that pretty, was one impressive device with two phono stages that I believe Peter Moncrieff of International Audio/Video Review reviewed. I just can't remember. But someone I know owns or used to own one. By the way, I have his review that came with the PS Audio pre-preamp. He liked it but suggested replacing all the caps with Wonder Caps, but then he suggested that for every component. Talk about ethics
