Whest, Sutherland, Heed, PS Audio or others

@audphile1 I've been looking at Sutherland's phono stages as well and have similar thoughts about the TZ models.  I'm not sure I'd want to limit my cartridge choices due to the TZ design.  A 20/20 or something similar would probably be the option I'd go for.

Back to the OP's question, I haven't heard any of the Graham Slee phono stages yet, but they seem to get a lot of love.  Another alternative might be a used Parasound JC Jr. or JC3+.

I discovered Whest and am fully commited. The Two. supports my AR tt with a Madrigal Carnegie 2 MC and it is natural and robust. The Three supports my Mofi Ultradeck with a ZYX Ultimate Ex Omega and the soundstage is multidimentional and truly harmonized. My McIntosh MP100 is on ebay right now. I really like it because it is silent, clean, and easily adjustable. Whest is better for my current MC applications.

The 20/20 might be more versatile than the TZ Vibe, but if you are using a low output moving coil cartridge, is it as good or better?   You're paying for the versatility. 

I don't plan to upgrade from the Hana ML, so it made sense to me to go to a TZ Vibe. 

Hegel V10 is pretty good 

Moving up Sutherland is a solid choice.

Notable DACs:

• 1.6 Tritschler Precision Engineering 2200 SS
• 1.7 Schiit Stjarna tube
• 1.7 Austin AudioWorks Black Swan SS-highly adjustable 

The PS Audio Steller is 3.0k, above your budget. It’s a excellent choice at it’s price point with many positive reviews