If you have a low to medium powered MC cartridge, you should snap up a used Sonic Frontiers Phono One. One showed up on the net in the past few days. They were $2000 list, class A rated in Stereophile, powerful and very clean and lovely sounding tube/ss hybrid. The EAR 834p units are also excellent if you have the parts upgraded, otherwise they are still very nice. Either of these should stomp the Phonomena (which is well regarded at it's price and no doubt a great value, but below the minimial standards of some fussy people like yours truly.)
(TIA: I've owned SF Phono One for several years - loving it! - and am now deciding whether to downgrade to the rather smallish modified EAR in order to reduce the footprint of my stereo. I've already gone from pre with monoblocks to a tube integrated amp. Trying to restore my living room to civilian use!)
Art
(TIA: I've owned SF Phono One for several years - loving it! - and am now deciding whether to downgrade to the rather smallish modified EAR in order to reduce the footprint of my stereo. I've already gone from pre with monoblocks to a tube integrated amp. Trying to restore my living room to civilian use!)
Art