If the 990 didn't have a phono input I wouldn't have bought it. Mine is fed by a Grado Red (moving magnet) cartridge mounted in a Mayware IV unipivot arm on an AR XA turntable that will be 45 years old this year. The combination sounds very good (a few more db of gain wouldn't hurt though) but I do wonder how the 2150 would do; however the 2150 doesn't do HT. I've thought of replacing the AR but would have to be convinced, by direct comparison, that the replacement is better.

One phono acessory I haven't found, probably because it doesn't exist, is a remote-controlled arm lifter that would be actuated by a "mute" button when, e.g., answering the phone. Does anyone know of such a thing?

Yes, Skyblazer, the 990 does phono nicely with magnetic cartridges, and high-output MCs like the Sumiko Blue Point series should work well too, but it can't handle low-output MCs, most of which cost more than the 990 anyway. Nor does any other HT tuner-preamp that I know of.