The best phonostage you can buy for less than $ 2000.00 is the Pass Pearl. Unfortunately you need to build it yourself, (see www.PassDIY.com) (Even a Geico cavemen can do it.) It is essentially a simplified unbalanced version of the Pass Xono, which is Anthony Cordesman's reference. Some think the Pearl sounds better than Xono, but it only has 60 dB of gain, so you will need a X-Former for an MC. Use a Lundahl Type 9206 from K&K Audio.