Phono/preamp/amp chain. One of them tube the others SS. Which one?

You could kill two birds with one stone as they say, and buy one full function tube preamp. I just saw a VAC Renaissance mk II with MC/MM phono stage just sold recently.
Maybe another full function VAC will come along, or a CAT, or maybe an Atma-Sphere or Doshi Alaap. 
Many very good full function preamps out there.

I would still have to get power amp at the same time - too much. Besides, I am a strong believer in separate phono stage.

Since every one on this thread seems to know a lot about phono preamps, instead of starting a new thread, I'll direct my question to you guys.

I have a solid state phono that I use for my high out put "Grado". Not long ago, I went from Platinum to Sonata, and I enjoyed it immensely; I detected every minute difference in the upgrade.

My solid state phono is nonexistent; I mean no noise, no nothing. Is a phono amp supposed to improve the sound? It's as if my phono is not even there, I just hear the cartridge; is that good or bad?


Enjoy the music.

Orpheus10,  of course the sound can be improved unless you already have absolutely top of the line phono stage, then it can only be made slightly different not better. Some here believe that only tube phono can achieve the highest level. Grado has a warm full emotional sound, I use his headphones though not cartridges because I believe that would be too much of a good thing with my table/arm and speakers. I use Goldring 1042 MM which has more of a balanced neutrality but not at all cold sounding. For my system Lyra Delos seems to be a logical upgrade.

The cartridge is the most important piece of equipment in your entire rig, it should not be selected the same way you might select a preamp, by buying the "best". No, a cartridge is a very personal thing, that can only be selected after you have tried many cartridges. It should be selected based on the elements of the music that you enjoy most.

Right now, I'm not talking about some fantasy hypothetical thing, but a reality with limitations in regard to expense. I think you should first identify the "house sound" of the cartridge family, and then go from there.

Corey Greenberg was my favorite reviewer at "Stereophile", and I have a number of items he reviewed and recommended that I'm using and quite satisfied with. If Corey said it was OK, and I needed it, I bought it.

That worked out just fine, until we got to "cartridges"; he had ever so much praise for the "Blue Point Special", which I purchased, only to discover that it was not the cartridge for me; he liked rock, and I like jazz, especially jazz vocal, and that made all the difference in the world in regard to cartridges. That made me aware of the fact how personal a cartridge is; just because everybody says it's the best, it may not be the best for you


Enjoy the music.