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

I have gone from using a SS phono (JC3+ and Audia Flight) to tube (Allnic H-3000 and HA-3000) and it has made a huge difference in the presentation of the music.  Even my mother (since moms are frequently used as a lowest common denominator) mentioned that it sounded like Ella and Louis were in the room with us when she heard the tube phono in my system for the first time.  For comparison, the Audia Flight only got a "that sounds nice."

I have gone all tube in my system and, if you do eventually go in that direction, be prepared to have sufficient ventilation because having that many bulbs working at once can put out some serious heat.

Theo, although I have SS Phono, I have tube pre and amplifier, plus "Grado" is a relatively warm cartridge. I believe my end result is the same as yours, because that's the way I would describe it.

What I'm hearing in regard to phono pre, is that you could buy a lesser cartridge, and get the end result of a step up in cartridges; by having a boss phono; is this true?

As has been discussed here previously, synergy is key, but in my opinion, a great phono exposes the shortcomings of a lesser cart much more than the other way around.  That being said, if I had to choose, I would invest as much as you are comfortable in the phono and upgrade the cart as funds allow.

Yeah, phono stage should be at least one step ahead until cartridge catches up if ever. In terms of cost that usually means double the price or more.