Why is the trend to make separate phono stage


Why is the trend to make a separate phono stage. Say a high end pre-amp such as Audio Research Reference 2 you need to spend $ 10,000 for a line stage and another $ 7,000 for the reference phono stage. Almost every manufacturer has started to separate the two components. Is this to make more money selling two boxes or has technology gotten so sophisticated that it needs to be separate or lastly maybe only 25 % or less of the buyers want phono, so the manufacturer focuses on the 75 % population that need a line pre-amp. For us oldies it used to be easy to add a MC/MM board to the pre-amp to add the phone section. What happened??
dcaudio
the cost of the materials has actually become far less expensive,because those materials are primarily from china today. i'm not saying the quality of those materials isn't as good, i'm saying a separate phono pre of quality is one of the biggest 'margin' items in home entertainment and it shouldn't be ..it should be a fundamental part of any true high end pre,integrated or receiver. offering value in our hobby is the last thing on most manufacturers' minds .
More preamp manufacturers should offer an integral phono section at least as an option. This does occur in some instances but at an appalling low rate.
Ok, here's a basic question. (I hate being so ignorant!)

If you're only going to play vinyl, do you need a pre-amp, or are there phono stages that can operate independently of the preamp? This is the direction my playing is going, as I just can't tolerate the sound of CD's.

If so, what are the core issues I need to be aware of?

Thanks mucho. Happy weekend, all.