Hi Scott,
The specified sensitivity of the Croft phono stage (2 mv in for 0.5V out) corresponds to 48 db of gain, which is quite high for a phono stage that is suitable for use with MM cartridges. There are a few that provide higher gain, such as some of the models from RCM of Poland, but the choice of such models would be very limited and may not be within your price range.
A 3 db difference in amp gain won’t amount to much in terms of the volume control positions you would find yourself using. Take a look at
this photo of the front panel of a Music First passive preamp. The markings adjacent to the control appear to represent db of attenuation, and I believe are roughly representative in that respect of most rotary volume controls. For a given listening level, adding a given number of db of gain would lower the setting of the volume control that would be used by that same number of db.
The bottom line would seem to me to be that if you don’t ever find yourself wanting to turn the volume control past the top of its range, and if you are happy with the Majestic in all other respects, there’s probably nothing wrong with leaving things as they are. In fact some would argue that using volume control settings near the top of the range is generally preferably to using lower settings, as it might reduce whatever sonic effects may be introduced by the volume control mechanism itself.
Best regards,
-- Al
