Vinyl is truly a superior medium to Redbook standard digital, but there are still tremendous gains to be had. The heavy handed RIAA EQ radically strips vinyl of transparency and palpability. As a result the modern electronic based phono amp circuit is a serious impediment to quality sound reproduction. Fortunately, there is an effective, relatively low cost solution to this problem. If you're serious about vinyl reproduction you will need to abandon your flawed, overly complex electronics and go with a Direct Acoustic Megaphone Non-Electronic Device. The DAMNED takes the acoustic output of the vibrating stylus and via an acoustically coupled megaphones amplifies the soundwave until it reaches a usable decibel level.
There are two major drawbacks to the DAMNED. First is the size of the required megaphone. Fortunately, the size can be reduced by using a folded horn type configuration and DAMNED systems capable of producing 65dB in room sound levels can be had in cabinets smaller than 16' x 11' x 7' (containing 1.618 miles of megaphone length). If less output is required, the DAMNED is scalable to smaller sizes. Second, a DAMNED cannot be used with standard turntables. Because the megaphone position has to be fixed, the phono cartridge has to be stationary and the record platter has to be movable.
What the DAMNED does is take music reproduction to new heights. Without the problems of electronic circuitry you will be able to hear far further into the recorded performance. Be prepared for unheard of levels of inner detail, inter-transient silence, low level transparency, seamless continuousness, musicality, and dynamics. The illusion of being able to reach out and touch the performers has never been more real. It's reach out and caress. Once you experience this level a palbable pabability you will never be able to go back to the hazy, unnatural, electronically clouded world of normal vinyl playback.
Please e-mail if you're interested. I can provided detailed DIY plans for DAMNs. They can be constructed out of wood (baltic birch preferred) or synthetic polymer resins with a simple CNC router. There's a rumour that a man in Athens is building his from a solid billet of titanium. Sound reproduction doesn't get any better than the DAMNED thing (bad pun intended).