Best Pre-Amp with Phono Stage

Audible illusions Mod. 3A w John Curl board. Pay more if you wont. But you will not better this.

With these preferences, I think you are needlessly constraining yourself by looking for a preamp with a phono stage built in. You can get a spiffy phono pre for around 1k used (I like the ARC PH3, but it isn't the only choice) and materially increase the number of your options for a 2k used nonphono pre to run it through. Folks with your preferences were the whole reason behind the availability of outboard phono pres even when virtually all one box preamps still had phono stages.

Get a used counterpoint sa-5000 or sa-5.1, have it modified at altavistaaudio.com, and sit back as these full-featured preamps blow away the competition. Really! At under $3k total.

Sorry to avguygeorge, didn't think I was condeming anyone. 59burst asked a question and I gave my opinion based on my expierience. Thought that was the idea of this forum. Peace avguygeorge!

The THOR is a wonderful preamp with phono; or check out the line and phono separates