Art Audio VPL Mk II and VP1 Mk II

I'm very curious about the Art Audio VPL Mk 2 and VP1 Mk 2 (full-function with M/M phono stage). Is anyone familiar with these who can give me an opinion of these units v. more well-known ones like Herron, VTL, Hovland, etc? I notice that, while many own AA SET amps and dedicated phono stages, few seem to own the linestage and full-function preamps.