Excuse me, but I must be missing something. From reading your opening post, I got the impression that you did not change the cartridge. You only changed the amplifier. Is that correct? If so, then the problem is not necessarily your phono stage, because the phono stage was adequate to drive the first amplifier to levels that got good sound pressure levels out of your speakers. That is why I asked you about the input sensitivity of your new amplifier. Input sensitivity is a measure of the number of volts going into the amplifier that are required to make the amplifier produce its maximum output. Amplifiers can vary greatly in their input sensitivity, just as cartridges vary greatly in their signal voltage output.