Phono (0.1- 0.22mV+) or step up for LOMC?


A rookie needs some help please...
Would you buy a phono (0.1- 0.22mV+) or step up for LOMC? Which one? Why? It's an Ikeda 9TT (2ohm, 0.2mV) with a VPI Classic, and Dynaudio BM5 MKiii monitors with volume box.
I have found the following options in the past few days. Phono:
Gold Note PH-10 (0.1mV)
Gold Note PH-1 (0.15mV)
Gold Note PH-7 (0.15mV)
EAR 834p (0.22mV)
Nighthawk F117 (???mV)
Which one would you choose?
I am leaning towards the PH10, but honestly I dont need all those settings, but if IT sounds superior than the other then I would go for it. The Nighthawk sounds really good also for the price but I couldn't find the specifications and I am not sure if it's good as any of the Gold Notes. Used EAR 834p can be an option also but I read really mixed opinions about it. 
Now what I have now is a Musical Fidelity MX VYNL (0.4mV if its balanced), now I am running unbalanced. It's biggest advantage is I could run it full balanced all the way from the tonearm to the monitors and maybe some factory upgrade is possible, regarding to the website in the gain and plus a PSU.

Or step up?
Ortofon?
Denon?
It must be Max 1000pounds used.

Thank you all :)
128x128korakotta
Ignorance is to speak about something that you never used, but as have been poited by others Raul could hear the system and products from his appartment in Mexico without even buyin them.

What i said is that PH-10 must be compared to some other great phono stages in this price range, there are many of them on the market, one of them is JLTi.  Each review normally pushing some of them over the top, but where is the comparison chart? 

@uberwaltz do you have that bass slam that one of the PH-10 reviewer has been missing. Any other decent phono stages from your arsenal has been beaten by PH-10, which one ?  

I am very fond about American expression ''overkill''. Sometime

such an expression can explain more then a whole sentence.

Well assume 71dB amplification by whatever phono-pre. For,say,

a cart with 0.4 mV output one can say that 71dB is overkill.

The context is ''the higher the amplification the higher distortion''.

This is obvious the reason why some phono-pres have more

gain stages than one. My Klyne has 3 my Basis has 4. Those

who own ''many'' cartridges can then adjust them according

to their output. The lowest possible depending from output.


Thank you all, you are awesome! Sorry for the begynner questions, I am very new to this field...The Ikeda 9TT has 0.2mV, not 0.1mV, and in a review the author says it was just equal to an another 0.3mV cart... and 2ohms coil impedance

According to the KAB calculator I supposed to have 64db gain, now my MX VYNL has, channel separation: <-83dB, SNR A-WTD: <-98dB
Isn`t it enough? I really like the sound, I am amazed by the details. But I`d like to get the max out from my system, if it does not require to break the bank...

First, I am going to replace the unbalanced RCA cables to balanced XLR, because I read, my monitors are expecting balanced connects.
That is going to limit the phonos to buy, but I think, It`s a necessary first step.(?)

Then, I have two options
1.st option:
Buy a Denon AU-S1, and a pair of interconnects, used. Would it go well with my current phono and cart? This one? https://www.ebay.com/itm/DENON-AU-S1-MC-transformer/332641807987?hash=item4d72ff2e73:g:PTYAAOSwptNan...
Any cheaper option what is still better than a phono?

2nd option:
I am going to sell the phono, so my budget is going to be exactly what the PH-10 costs. But if it`s possible, I would like to keep the costs lower if it isn`t a trade off in the sound quality.

JLTi from Australia would be a good one but If its possible I`d like to buy it from here -Norway- or if it`s a really good deal, then, inside EU. And it doesn`t have balanced XLR outputs....For the same reason I dropped (no xlr) the Nighthawk, the PH-1 and the EAR.

So, the PH-10 sounds good so far, but what else could be better with -at least- a balanced XLR out? Even better if it has optional balanced ins also, so later I could upgrade the VPI Classic to balanced…
ASR Audiosystems Mini Basis Exclusive for example?
Any other better options?


Why you’re so concerned about balanced connectors ?
If your cable is not longer than 3 meters you don’t have to worry about it, most of the cables are easier to find/buy unbalanced with RCA and most people use it like that (1 meter or 1.5 meters).

JLTi prices included shipping worldwide and Joe Rassmussen (JLTi designer, he’s originally from Denmark) can declare whatever value you need for your custom control, he’s a nice guy. I also asked to customize my JLTi by putting 500k Ohm internal resistor, so i can load it down to whatever value by adding RCA plug resistors on the backside. I asked him to replace 47k Ohm resistor to 500k Ohm, just because i use my MM cartridges with 100k Ohm and we can only go down with parallel resistors, so the internat resistor must be higher than 47k (i asked for 500k Ohm). In this configuration this phono stage is perfect for MM (not only for MC) and no other phono stage will give you this ability with whaever load value you need anytime.