Soooooooo many possibilities...!

I am a Manley fan and love my Steelhead. But I also love my Ref 6 and Ref 150 SE. But yes, the Ref 6 does push the sound out to the sides of the speakers, particularly when not yet broken in. This lessens with time but never goes away entirely and I can not disagree that for some, this is a fault and not a bonus. 

audioglow I like your style! 

Great forum, great audiophiles. 

@audioglow the MP-3 is balanced, very well built, quiet and does most everything well. I paired it first with a BAT VK250SE with very nice results, but when paired with an ARC VT-100mkII the music was simply amazing and engaging. The soundstage was huge, but coherent from side to side, top to bottom, front to back.

The phono stage is outstanding and quiet. Some might be put off by the slightly industrial appearance, but I like it's elegant simplicity. These days, a new one is beyond my reach and they rarely show up on pre-owned market.

Re-reading my post, I feel the need to declare that I have no affiliation with Atma-Sphere!

Check out the C1100 preamp.  It would be a good match to your amp and just disappears when the music starts.  The built-in phono is pretty good but you can always try an Allnic if you want even more resolution from your vinyl.

Liamowen.  That's a whole lotta CJ gear yer sport'n over there!  I've heard of Conrad Johnson.  Will look into them next week.  All of a sudden I'm slammed until Monday or Tuesday.
Thamks for the heads up :)