Which is better, gain in phono stage or pre amp?

I have found that the best set up to my ears was when I switched from a VTL Ultimate pre-amp and built my own dual mono line stage, with very expensive parts( kept to a minimum ) used 8 mallory high powered batteries to get enough gain to not lose detail, and combined that with a Vandenhull 2 High output cartridge. Whene you use batteries, that sense of electronic interference when your are listening into the soundstage dissapears. I'm supprised that complete battery powered systems never cought on in the high end audio arena. At one time, many years ago, I had my entire system powered by 24 batteries, and it sounded incredible. My VTL amps and vanderstein subwoffers were driven by ac. I had eight seperate lines run to my system. NO filtering, because no matter what system I used, I noticed and very small loss of information and a rounding off- a kind of pleasent softening of the music-but missing something,( as opposed to rolling off ) of the notes.
Ever try batteries?

later this summer DarTZeel will be introducing a battery powered preamp with a phono stage. i heard the prototype at CES in Janurary. it was amazing.....possibly the best i've yet heard. this was in a system using a pre fairly well known to me (and pretty damn good itself). the DarTZeel made the other pre sound BROKEN.

DarTZeel

i have been a passive preamp guy for the last 4 years and have yet to find an active pre that does it for me. the battery powered DarTZeel seemed to do all the great things my passive did but went even further with naturalness and dynamics.

at this point i see batteries in my future.

Textbook logic: use the step-up trannies in the Plinius rather than an active stage, for the extra db.

Unless, of course, you wish to change yr preamplification altogether as Mike suggests