Chakster
I do not call 2 years " gave up so quickly"
You may not recall but at that time I was convinced I wanted a Herron or a Chinook back then but thanks to sensible advice right here it was decided that certainly the Herron would not be a good match impedance wise for my then present Lyngdorf 2170.
If the Gold Note was the be all and end all of phono stages then everybody would have one and there would be no need or market for anything different/better.
Sometimes it is indeed a case of the grass is greener but in this case with so much overwhelming support for the Herron ( and the Chinook) I do not believe it is just smoke and mirrors.
The only weak point of the Gold Note in my system is the bass.
And there we have it.... " in my system".
One cannot expect everybody to get the same results as in your system Chakster.
You have some good advice to offer at times on certain subjects but also it appears that when someones decision does not align with yours then they must just be wrong.