Tube MC phono stage recommendation

@tomic601 's suggestion for a Bob's Devices / CineMag SUT is a great one, and all of the blue-label models sound fantastic - 1254, 1131, Sky (in various ratios). Bob's Devices makes many of these (the Sky and 1131 models are exclusive to him) and they show up used for a good price occasionally. I've used a total of 4 of these and really liked each one. I think even the old CineMag 3440A came in a blue-label version for a short time. I'm not a huge fan of the old red-label 3440A, but even that model would make a huge improvement on your current setup, with your existing phono stage. You'll get dynamic, bass impact, clean tone - all with a much lower noise floor to boot. The only devil to tack down with a SUT is ground hum - and you IC cables from SUT to phono stage should be kept short as possible (less than 1m is best), low-capacitance, and shielded!

Very cool idea, I will look into that. And my interconnects are super short ;)

 I'm sure a SS MC phono would be the quietest option but I love the quality of sound and the tweakability offered by tubes.

Do you know the trade offs? It can be noisy and microphonic, depends on the tubes, they do not last forever. A solid state phono stage at your budget can be much better, actually it can be fantastic. 

Hey chakster, yes, I have fun both ss (integrated and standalone) and tube phonos and my ear seems to prefer the results I get from tubes. Not always easy to live with but I enjoy the process of researching, sourcing, and swapping tubes. 

I'll probably try exploring the world of SUTs, but just out of curiosity, what SS phono stage in my price range do you really love?

You could also use a Piccolo2 as a front end.  That will give you all the additional flexibility you need, if you like the Eros.