Looking for phono preamp suggestions

I have spent many enjoyable hours listening to Lyra Etna ( non Lamda ) and it is a very linear non romantic cart - it does pair very well w ARC, BAT and Aesthetix. My choice in your $ is ARC for the FET / tube  Low noise solution.

hope you are enjoying your quest :-))

Pass Labs XP27

I am not as knowledgeable as many of these contributors, but why do you need balanced input and output? Or does if depend on the cartridge? Doesn't the output of the cable from the turntable (cartridge/arm) just have a right and left interconnect?

sokogear

... why do you need balanced input and output? Or does if depend on the cartridge?

A phono cartridge produces very low output voltage and is inherently balanced, so there can be advantages to using balanced phono inputs.

After several attempt to find the sound I was looking for I ultimately ended up purchasing an Icon Audio PS3 MKII phono preamp. The sound that this unit generates is nothing short of spectacular. The other bonus is tube rolling to adjust the sound to any finicky ear. All Icon Audio product are built like tanks and perform excellent. David Shaw and group are great folks to work with for any questions or clarification before and after purchase. Just my thoughts…………