phono/preamp analog front end

The Herron VTPH2A is in your price range. It sounds great, and I always hoped it was competently designed but never knew for sure until now- no loading switches!

The Herron uses external loading plugs, although the designer feels it sounds best unloaded. 

@sandthemall: I agree with you! I can't think of a way that resistive/capacitive loading can effect the stiffness (Young's Modulus) of a cantilever! 

Hi,
i can understand that energy has to go somewhere but still.

He doesn’t refer to the actual stiffness of the cantilever, but to the electromagnetic damping effect the loading applies, which affects the compliance of the moving system, I think...

@testpilot 

The Herron uses external loading plugs, although the designer feels it sounds best unloaded.

Interestingly I have always found my Herron to sound better with loading - and in fact at a loading usually very close to cartridge manufacturer recommendations.  I know some stages like Sutherland's Little LOCO uses transimpedance amplification so you never dial in the loading using a switch but there is still loading.  And then you have some Boulder stages that have fixed loading but with no switches.  It seems that @atmasphere is saying that only phono stages they don't present any cartridge load are properly designed...I'm still not totally understanding this, especially since the cart manufactures recommend a load.