Best cost no object tube phono

@atmasphere 

I would be interested to know with paralleled tube circuits, how can you ensure the tube sections parallelled are matched, and stay matched over a reasonable time. If they are not perfectly matched, then I would assume smearing of signal occurs.

This solution is not cost no object (cost always matters;). It is a non-plus ultra scenario for realistic people. Perhaps the best designed phono stage that had more thought put into it than money-oriented no object designs. Adding the SUT will just kick dynamics into a whole new gear.. their combination is just superb!

I see this path as a straight ticket to audio heaven: Expressive Technologies step up transformer + Hagerman Violin phono stage (tubed, with choke input dual power supplies and separate filament supply. You can choose between 4 RIAA curves, and it has polarity switch, so listening in correct polarity is not an issue anymore). The Violin is an extremely unerrated phono stage, never got fame because Jim sold it waaaay under its performance value. He had to stop making it because he did not break even. Still, the price tag was not cheap, but it was what the unit packs... opposed to "cost no object pricing", inflating the real value by a factor of x10 - x20, and spending more on a shiny chassis than for the goods and technology contained. Just a sad fact of life...I’m always on the look out for "thought no object" designs, where there was serious thought about realistic performance, instead of breaking barriers on unavailability. 

Adding the SUT will just kick dynamics into a whole new gear.. their combination is just superb!

Low gear. SUT's have phase shifts that vary across the frequency spectrum. They cannot preserve accurate time & phase relationships across the full frequency spectrum accurately. They can achieve high gain/low noise, but they cannot preserve speed and coherency. Their endemic phase shifts and colourations provide a rose tinted view of the world, but not accurate reproduction of the signal.

Wavestream Kinetic link offers to truly take care of you...

"For those less technical, we can help you select EQs if you can provide us with:

• Record label
• Year or matrix number
• Images of the markings in the label surround (groove run-out area)

Yet another alternative would be to send us a sample record for testing at The Audio Archive."

realworld, I am an admirer of Hagerman, have long been interested in his Trumpet phono stage, yet I never heard of the Violin phono stage.  You imply it is no longer available.  When was it made, during what period of time?  Have you got a schematic?  Thanks.
While I am also an admirer of the Wavestream Kinetics, I think the need (not the occasional usefulness) of all the extra equalization filters is over-rated, at least with respect to my own LP collection, which mostly post-dates the use of anything other than RIAA.
This is an interesting topic, as it forces one to conjure up old time highpoints in audio design and designers.