Which Phono Pre?

Dear @tablejockey : Here we are talking not opf tonearm/cartridge match in where I’m in agreement about that " determined by your ears ".

When we are talking of phono stage, at least for me, what I’m looking for is a neutral, accurated and very low colorations/distortions unit.
We need a phono stage that degrades the less the valuable cartridge signal and from my point of views the XP27 achives all those critical characteristics. The OP is looking for the best phono stage he can afford between those alternatives.

"" will have very tolerable noise levels.."""

Sorry but for me the best " tolerable noise levels " is NO noise levels ! I can see you are not to much demanding about, I'm the other way around.

R.

Whest and Pass are both really good SS. If you do a comparison you may pm me to try out the AudioSpecials Phonolab; it too is solid state and very low noise. Since I am a dealer for them I wont elaborate on subjective sq. If you read the German reviews tests show that you will not find much quieter at any price.
*if* the budget could stretch and *if* tube gear is acceptable to you then the Emia and the CS Port are both super awesome...

Raul, have you actually heard the Whest 40RDT?

I’m curious how would you guys rate Pass Aleph Ono series and older Threshold SL-10 pre w/phono stage?

If the OP is open to another suggestion... 

The Wavestream Kinetics Deluxe Phonoamp.  

It is an all tube design currently using (2 x 12AX7, 4 x 6DJ8); with extremely low noise (I believe with the external power supply that the current Level 5 Reference now comes with) noise is below 1uV (one-millionth of a volt ); providing 3 front panel selectable inputs = two MC at 62 dB of gain (without the use of SUT’s or FETS) with a useful cartridge range of 0.2mV to 1.2mV and one MM output at 42dB (you are able to choose your MM gain or you can have 3 MC ); having both balanced and RCA inputs and outputs; adjustable loading available on the back panel via custom loading plugs; and an essentially flat RIAA EQ curve within one tenth of a dB (.1dB) from 3 Hz to 40 Khz. *** The above specs are from the best of my recollection - if you have interest, please consult with Scott Frankland to confirm. He is wonderful to communicate with. ***

Best wishes,
Don