Best Phono You've Heard Under $2200

@sokogear  yes you re very correct. I admittedly don't know where my cart journey is headed. I currently have a Nag 150 w/ the 200 (Boron) stylus. I like it but there's obviously better.  I'd like a Nag 500 and to try a Goldring 1042, Garrott and some tigress. I'll eventually end up going MC at sound point but who knows when.

for now an excellent MM preamp is the goal. I have a used 20/20 coming because the price was low s d I can resell it if it's not for me. I had been set on a Decware but the 7 month build times are now 11+ months (and there's 800 people further back on the list). I've soured on the whole experience so I decided to see what else I should research into oblivion and possibly cancel the order.

Not to turn this into a cartridge discussion, but part of the reason I have a van den Hul MC One Special cartridge is the fact that he also makes excellent phono stages (and the cartridge is very natural, clean and transparent sounding with a very long lasting stylus). Synergy is great. My holy grail end game phono stage is the  van den Hul Grail (I kid you not). Can't justify the expense at this point, but you never know if I hit the lottery or find a great deal on a a used one. A new one would cost more than my table, suspension,shelf, cart, phono stage and its suspension and interconnect and power conditioner combination from a list price stand point, so it would have to be a killer deal on a used one, which I have never seen.

Other  than Rega and Linn, I am not aware of anyone else who makes both products, and I already have Rega's P8. I'm not that much of a Rega fan to go the full Rega analogue route and think Linn has lost their way, at least in the US.

I am a big believer of KISS with less adjustments, connections, cables, etc. which is also why the Graill appeals to me.

Another Ayre fan purchased used about 3 years ago and ended my search for a phono pre. It seems to do everything well.

@johnto  P5xe?

Yes the Ayre P-5xe.