Atma-Sphere vs. Supratek

Was it Ralph Karsten who built the first ever Fully balanced Phono Stage?

I think it is Ralph who designed the first, and still one of the very few, truly balanced phono stages. I run a balanced line from my TT.

It is very true that there are noise and microphonic problems with the stock Chinese tubes. Ralph weeds through a lot of tubes to find the most quiet. But they are junk compared to good NOS. But you have to find a horder of the good NOS.

I was lucky enough to get NOS Mullard military grade 12AT7s that transformed the phono. Incredible difference. And dead quiet. And really great Sylvania NOS 6SN7s for the line stage. Another terrific improvement in SQ. 
This was about a grand but grab them if you can find them. And, yes, you need to buy more then needed to weed out any noisy ones. And, yes, it is a bit of a nightmare to sort out and bad tubes but not that hard. Just takes some time and effort. Just go two at a time and see if the noise moves to the other channel.

Yes, the chassis is basic and simple. Clearly, the money is put into the innards.

However, I paid extra for the factory anti vibration treatment and use it with the top off. 

Thanks again for all you enlightening comments: this is a great community. Just to let you know: I revised my order and asked Mick Maloney to build me one of his new Grange preamps with the option to switch between 6NS7 AND DHT circuits, which will allow me to go euphonic whenever the mood strikes. The production will take a long time but I hope I will be able to open a box from Down-Under before Christmas. Meanwhile I will keep listening to my The Truth preamp from South Carolina.

Again, thanks for this lively discussion.

I can’t compare the Cortese LCR to the Atma-Sphere, but I can give you my impressions of the Cortese LCR. I won’t say I am a Supratek fanboy because I am not hear to sell you one way or the other. I was in need of a phono stage for a new idler drive table and a variety of stereo and mono cartridges (to complement my DS Audio W2 and AMG table). The DS Audio equalizer is proprietary and fed my ARC Ref 5SE, but I lacked a phono stage for conventional MC cartridges. I took the chance on the Cortese LCR to replace the ARC and function as the phono stage as well as a line stage for the DS Audio and reel to reel. I do not regret the move. I have replaced many of the tubes on the Cortese… all improving it. My best summary of it is it’s very detailed without being analytical… full of life without being sweet and syrupy. Yes, the wiring is ‘free form’. It’s not because Mick is lazy or sloppy. It’s because he has found its best is diminished when tidied up. If you can’t live with knowing the wild hair point to point wiring living inside the case, then move along. If you can appreciate a Jackson Pollock, you might be able to consider a Supratek and it’s sonic qualities. I don’t regret my decision and am not considering another option.

There is visually tidy and electrically tidy and these two doctrines don't necessarily align.