3k Phono preamp upgrade options (JC3+, XP-17, etc)

IMO, True that John Curl’s name is associated historically with 2-3 phono stages dating back to the 70s and 80s that are venerable. But his work or products that use his name to make it seem he designed them these days are not necessarily wonderful or on the same high level. All that counts is how it sounds. As I recall the JC3+ exists because its predecessor the JC3 was not loved.

I owned an SPL Phonos and loved it. I traded it in for a Modwright PH9.0x and it is an endgame phonostage for me. A little more than you would like to spend but plenty of comments about it here in Agon.

Agree the Modwright PH9.0 and PH9.0X are wonderful. I’ve probably posted about them more than anyone on this forum. You can likely find a PH9.0 on the used market for less than $3K and upgrade from the stock tubes, which are necessary to get the best of it. Then, down the road, when ready, pay to upgrade to the X. 

@rsf507 What cartridges were you running with the JC3+ vs Goldnote? My Delos is not a super LOMC, so I'm not incredibly concerned with regard to noise, although it does seem to be a hit or miss problem for different systems.

@jayctoy The Sutherland 2020 with LPS is another option that I forgot to mention, it looks very competitive with its pricing. The icon looks great, but ufortunately I don't think it will work for me. It has 72 db gain for MC (Delos is 0.6 mv), and I don't want it to overwork its job in the system. If this isn't an issue please let me know....

@audiosaurusrex @blisshifi If I go the tube route, so far the Modwright PH9.0 looks like the best fit for my system. So far I really like the configurability of the model. What upgraded tubes do you recommend? Regarding Modwright, does the XLR upgrade actually implement a balanced circuit? Or just terminate the endings toward the end? 

Have any of you had experience with Zesto audio? A local dealer quoted me 3800 for the Andros II. 

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Looks like the XP-17 is out now due to having some very competitive options at a lower price. So far here is my current priority list:
Solid State:
1. JC3+ & Sutherland 2020 LPS (tie)
2. Goldnote PH-10

Tube:
1. Modwright PH9.0

Personally I was unable to find a truly great phono stage until I switched to Audio Research and tubes. To me these get tone tone and details right. I would recommend looking at a used Audio Research… or Conrad Johnson… or Cary.