Solid state or Tubes preamp phono stage.

@bigmac1963 Can you describe the rest of your system for us? And what phono cartridge are you using?

My system consist of musical fidelity m6si, gem dandy poly table and Sonus faber sonetto iii and my phono pre amplifier is tavish vintage.

I forgot to add my my Hana el cartridge.

Both phono stages will handle your cartridge well.

The benefit of the Musical Fidelity is that it works as a 'stack' with your amplifier. Its SNR specs are quite good, and Musical Fidelity has a pretty solid reputation for their phono stages. Sonically, the M6X is very neutral and will not give you harmonics and bloom, if that is what you are looking for. But some prefer to have harmonics come from their preamplifier, amp, etc.

The Hagerman Trumpet will provide the classic tube amp sound which is known to be colored and slightly rounded on top. It uses six tubes, all of which there are plenty of options to upgrade and roll to suit your sonic tastes. It may end up becoming more involving than the M6X, but it likely won't be as resolving.

Your choice should come down to:

1) How is your analog sounding now? Can it use more bloom or more resolution?

2) How much do you listen to vinyl vs digital? Is it better to increase the harmonics at the phono stage or at the preamp/amp?

3) How enticing is tube rolling to you, and can you afford to invest down the road to experiment with different tubes?

Thank you for your input on these amplifier. I own a tavish vintage phono stage and you can spend a lot of money on tubes. I read some reviews that solid state amplifier will work the best with my phono cartridge.