Solid state or Tubes preamp phono stage.

Personally, I have the Hagerman Violin which is a cousin of the Trumpet (similar execution level, but has EQ selection capability). Also, have heard several Trumpet versions, both in stock, tube rolled, and modified forms, in various systems and rooms.

I've also known Jim (Jim Hagerman) for 20 years, so, briefly, I can safely say I know the Trumpet quite well and how the comparisons went against different brands. (The Trumpet has the most natural, non-mechanical   Also, I myself build phono stages, so I can also comment on more aspects than most users can, knowing what is under the hood.

For those who like reviews, I can recommend Mike Fremer's stereophile review on the Trumpet - Fremer basically says flat out it's the highest level musical phono stage he tried (at the time he wrote the review), and the issues he has with its sound that it's not clinical enough for his taste, but in all fairness he says that it portrays several (high level) recordings better than his 20K$+ phono he uses in his home system. Fremers verdict is that if you want the highest level phono that does not intrude on the sound with mechanical aspects, then the Trumpet is for you. If you like uber-clinical sound it's not your ticket. 

My observations: it has a neutral sound. In analytical systems it sounds cold and analytical, in colored systems it sounds colored, and in a neutral system it sounds neutral. Briefly, you can hear the record and the rest of the system, it's not editing it. The warmth or clinicalness will be 98% dependent on the cartridge you use.

Of course, when you use premium tubes instead of new production Russian tubes, it's not a surprise that it sounds darn much better! (Lesson 101 for tube users, should not be a surprise...) Basically, with stock tubes it's a darn good phono, and with pimped out tubes you need a custom phono stage to get any better.

I have no experience on the m6x. What I can say if you want equal to Trumpet you need to look in the 20-50K$ price range. (I judge based on classical, unprocessed music, orchestral and chamber.)

Also, if you want to build an ultimate rig, it can perform as a phono stage in that system. Not sure how the m6x would scale up. The Trumpet holds place from mid level to rarest ultra-fi... don;t let the low price tag fool you. This ain't in the level of the 1-2K$ phono stages. Its sound belongs to the 10-30K$ range, but not its price.

""What I can say if you want equal to Trumpet you need to look in the 20-50K$ price range

That's some endorsement. No need to look for a used  Herron, Manley Steelhead or an ARC Ref10 for that matter.

I do believe in all the positive user comments on it, but $50K?

@bigmac1963 Thank you for sharing your appreciation. Hopefully I did not say anything in my guidance that biased either or, and you made the decision given the considerations that were shared. As with most gear selection, there is usually a tradeoff somewhere.

Also, this forum will likely continue with people debating and expressing opinions, and it may make it hard to feel confident in your decision as a result. But I say trust your instinct - you made the decision that you felt was right for you.

I don’t know what to say, @bkeske. I had the same experience as the review. I didn’t even know the review existed until after I tried the unit. 

For context, I borrowed a friend’s trumpet in stock form to compare for a few days against the Modwright PH 9.0X when I owned it, mostly because a friend was looking to sell it and I had a number of spare 12AU7 and 12AX7 around. I found the Hagerman came nowhere as close to the presentation of the Modwright with regards to its fidelity and holography. Rolling the tubes with others such as Telefunken, Philips, and Psvane opened up the sound and improved detail and delivery at the frequency extremes, but still I much preferred the Modwright. 

Just because I preferred the Modwright in just about every dimension, does that make it “better” objectively? It still comes down to the user’s preference, especially with the synergy with the rest of their system. I find it natural that people will debate and prefer one or the other, but in my case, my experience was similar to that of Fremer’s.

@blisshifi 

Well, can’t agree on Fremer’s review. I like Mikey, but there are times he confuses me regarding his ‘take’ on some equipment. This was one. His flippant comment right out of the gate stating it’s power cord could flip it over it was so light, as example, was a bit ridiculous. It comes with a switcher plug, not an EIC connection, no way is that thin cable going to flip the unit over. As I say, I have an SBooster connected to it, but utilizes the stock connection, obviously, but with no fear of the cable ‘flipping’ it over. Yes, it is light weight, and compact unit, but that was a silly comment to make. Then his seemingly confusion on the resistance and gain settings was simply perplexing to me. It was like ‘Mikey, use your ears man’. Obviously these settings can change a carts presentation a great deal, and the overall musical presentation, and I’m not convinced he ever utilized the proper settings for his cart, nor took the time to do so. I just got the feeling he plugged it in, fooled around with it quickly, spun a couple records (two artists I listen to a lot, and disagreed with his assessment of Joni’s vocal presentation), and wrote a hastily written review, then removed it without much interest to move onto something else.

IMO, a pretty worthless review.